AN ABUSED CHILDS USE OF SANDPLAY IN THE HEALING-PROCESS

In 1939, Margaret Lowenfeld, a child psychiatrist in London, created a therapeutic medium with which children could freely communicate and express themselves. Through the influence of Jungian, Dora Kalff, and the Jungian theories she applied to it, this new technique spread throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan. Termed ''Sandplay'' by Kalff, it is recognized as a highly effective and creative modality used mostly in child therapy, but also in Jungian analysis with adults. As a sandplay therapist who specializes in sexual abuse treatment, I have experienced the healing power of sandplay in the treatment of traumatized children, especially those who were sexually abused. The focus of this article is on the inner world expression and process of a boy I call Adam, who was a participant in my doctoral dissertation study on sandplay with sexually abused children. The article describes Adam's twelve-tray sandplay process and the theories behind the assessments that I made, based on Jungian psychology, Kalffian sandplay theory, and previous research.