ABSTRACT
Sandplay is a widespread and conventional form of therapy for children. Using sandplay with adults, who possess conceptual language, is less conventional. However, language only partially succeeds in conveying intensely felt emotions, affects, and tensions that even adult clients are often unable to express, control, or understand. Sandplay offers an avenue to reach and communicate with these inner experiences, and heal deeply buried wounds.
This chapter presents special considerations that are important in using sandplay with adults, including: introducing adult clients to sandplay; accompanying the sandplayer; reflecting on a series of trays; adult clients most likely to benefit from sandplay; adult clients least likely to benefit from sandplay; whether severely emotionally disturbed clients are candidates for sandplay; and the key distinctions between sandplay with adults and children, plus references to adult cases in other chapters of this book.
