By Mary Grieco
Catholic Herald correspondent

Local therapist helps patients through sandplay

RHINELANDER --At first glance, Sr. Maria Vinton's office looks like a place where any child would have a field day. She has an extensive collection of colorful miniature figures carefully arranged on shelves -- everything from trees and prehistoric creatures to clowns and angels. Close by are two 19.5-by-28.5-inch boxes filled with sand. Vinton, a Sister of the Sorrowful Mother, is an art therapist with St. Mary's Hospital Mental Health Clinic.

As anyone who has played on a sandy beach knows, it can be an extremely relaxing experience and a creative outlet. Sand opens the door to the unconscious world.

That's what mental health professionals trained in sandplay see happening with their patients of all ages. During sandplay, there is typically little verbal exchange between therapist and patient. Instead, the therapist carefully observes what the person is doing with the sand (wet or dry), which miniatures are chosen, and how they are positioned.

"Often a person's first tray will express the problem they may be experiencing and also the solution," Vinton noted. "It is important to be very aware of that first tray. If a person is very emotionally charged, there may be a lot of digging, burying or use of water."

Both art and sandplay therapy can be particularly effective for patients who find it difficult to verbalize how they are feeling. "Generally, they are appropriate for anyone who wants to get in touch with their inner world," Vinton said.

Vinton has a master's degree in art therapy and is an associate member of the Sandplay Therapists of America, an ever-expanding group that has gatherings throughout the country. To enjoy full membership more study is required, and about seven years of training are involved to reach teacher status. Vinton is currently working under the tutelage of licensed sandplay therapist Joe Meyer, ACSW, one of the founding members of the sandplay therapy group in the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn., area.

"I first got interested in sandplay while attending an art therapy conference a couple years ago," she said. "There was a preconference course on it, and it was an attractive medium for me. It goes back to my own love of playing in the sand and doing sandstone sculptures."

When patients begin a session, they are invited to explore the shelves and choose whatever attracts them -- which could represent areas of their life or particular issues. Many gravitate to certain groups of figures. Some may use the same images over and over; others select different figures as the therapy progresses.

Figures can have special meanings or take on a particular meaning for a patient. For example, if a person is in a time of transition, a bridge may be used; if there is a need for containment, a fence may appear.

The hundreds of miniatures found on the shelves in Vinton's and other sandplay therapists' offices do not appear by chance. The collections reflect individual therapists, so that clients are interacting with the therapist. "I have a personal connection with all the things on the shelf," she said, "and I am constantly adding to the collection."

Her shelves are not arranged haphazardly. Starting at the bottom are things of the earth (rocks, trees). Moving upward are prehistoric animals, followed by tame animals, then human beings of diverse cultures and familiar articles found in their lives. At the top are spiritual symbols of various traditions.

There is a specific reason for the designated size of the sand tray. It is meant to hold a person's steady gaze to encourage concentration. "You can look at the whole tray like you look at your life," Vinton said. "It is big enough to see the whole spectrum." The sides and bottom are painted a bright blue to represent the sky and water, offering the possibility of digging down to unexplored depths or building up to heights.

"I take notes during the process," Vinton explained. "I need to know what goes in and how things are positioned. They (patients) reach a point when they say they are finished. Often there is a changed mood or outlook when the tray is finished. The person has worked on or worked through something within.

"The tray is never taken apart in their presence," she added. "Creating is so much a part of themselves."

With the patient's permission, pictures are taken of each completed tray, and progression can be noted. The first one or more may be chaotic, but a more orderly pattern usually emerges in future attempts as a more harmonious relationship between the conscious and unconscious develops.

"Just by the way the trays are looking as the sessions progress, you can tell when a person is ready to end therapy," Vinton explained.

Using sand as a tool to join inner and outer worlds is not a new concept. For centuries various cultures, including Buddhist monks and Native Americans, have used sand in rituals and art.

A 1930s pioneering child psychoanalyst, Margaret Lowenfeld, is said to be the first to put sand into trays and have figures nearby in her consulting room. The term "sandplay" was introduced by Dora Kalff, who was influenced by Emma and Carl Jung and her immersion in Tibetan Buddhism.

More therapists are recognizing the value of sandplay as a treatment modality in psychotherapy. "It is exciting to see those in other disciplines of psychotherapy using sandplay," Vinton said. "All areas are coming together, and they are interpreting how to use it within their own disciplines. It is a modality that is catching on. In California, it is already very popular."

Whatever a patient's age, even one as young as 3 years old, playing in the sand under the watchful eye of a trained therapist can be a creative path to healing.

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© Superior Catholic Herald, 2002