In Gestalt Therapy we use different experiments. In earlier episodes for example I have already mentioned the empty chair experiment. This time I have a guest Emmanuelle Lamberty who uses the experiment called Sandplay in her Gestalt Therapy praxis. Emmanuelle is of Belgian and Luxembourgish origin and has her praxis in Belgium right at the Luxembourgish border. She has lived in The US and Germany, loves to learn new languages and finds her inspiration in nature, creativity and existential matters.
Figure of today
Using experiments in Gestalt Therapy sessions can bring new awareness for clients. They are called experiments because you never know what will come out of it. There is no right or wrong result.
Sandplay uses a vast amount of objects placed in a tray of sand, these objects could be anything, elements of nature, cartoons, household etc. The clients use these objects to communicate whatever they feel like.
How is this important?
Sandplay is a very practical tool, it is very useful for people who are in their heads a lot and have trouble finding the words. It helps create realisations, some clients come in the therapy room with a question about one thing but end up realising that something else is more important to work on because of the object that person has chosen.
What’s Gestalt in all of this?
Using Sandplay is to really go into something, using action by choosing and placing the object and visualising the problem or issue at hand.
Awareness is also important in Sandplay, what the client is feeling when touching the sand or placing the objects. The sensations of the body as well as the mind are the connecting factors for using Sandplay as a Gestalt Therapy experiment.
References :
Inventor of Sandplay - Margaret Lowenfeld
More about Emmanuelle;
www.elamberty.be (website in French only ; sessions in French, English and Luxembourgish)
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All case stories are anonymised and no clients are directly quoted without prior written consent.
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Music courtesy of TrackTribe - Longer Distance