We often look for a psychologist with an idea of what is going on in us or with the identified cause of our discomfort, however many other times we are not able to see or define the problem, and at this time the specialist must use various techniques to be able to separate important information. Among them, we have the sandbox technique, a common method of application, mainly in child psychology, because children, because of their level of development, often have a lot of difficulty expressing their feelings.
The sandbox technique, in its original name sandplay or sand game in English, was designed by Swiss psychotherapist Dora M. Kalff Il and drew on the analytical psychology of Carl Gustav Jung and the work of child psychiatrist Margarita Lowenfeld. access information that even the patient has not consciously noticed or noticed.
- To access this unconscious content.
- Do we use a blue background box?Can it be made of wood or plastic? Full of sand in which the patient silently places different figures representing elements or characters.
- Real or imaginary.
- That the patient must place in silence according to his personal preferences.
- Among these characters.
- Can we find people.
- Animals and plants.
- Constructions.
- Means of transport.
- Natural elements such as wood or stone.
- Fantastic elements.
- Movie characters.
- Props?Options.
During the process, the therapist should simply offer auxiliary help, leaving the interpretation of what is happening for after hearing what the patient or client will say; on the other hand, it is also common for the psychologist to take a photograph of the scene once finished, for a later interpretation outside the context of the consultation.
The results are varied and there are thousands of possible interpretations for a sandbox, for example, if the characters are alone in the box, this can indicate loneliness or feeling of abandonment of the patient, if local violence prevails on the contrary, it can mean a certain sense of desolation.
Although it is mainly used in child psychology, the sandbox technique can be applied to patients of all ages, which is very useful when we use this type of technique with patients who have difficulty talking about their emotions or even coming into contact with they. This technique is more specifically relevant for patients who have already suffered, for example, a type of trauma such as abuse, mistreatment?, because this type of event usually generates repressed emotions. It is also very useful to use it with people who are experiencing conflict problems or who have emotional or behavioral problems.
Children are still making their debut on the stage of emotional life. They are in full development of their complex emotions and are often unable to express what is going on or what they are feeling. That’s why they’re the most common type of patient in the clinic. This technique is also used in schools to evaluate disorders related to language, self-esteem, interpersonal relationships, bullying, or family problems.
The sandbox brings with it an important element of our children’s mental development: playful games. This creative game set in the arena explores our ancient archetypal patterns, which are part of each patient. The very action of playing in and with sand, visualization, personal choice and the way thumbnails are placed in the arena activate this internal archetypal dimension.
Through the photographs that the therapist takes of the final result of the sandbox, it is possible to analyze various mental patterns of the patient’s unconscious, this is a very interesting technique because it accesses the interior of the patient from a different plane than the linguistic plane, the In many cases , the patient is not even able to verbalize what is happening, especially if we are talking about children, so, given the impossibility of verbalizing, the psychologist can have a sample of the problem through playful play.
All these techniques are very useful, since they create a stress-free space in the office in which the patient feels comfortable. In addition, the creative game allows to release tension and creates a place of respect and freedom in the consultation so that the patient or client can express themselves freely.