Carl Jung, a pioneering psychiatrist of the 20th century, felt that access to unconscious, archetypal energies could, when brought to the ego, provide the blueprint for profound change. Sand play work is both a therapeutic and learning tool that emphasizes nonverbal, symbolic work in sand. It is not unlike dreamwork in its ability to tap very deep levels of consciousness and provide healing and enlightenment. By providing a free and protected space, the therapist or educator establishes a deep empathic connection with the client and therefore provides a living connection to the Sacred and the Self.

Sand play is evocative, playful, highly creative (even for those people who believe they are not creative) and is completely self-guided by the client. It is empowering and gentle, yet deeply propelling as a transformational vehicle. Originally developed by Margaret Lowenfeld in the 1930’s to be used with children in play therapy, Jungian sand play today is used with adults, families, even corporations and in classrooms. It can also be used as an adjunct to dreamwork, regressive hypnotherapy, and Gestalt therapy.

What Goes on in a Sandtray Session?

A blue rectangular sandtray half-filled with sand is the basic instrument of sand play therapy. From two to three hundred figurines are grouped on shelves, and the client is encouraged to choose as few or as many as he or she would like. He/she then places the figures in the sand to create a picture. The therapist may ask the client to relate a story using the figures. The therapist listens, takes notes, and then discusses the sand play creation, which works toward healing and energizing the client through the manipulation of the energies of the living symbols. Typically a client is asked to do a minimum of six trays. The cost is $75.00 per session, which lasts about an hour.

How Does Jungian Sand Play Work?

Carl Jung, modern-day pioneering psychiatrist, felt that access to the unconscious, archetypal energies brought to the ego provides the blueprint for profound change. Along with a therapist who assimilates the feeling of the sandplay process and who maintains a wordless rapport with the client, the work takes on a kind of ritualistic aura where the tray becomes a sacred ground. The process activates a drive toward wholeness and self-realization in which the psyche (and body) can heal itself.

Who Benefits from Jungian Sand Play Therapy?

Most people benefit from Jungian sand play work, because it facilitates access to their deepest Self. But it is particularly helpful for individuals who suffer from psychological and physical ailments, along with children who have learning difficulties and/or behavioral problems. Sandtray work provides support for those in grief, those who have been victims of trauma, and those who are in the dying process. Additionally it assists those who suffer from eating disorders, post-traumatic stress, even infertility.

DIRECTOR

Pam Blackwell Mayes, Ph.D.

Pam Blackwell Mayes, Ph.D. is the director of the Western Sand Play Associates and the C.G. Jung Fellowship of Utah. A retired therapist, she has forty years’ experience as a Jungian-oriented counselor. She is an associate member of the International Sandplay Association who has co-authored theoretical and practical articles in Jungian psychology as well as Jungian sand play therapy.

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF MAYES' ARTICLES IN EDUCATION AND SANDTRAY LITERATURE

Mayes, C., Blackwell Mayes, P., Williams, E. (2007). Sandtray, reflectivity, and educational leadership at Brigham Young University: A follow-up study. International Journal of Leadership in Education.

Mayes, C., and Blackwell Mayes, P. (2006). Sandtray therapy with a 24-year-old woman in the residual phase of schizophrenia. The International Journal of Play Therapy, 15(1), 101-117

Mayes, C., and Blackwell Mayes, P. (2005) Jung, Mormonism, and the dialectics of exaltation. Psychological Perspectives: A Semiannual Journal of Jungian Thought. C.G. Institute of Los Angeles, 48, 84-107

Mayes, C., Blackwell Mayes, P., and Williams, E. (2004). Messages in the sand: Sandtray therapy techniques with graduate students in an educational leadership program. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 7(3), 257-284.

Mayes, P. (2003). Sandtray Studies of Administrator Reflectivity. Doctoral dissertation. Southern California University for Professional Studies: Santa Ana, California.

"Mayes Hypothesis." in Bradbury, K. (2002) Response to 'The use of sandplay in a graduate educational leadership program.' The Journal of Sandplay Therapy: The C.G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles, 11(2), 125-129.

Mayes, C., and Blackwell Mayes, P. (2002). The use of sandtray in a graduate educational leadership program. The Journal of Sandplay Therapy: The C.G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles, 11(2), 103-124.

Mayes, C., and Blackwell Mayes, P. (2002). Spiritual reflectivity among Mormon teachers and administrators in the public schools. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 5(2), 129-148.