Have you ever wondered about what goes on in the sand tray? Curious about working with miniatures in a therapeutic setting? I was immediately hooked having had a session with a friend and then blown away by its powerful effects during various training sessions. At Trusting Connections Counselling, we believe in the power of creative healing. One of our cherished methods is counselling using a ‘Sand Tray’. It's a unique and gentle way to explore your feelings, as well as past and present experiences without relying solely on words.
What is Sand Tray Therapy?
Imagine a sandbox filled with soft, smooth sand and a collection of small figurines - people, animals, trees, houses, and more. This simple setup becomes a powerful tool for self-expression and healing.
In a session, you're invited to create a small world in the sand using these miniatures. As you do this, you're actually telling your story and expressing your inner thoughts and feelings.
Expressing Without Words: Letting the Process Unfold
The 'Sand Tray' is perfect for those times when words just aren't enough, or you don’t have the words. It's especially helpful for:
- Children who find it hard to express their emotions verbally
- Adults who struggle to open up about their experiences
- People who have been through traumatic events
- Families working on communication issues
As you start to move the sand with your hands, you engage your brain and body, soothing and regulating
the system as you manipulate the sand and come into the present moment. Choosing your figures, you're communicating in a way that feels safe and natural. It's like your hands know what your heart wants to say.
How Sand Tray Therapy Can Help?
This gentle approach can help in many ways:
- Processing difficult experiences: It's often easier to show a tough experience in the sand than to talk about it.
- Dealing with loss and grief: The sand tray becomes a special place to remember and honour loved ones.
- Improving self-esteem and decision-making: As you create and explore in the sand, you build confidence in your choices.
- Releasing emotions: The sand tray provides a safe space to express feelings you might be holding inside.
- Uncovering hidden thoughts: Sometimes, what you create in the sand can reveal thoughts and feelings you didn't even know you had.
The Magic of Sand: A Full Sensory Experience
There's something special about sand that speaks to both children and adults. The feel of it running through your fingers, the sound it makes as it flows through funnels and sieves, even the sound as you shape it - it's a full sensory experience that can be both calming and exciting.
For children, sand play is a natural way to learn and grow. It helps develop motor skills, encourages creativity, and provides a soothing sensory experience. For adults, it creates a safe distancing away from difficult experiences or allows things to unfold that you are currently unaware of.
At Trusting Connections, we use sand trays of different sizes, and sometimes different colours of sand, to suit different needs and preferences.
Our Caring Approach at Trusting Connections Counselling
We understand that opening up can feel scary. That's why we create a warm, supportive environment for your ‘Sand Tray’ sessions. We are here to guide you, but you're always in control of your journey. We believe that inside every person is the wisdom to heal and grow and the sand tray is one of the gentle ways we help you tap into that inner wisdom. It's a gentle, creative way to explore your feelings and experiences, and you don't need any special skills - just a willingness to play and discover.
We’d love to hear from you. Contact us at Trusting Connections to learn more or book your first session.
Remember, healing can be as simple and joyful as playing in the sand. Let's explore your inner world together, one grain at a time!
As Carl Jung quoted “Often the hands will solve a mystery that the intellect has struggled with in vain.”
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