Sand Tray Therapy in Middlesex, NJ
Sand Tray Therapy is an expressive and projective process which helps individuals of all ages process their issues and emotions. It provides the opportunity for self-expression and self-exploration. Through Sand Tray Therapy, individuals experience healing.
Sand Tray Therapy consists of a tray of sand and carefully selected miniatures that the client uses to create their world. The shape of the tray can be rectangular, round, or octagonal. There are different types of sand that a therapist may choose for the tray such as Moon sand, Jurassic sand, Santastik sand, Kinetic sand, etc. The carefully selected miniatures are of various categories such as people, occupations, fantasy figures, animals, transportation, buildings, vegetation, etc. The miniatures placed in the sand tray become the individual’s “words.”
As the individual creates their world, the sand in the tray provides a sensory experience. Touching the sand is very therapeutic and allows for the child, teen, or adult to speak freely about their current issues as the sand helps reduce their anxiety and helps them to regulate. Sandtray also uses all of our senses which allows the brain to form more neurons.
While the individual is working on their tray, the sand tray therapist will observe how the individual is placing each miniature in the sand and will look for themes and metaphors. The counselor will try to understand the individual’s thoughts and beliefs in order to reflect them back to them in an accurate way. The counselor will ask the individual to give “their world” a name and will processes the tray with them. After the session, the counselor may take a picture of the sand tray.
Children, teens, and adults with trauma have difficulty with expressing their pain. It is easier for them to use the sand tray and miniatures to express their feelings as sand tray provides a safe place and gives children, teens, and adults a sense of control. The miniatures provide traumatized individuals the opportunity to express their feelings onto the miniatures. Sand Tray Therapy often helps individuals access pre-verbal experiences that are in the unconscious mind (right brain).
