Sand Tray Therapy and Trauma

“Trauma . . . is any experience of fear or pain that doesn’t have the support it needs to be digested and integrated into the flow of our developing brains.” -Bonnie Badenoch

Sand tray therapy can be a blessing for those grappling with trauma, whether the trauma is recent or buried in the past. Why is this so? First, this modality provides us with a safe, protected, and reparative space in which to explore memories and feelings. It allows for symbolization—the use of objects to represent people, moments, ideas, or emotions. In the sand, we can act out events that may have felt overwhelming in real time, but become conquerable in the contained space of the tray. We can also project difficult or painful emotions onto our miniatures and allow them to act out those emotions when we struggle to do so ourselves. We can displace onto figurines and symbols any negative feelings we may have toward people in our lives but cannot directly express to them. 

Neuroscience teaches us that during trauma, our right brain or “feeling” side freezes in hypervigilant mode, and our left-brain language centers shut down in response to trauma triggers. In the wake of this severance, it becomes impossible to explore the narrative of our trauma, and thus incredibly challenging to begin the healing process. Sand tray therapy can help to reawaken and regulate those right-brain processes so that we can now work with traumatic memories in a safe zone. Exploring feelings via miniatures in the tray, followed by talk therapy that addresses the cognitive side of the process, can build a bridge between the left and right brain. Often the stories of our trauma need to be retold in a space like this—where sensation and intuition can work in tandem with thinking and feeling—in order to be fully felt and understood. The goal is not to relive one’s trauma, but to remember it in a state of sensory awareness and safety. Sand tray expert Linda Homeyer affirms that, “Sand therapy boldly professes the unspoken . . . in a collaborative sacred space whereby trauma can receive the fresh air needed to transform into growth and healing.”  

The triphasic model of healing, a key element of trauma-informed therapy, is implicit in sand tray work. The process involves three phases: safety (the establishment of trust and connection); remembrance and mourning (our reconnection to our feelings and sensations so that we may access traumatic memories); and reconnection (the formulation of a new vision for a future that involves adaptability and personal integration).  This is the process of “digestion and integration” necessary to recover from trauma and move forward with our lives. Ideally, we experience empowerment in problem-solving, amplified ability to express thoughts and emotions, and a diminished fear of the unknown. We may also come to know a greater willingness to explore our inner world, an increased sense of self-worth, and a shift toward more creative living. 

Within Holistic Counseling can help you to work toward these outcomes regardless of your therapist’s modality, but please reach out with any questions about bringing sand tray work into your therapy experience!