Sometimes talking therapy doesn’t seem to help. Talking on its own isn’t always able to reach the depth of the issue or it isn’t enough at a certain time to make the difference you hoped it would. Often this is the case for women who are experiencing trauma; who have PTSD from unresolved trauma of the past or who have developed Complex-PTSD from a lifetime of traumatic experiences. In these situations our brains and bodies go into survival mode and work in a way that we have no control over leaving us literally with no words to explain the fear, the pain or the distress. We can feel so disconnected or overwhelmed that it is impossible to make any sense of what happened or to know how we are feeling.
Sand Tray Therapy is a way of ‘showing’ rather than ‘saying’. It is a really powerful way of helping me to see how you are feeling or what you are thinking, so I can see your world in the way that you do. This helps our work together when words are not enough. Research shows that sand tray therapy can help increase emotional expression while reducing the psychological distress that can come from discussing traumatic events or experiences.
Sand Tray Therapy can be carried out in silence. It is a completely personal way of processing distress; of accessing your unconscious mind and of activating your physical system and in doing this it can show you things you maybe didn’t even know were there. It can release emotions and move on unconscious memories and feelings. It can help you to stand back and see a problem or a worry from a different perspective. It is a place where you can safely try out new things and rehearse how you want to be. It can help us to resolve some issues and to accept other things in our lives that we have struggled with. It can also help us to plan, to take action, and to make changes in how we think and feel.
Sometimes Sand Tray therapy is all you need, often it can work well alongside talking therapy and as with everything it might not be right for you, but it is an option we can try at any time in our work together.
What my clients say…
“Thank you so much for everything. This time last year I didn’t think anything in life was possible….Thank you for believing in me….I am a survivor no longer a victim”
“Thank you for being my space to grow.”
“My guilt and the rock in my chest has gone…you have helped me do what I never thought possible…I cannot thank you enough for the work we have done.”
“Thank you for standing by my side and making me feel safe to face the past.”
“You will never ever know how much your help has been appreciated….after ringing all the known places for help and nothing was forthcoming. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
“Thank you for every bit of support you have offered me…from the very first email I wrote to you sobbing my heart out not knowing where to turn.”