News

19. International Sandplay Congress
Cambridge, 23. -27.August 2007

“TO SEE THE WORLD IN A GRAIN OF SAND” (W. Blake)

More than 120 sandplay therapists traveled to Cambridge University to establish contact with colleagues from around the world, to exchange experiences and concrete case examples, as well as, to listen to more theoretical lectures and seminars.

Cambridge University consists of 20 independent colleges each, being a temenos bordered in its own closed world and providing both material and spiritual needs for study. With names from religious and royal histories, most are rectangular building complexes with grassy inner courtyards bordered with flowers. Both building and courtyard are guarded and by this, provide the impression of free inner space. This is how it was experienced each evening for dinner in the historical building at Magdaene College.

In her opening address, Ruth Ammann (Switzerland), the president of ISST, referred to the picture of the temenos as the representation of one of the essential elements of the sandplay process. From sandplay picture slides, which she, herself had organized, she explored the nature of the ISST and spoke about how the Self of a group can express itself positively as well as negatively. The latter, requiring conscious social consideration. A special request was made towards the solid training of sandplay therapists.

Alexander Esterhuyzen (Great Britain) in his lecture Sandplay: Globalised Technique or Personal Individuation, spoke about the basic tension between the individual and collective interests. He argued that the conflict can be observed on a personal level as well as, on the social level. He further suggested that the process of individuation is not linear but rather, can better be understood as a spiral process in which we are constantly attempting to switch our attention between the collective/altruistic position and the personal/subjective positions, without identifying with either. Thus, as he recommended, an attempt to find the balance between the individual and the collective tendencies is important in small groups, organisations, institutions and in the globalised world.

Harriet Friedman and Rie Rogers Mitchell (USA) editors of Stories and Models of Sandplay Supervision From Around the World, took the position, from 19 contributors, that supervision training should be contained throughout the training process. Seven of the authors were present and gave a concentrated overview of sandplay supervision with a number of concrete and useful suggestions, all of which are detailed and can be read in the book.

On the first afternoon of the conference, 3 parallel sessions were held and in each, a sandplay process was presented. Patricia Dunn Fierstein (USA) spoke about attachment disorder in an adopted Chinese girl and restoring the bonds of trust. Rosa Napoliello Balfour (Italy) presented the case of a 36 year old Italian woman who had been sexually abused as a child and of the evolution of her sandplay images and dreams over a 2 ½ years period. Anke Seitz introduced the sandplay pictures of a 10 year old girl with German/Egyptian heritage suffering with dyslexia and learning difficulties.

In the evening, with quite a number of participants, there was the general assembly of the ISST. Ruth Ammann spoke about the main activities for the past year in her opening report: statutes added to the regulations, an alliance between the ISST and the IAAP, as well as, demands for training in a variety of countries such as China, Australia, South Korea and Brazil. After the national reports, Ruth Ammann was again voted as president for the next 4 years and the new ethic-code was accepted.

The second day began with The Morning Spiral Dreaming Matrix for People and Miniatures, a workshop presented by Leonore Steinhardt (Israel). The first lecture of the day was “The Ground Beneath Our Feet; The Ground Beneath Our Hands” by Vera Braunbehrens (Germany) and Philip Carlestons (Great Britain). Philip Carleston spoke first about the cultural/historical aspects of the “experience of the ground”, which builds the physical reality from which we can return to as physiological beings. He described 4 stages of development from Nomads to the urban civilization. With the passage of time, our relationship to the ground has undergone considerable change which, has been accompanied by a loss of roots. Vera Braunbehrens presented examples of this phenomenon: impressions and experiences are no longer fixed in the body; figures in sandplay pictures are not bound to the form given to the sand or are even in contradiction to it. She shows the importance of the experience in the pre-symbolic dimension in giving the symbol a living embodiment. This pre-symbolic dimension can be met in the physical, sensual reality of the sand. Only with the connection with “the ground” can it come to a living symbolic form. The “work with clay” from Hans Deuser was presented as another example of contact with the pre-symbolic level.

Maggie Baron (Great Britain) spoke about the tradition of the “ Maypole” in England and its symbolic importance in sandplay pictures: fertility, re-incarnation, abundance, happiness in togetherness and balance.

Stephen W. Olmsted (USA) described the alchemical journey of the transformation of a woman with symptoms of chronic depression.

In the first block of the afternoon parallel sessions, Franco Castellana (Italy) spoke about the therapeutic process as one possibility for the integration of a separated mind/body relationship. Priscilla Braun (USA) presented a sandplay case in which, the development was described not so much as a psychological but, as a spiritual process. She suggested that when the soul finds the connection to the body again with the help of the symbol, the results can be concrete answers to the most important questions of life. Diana Jansen (Great Britain) explored the “inner beauty and the beast” allowing for new possibilities in relating.

In the second afternoon block sessions, Alexander Von Gontard presented the methodology and results of a controlled study designed and undertaken in Germany to determine the effectiveness of sandplay therapy with children and adolescents. Sue Chapman (Great Britain) presented the case of a young woman who confronted herself with Buddhist contents. Carla Sharp (USA) gave the participants the opportunity to observe spontaneous sand images from ordinary play. After another lovely dinner in The College Hall, everyone was treated to a jazz piano concert by Philip Carleston.

The third day opened with the continuation of the Spiral Dreaming Matrix workshop. Following, Marcella Merlino (Italy) spoke about her work with drug addicted patients. In the original sandplay representations, the healing process was not there as, the patient knew he was proceeding towards death. The further work in the sand though, allowed him to find an expression for his suppressed history and pain.

Thomas Mantel (Germany), demonstrated in his lecture, “Change of Awareness: Moving Beyond Patriarchal Thinking”, the necessity of the integration of the feminine archetype to overcome the predominately logos-oriented, fragmented and alienated thought of our time. He showed the difficulties of the therapeutic process of a 30 year old woman and her problems in dealing with an overwhelmingly negative mother complex. The patient finally found a positive view of the feminine after phases of progress and regression.

After lunch, the lion and the unicorn were explored by Janet Tatum (USA) as playing a major role in the sand pictures of a 9year old girl with the diagnosis of bipolar disorder. During the therapeutic process, this contradictory couple was able to find a balanced relationship.

In the afternoon parallel sessions, further case study descriptions were given. Judith Morris (New Zealand) spoke about the healing process of a girl who had been abused in the home as well as, in the care system. Wouter Bleijenberg (Holland) presented the case of an adolescent girl struggling with apparitions and traumata and Deborah Bedford Strohm (Germany) described the sandplay pictures of a woman who was in the preparation for death.

In the following parallel sessions, Alexander Von Gontard (Germany) considered and spoke about the elements of spirituality, Buddhism and sandplay therapy in children. The relationship of spirituality and sandplay was also presented by Grace Hong (Taiwan). How sandplay therapy can be used in medical practices with physical suffering was reported by Brendan Harding (Ireland).

We had another lovely dinner in the College Hall and on this last evening, we were treated to an AV presentation by Trish Bain featuring sand stories and enactment of myth by elders of the Anangu Pitjanantjara, Australia.

Two further lectures rounded out the conference program on Monday morning. Leonore Steinhardt (Israel) spoke about the influence of Moroccan Jewish mystical belief on the work related wishes of a 43 year old Israeli woman during the course of some years of sandplay therapy. Sherry Renmu Shepherd (Japan) impressively illustrated from artwork and examples, the influence of culture upon our very existence and the differences between East and West with, consequent cultural identity solutions.

The conference came to an end with a short review of the past days and with a special thanks to the British and Irish Sandplay Society for the overall organization and the rich program design!

Supervision of Sandplay Therapy