Sandbox Technique: Psychology Treatment Resources

The scenes inside the sandbox are built with figures and objects of various kinds, with the patient’s hands being the “constructors” of the scene, while the psychologist watches attentively as a passive subject.

in the centers of Vertices Psychologistswe use the sandbox technique in all our centers in Madrid and in Majadahonda, Las Rozas, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Boadilla del Monte, Torrelodones, Galapagar, Collado Villalba and El Escorial, as a complement to traditional therapies , so that with time and adequate dedication, through this experience the patient can be led to the development of a new psychic structure of personality.

Sandbox game process

The therapeutic technique of sandbox is a form of therapy that allows patients, whether adults, adolescents, or children, the opportunity to express “presenting” instead of verbalizing, those feelings and experiences that are difficult to access or express through words.

The technique also provides the patient Balance in your daily outside world, allowing you to interact in a more open and integrated way in daily life. The extreme simplicity and, at the same time depthfrom the game of the sandbox, helps to maintain the internal integrity of the patient, allowing him to have a sanctuary where he can come into contact with the symbolic world and help trigger the healing process.

A basic element of sandbox therapy is that the human psyche it has a natural tendency to heal itself, when the right conditions exist. Similar to how physical wounds heal in a suitable environment, the human psyche also possesses an instinctive wisdom, which arises when it is left free to develop naturally in a protected environment. The goal of the sandbox is to activate those healing energies to the deepest level of the psyche, using for it the thumbnails and the box to reflect the inner world of the patient. Due to this symbolic activity and through the experience of free and creative play, unconscious processes become visible in a three-dimensional way, just as it occurs during the dream experience.

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The archetypal world of the patient

The archetypal world expresses itself with symbols and these symbols act as a bridge between the inner and outer worlds of human beings. Using the images (thumbnails on the therapy room shelves) in the safe environment provided by the psychologist, the patient may develop freely his creation in the sandbox. The creative play that occurs in the arena is where the ancient archetypal patterns that live within people are explored. Therefore, it is the very action of the game in the arena, that is, the displaypersonal choice and the way in which the models are placed in the arena, which activates the powerful inner archetypal dimension.

During the creation in the sand, it is important that the patient does not focus on any type of cognitive processing, since the process must to flow only with imagination. Likewise, the creations made by the patient in the sand should not be interpreted until after finishing the complete process (which can last several sessions), so that he remains focused at all times on his creation and is not distracted. The psychologist will remain close, being a mere silent witness, who will only reaffirm empathically the patient the creation that he makes in the box, so that the creative process is unleashed beyond language and thought.

Silence will help contain and respect the patient’s experience, so that what the person is expressing can continue to resonate and flow within the patient’s mind and feeling.

Interpretation of the creations in the sand

Once the patient has finished their creation during a therapy session, they can comment on the scene they have created. However, the interpretations and discussions about the creations will be carried out by the psychologist after a series of sessions or different creations. It is very important that the unconscious for the patient to feel free and uncontaminated by what the therapist has said or will say about his creations in the sand.

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Once each session or creation is finished, the therapist will photograph the scene and store the photos until the end of the process, the patient and the psychologist mutually deciding to view the creations. The psychologist can then begin to give a analytical interpretation of the creations in the sandbox, leading the patient to reflect and decipher the content. This phase will provide a window for interpretation of the patient’s unconscious and a framework for future talk therapy.

The sandbox methodology is one of the few therapeutic techniques in which knowledge linguistic are not necessary for understanding the expressions of the human psyche, offering a unique opportunity to see universal patterns, archetypal patterns and observe how the individual psyche unfolds and develops. It is also an excellent and simple complement to any therapeutic process, where the interaction with the patient occurs in a participatory manner, allowing them to express their unconscious without blocks or barriers.