Dragons, trees, caves, sacred centres and mandala-like patterns sometimes appear in children’s Sandplay. But when does an image become archetypal? Principle 7 explores how we can recognise archetypal imagery without imposing fixed symbolic interpretations on the child.
Imagery in Jungian Sandplay Therapy | Principle 7 Read More »
Superhero figures can easily be dismissed as commercial toys or television characters. Yet children do not necessarily experience them that way. Once a figure enters the sandtray and becomes part of the child’s spontaneous story, it may acquire a deeply personal symbolic function.
PJ Masks in Jungian Sand Play Therapy Read More »
In Jungian Sandplay Therapy, healing does not begin only with words or symbols. Through touching, digging, pouring, shaping and burying sand, the child engages the body and sensorimotor system. Drawing on Jung, Dora Kalff, Daniel Siegel and Bessel van der Kolk, Principle 6 explores how bodily experience may gradually develop into form, image, symbol and meaning.
The Role of the Body in Jungian Sandplay Therapy Read More »
The ordinary sparrow carries an extraordinary tension between instinct and consciousness, appetite and humility. What can this small bird teach us about shadow, belonging and building a meaningful life one piece at a time?
The Sparrow Symbol: Shadow, Humility and Individuation Read More »
When a child struggles with anger, anxiety, withdrawal, impulsivity or concentration, parents understandably want to know how to stop the difficult behaviour.
Conscious Parenting: Your Child Is Not a Problem to Be Fixed🧰 Read More »
Recently, while watching Spider-Man: Brand New Day, I found myself thinking about the powerful connection between Spider-Man and boys’ emotional development. I thought about a twelve-year-old boy building his first sandplay tray. His enthusiasm for Spider-Man made me wonder: Why does this particular superhero speak so strongly to boys, especially during the years between childhood
Spider-Man and Boys’ Emotional Development | A Jungian Sandplay Perspective Read More »
Parenting is not only about guiding a child’s behaviour. It is also about learning to recognise the unique person who is gradually emerging before us. In this new five-part series, Conscious Parenting: Five Jungian Principles for Raising the Whole Child, Natia and I will explore how Jungian psychology can help parents understand their children—and themselves—more
Conscious Parenting: Five Jungian Principles for Raising the Whole Child Read More »
Children do not always have the words to say, “I feel overwhelmed,” “I am scared,” or “My body feels too full.” Sometimes this comes out as crying, anger, restlessness, clinginess, withdrawal, or not listening. Before we try to reason with a child, the body often needs help to feel safe again. One helpful way to
Body Helpers: 5 Simple Ways to Help Your Child Calm Their Nervous System Read More »
.🌿 Introduction to The Transcendent Function in Jungian Sandplay Therapy Children often express their inner world through images long before they can explain it in words. In Jungian Sandplay Therapy, symbols, stories, and symbolic play provide a unique window into the developing psyche. Discover how the transcendent function appears in children’s Sandplay Therapy through symbols,
🌿The Transcendent Function in Jungian Sandplay Therapy Read More »
Young children do not always begin therapy with words. A child of three, four, or five may not be able to say: “I feel overwhelmed.”“I feel unsafe.”“I do not know how to manage this feeling.”“I need protection.” Instead, the child may show it. They may dig in the sand, bury figures, build walls, hide animals,
