Metaphorical Language in Sandplay Therapy

In this article the author discusses that during sandplay therapy and play therapy sessions clients often speak from the unconscious using metaphorical language. The goal of this article is to explore this form of communication and encourage therapists to become more aware of its power in the healing process. The author identifies four primary reasons that clients speak metaphorically in sandplay and play therapies and offers tools to enhance the therapist's ability to truly listen for this form of expression. The author also identifies and explores five appropriate metaphorical response styles that will enable the client to feel attuned to and will further enhance the healing process. Ample case material is provided to illustrate each example. A case is made for the importance of metaphorical language between client and therapist as a form of "co-regulating communication" that furthers brain development, enhances self-regulation (e.g. Siegel, 1999) and ultimately healing. (This article is a revised transcript of Understanding and Use of Metaphorical Language in Sandplay Therapy presented at Returning to the Self: Sandplay Therapists of America National Conference, 2012 in Berkeley, California, USA).