Sandplay is a unique psychotherapeutic modality developed by Swiss psychotherapist Dora Maria Kalff, with the encouragement of C.G. Jung. The presence of a tray containing sand invites the participant to shape the sand, to add miniature figures and symbols, or both. Inner, often unconscious, contents can be given a concrete, embodied expression.
In this decidedly non-directive technique, the therapist provides what Dora Kalff referred to as a “free and protected space,” an emotionally safe space where there is permission to express, but without expectation, judgment, or the pressure to use words.