ABSTRACT
Two sand-tray specific mechanisms of phenomenological anchor and phenomenological hook, identified as part of the pluralistic sand-tray therapy process, are introduced in this chapter. The phenomenological anchor refers to a significant object acting as a point of reference, positioning the beginning of the client’s exploration of a particular issue. This physical reminder frees the client to engage in ‘edge of awareness’ processing helping the implicit become explicit.
The phenomenological hook, a significant object serving as a mechanism enabling unconscious material to move into conscious awareness via symbolic processes. Case study excerpts are incorporated into the descriptions and function of these mechanisms. This chapter ends by exploring the combined advantage of the phenomenological anchor and the phenomenological hook unique to pluralistic sand-tray therapy, enabling both ‘edge of awareness’ discovery and unconscious processing.
