ABSTRACT
Jung’s concept of the transcendent function clarifies the process of transformation in sandplay therapy and throws light on the significance of the use of the bridge, a special and important miniature, in sandplay scenes. In his major article on the transcendent function, Jung describes how the psyche struggles with and sometimes transcends its own deep divisions, which so often involve the claims of apparently irreconcilable opposites such as instinct and spirit, love and fear, dependence and independence. The transcendent function mediates between these warring opposites and unites them with a reconciling symbol. This is experienced consciously as a new attitude which transcends the original divided state of the self. After this change in attitude it is then possible to effectively change our behavior in a natural and stable way (Jung 1969b: 67–91).
