What is Sandtray Therapy?

Often the HANDS will solve a mystery the INTELLECT has struggled with in vain.

We've known sandtray therapy is powerful for years (since the 1930s) but have only fairly recently realized WHY it's so powerful. We can now peek inside the brain with fMRI's and understand how our brain processes information. Information is processed first with pictures and THEN with words and linguistics are attached to it. This makes sense if you think about it-- Developmentally, we can process images WAY before we can process words. 

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I bet if you think about it, this still happens. Ever seen a picture that affected you from a certain way in your body and mind, but you struggled to put it into words? That's because information is processed first with pictures and images in the right side of our brain, and this information may never get moved to the left part of the brain (where words happen). 

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The right side of the brain is where all of our early trauma lies as well as our feelings and emotions. Seems like the right side of the brain is where the main work of therapy lies, doesn't it? AND - you get one other HUGE benefit - when you show me your world in the sand, I understand more about you and will then be able to help you get better faster. 

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I know it may seem a bit strange or weird, but I promise it's all grounded in science. The next time you come to see us, we may be working in the sandtray. Here's my prediction: You will realize all kinds of things that you didn't know were linked by doing a sandtray. It helps the sides of your brain work together better, and also helps us as therapists understand you and your world. With this insight, we can help you that much more quickly!

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