ABSTRACT
The integration of sandtray therapy and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) was instrumental in helping a 9-year-old boy quickly move toward resolution of a somatic symptom. The trauma of his early childbirth and the invasive procedures that kept him alive were stored as implicit memories in his body, and his ongoing physical challenges led him to the negative belief that “my body is against me.” Using Francine Shapiro’s learning theory, adaptive information processing, existing perceptions of stored sensory memories were reprocessed through bilateral stimulation of the brain into a more adaptive form. The intersection of sandtray and EMDR allowed this 9-year-old to symbolically reenact implicit memories with figures in the sand. An explicit cohesive narrative was formed and installed, and positive thoughts and beliefs and associated body sensations allowed perceptions to change. The healing power of sandtray and EMDR transformed a negative belief into the realization that he had his own power to heal, and his somatic symptoms were relieved.
