Sandtray
Workshop WITH lilliana gibbs
Sandtray is exactly as it sounds: a tray, some sand, and a wide collection of miniature objects, used as a way into whatever's stuck. You're invited to build a small world with whatever draws you — no right or wrong, just play. We choose the objects, or let them choose us, and intuitively arrange them in the sand; then together we explore what you’ve made and your process in doing it.
What can be explored with Sandtray
- A relationship question
- A conflict at work
- A decision you can't quite make
- Something more abstract
Often the hands will solve a mystery
that the intellect has struggled with in vain.
— C.G. Jung
WHY SANDTRAY WORKS
As children, we resolve most of our early conflicts through play, long before we have the words for them. Talking things through as adults is powerful, but it can also keep us in our heads. Sandtray reconnects with something more instinctive — a useful complement to purely cognitive approaches, and a way to access what hasn't found words yet. It works well for individuals, couples and small groups alike, and can be a genuinely creative part of working through a decision or a block.
Developed from the work of Dora Kalff and Margaret Lowenfeld.