“There is a great difference between simply living a long life and living a full and rewarding life. What’s really important is how much rich texture and color we can add to our lives…” -Daisaku Ikeda

Sandtray book images

1.1: A peek at place and process.
1.2: Eddy's story, sneak attack - Eddy's view.
3.1: Lucia's story, secrets - her bathtub memorial.
3.3: Alicia's story, illness in the center - a bathroom in the center.
3.4: My story, entirely stuck - facing along the path.
4.1: Angel image, an exercise.
4.3 Sara's story, from an archetyypal to a personal field
5.2: An exercise in judgement - creator's view.
6.1: Hana's story, configuring family history - the little girl seeing the family history.
6.2: Fawn's story, finding words in images.
7.1: Vincent's story, safety in silence - conflict bethween Athens and Sparta, witness's view.
7.2: Sandy's story, imperative to safety - woman sitting under a tree.
7.3: Sandy's story, imperative to safety - prior to moving the woman to the southwest corner.
7.4: Natalie's story, volcano power - Natalie's view.
7.5: Natalie's story, volcano power - wintness's view.
8.1: Janet's story, becoming tangible - Janet's view.
8.2: Janet's story, becoming tangible - the real girl comes into the world.
8.3: Liam and Vicky, pulling versus accompanying - being on the bridge, looking into the river.
9.1: Mason's story, identifying feelings - the confused boy.
9.2: Mason's story, identifying feelings - his desired relationship.
9.3: Bella's story, spring blooms - her longed for world.
10.1: LaShell's story, a working well - contained well.
10.2: Tyrone's story, Car Therapy
10.3: Gordy's story, Godzilla Wars
10.4: Gordy's story, Gozilla Wars - the sand even buries the baby.
11.1: Revisiting Lucia's story, The volcano and the snowman - snowman near the volcano.
11.2: Jana's story, Caging Fear - the scary man view from the east side of the tray.
11.3: Jana's story, Caging Fear
11.4: Luc's story, Waiting for a Home - tumbling figures in the waves of sand.
11.5: Luc's story, Waiting for a Home
11.6: He bites. Crying babies.
11.7: Mumi's story, staying onthe safe side
Return to book page

The Sandtray process I promote is rooted in the work of play-research pioneer Margaret Lowenfeld. She theorized that the physical sensations, emotions, memories, and thoughts are interwoven in young children’s minds, identifying our preverbal understanding. Lowenfeld called this form of thought “Picture Thinking.” She developed the Sandtray tools which allowed children to express themselves in an intensely personal, visual, and kinesthetic manner which circumvented the use of words. Her method became known as “Lowenfeld’s World Technique.” Her technique has been adopted by other theorists and used with people of all ages and in many cultures.

Lowenfeld’s approach resonates with me as the practitioner does not interpret or analyze the sand world. Instead, I function as a Witness or a guide to enrich the Creator’s focus, so that they can explore and harvest wisdom from the lesser-known parts of themselves. Sometimes our experiences are beyond words, and at other times our words cannot accurately reflect our experiences. The sand tray Creator makes their own discoveries. Control lies with the maker of the world, and with a practitioner’s aid, fresh personal perceptions and meanings may unfold. This Sandtray process can be a deeply intimate time with oneself that clarifies what actions we need to take to heal, recover, and grow.