Sand & Clay Therapy

20/11/2025

This old post caught my attention just now. What do you think is necessary for your child? 🤔👶🏻💭

19/11/2025

🌿When a tree blooms, it transforms the whole landscape. Wherever you are, you too can bring light, beauty, and soul. 🌸🌿

14/11/2025

13/11/2025

“The child’s play must be free, yet held.” — Dora Kalff

When a boy feels safe enough to express his wildness and free enough to explore his feelings, growth begins.

In Jungian Sandplay Therapy, safety gives structure and freedom gives life.
Together, they create the space where healing unfolds and emotions find words through play.

🌿 Read more: Why Safety + Freedom = Growth
👉 rinalouwclinical.co.za/blog

https://rinalouwclinical.co.za/safetyfreedomgrowth/

10/11/2025

Children often feel deeply long before they can speak clearly.
In Jungian Sandplay Therapy, the hands begin to express what the heart and nervous system are still trying to make sense of.

Dr. Bruce Perry reminds us that:

“All experience is processed from the bottom up. To reach the ‘thinking’ part of the brain, we first move through the more primitive, reactive parts. Our brain is organized to feel and act before we think."

This means:
When a child is overwhelmed, anxious, angry, or shut down, talking alone is not enough.
Their body and emotional brain need to express and release before words make sense.

🌾 This is why Sandplay is so powerful.
The sensory experience of sand, the symbolic world of figures, and the gentle pace of play allow the nervous system to settle. Once the lower brain is calmer, the child can begin to think, reflect, and speak from a place of safety.

There is a story inside every tray —
a story the child may not yet have the words for.

In Sandplay, those stories finally find space to breathe. 💛

09/11/2025

In Jungian Sandplay Therapy, every object chosen in the tray serves as a symbolic expression of the inner world. One meaningful symbol that often appears is the church/chapel.

A church may represent:

A sacred or protected inner space (temenos)

The integration of opposites (inner/outer, known/unknown)

Archetypal memory and collective identity

A threshold in the individuation journey

The meaning is never imposed.
We observe placement, boundaries, tone, and relational distance — and allow the symbol to speak in its own time.

Sandplay offers children and adults a non-verbal pathway to self-awareness, emotional safety, and inner organization.

If you’d like to read the full blog, you can find it here:
🔗 https://rinalouwclinical.co.za/the-jungian-meaning-of-a-church-chapel-in-sandplay/

A calm, research-informed guide to understanding the church/chapel symbol in Jungian Sandplay—sacred space, integration of opposites, archetypal motifs, and the child’s individuation journey.

08/11/2025

I found the explanation of the power of symbols to be insightful.

Symbols are having a profound impact on my life, both in Sandplay therapy and daily life.

The recurrence of trains and train stations in my dreams and on Facebook this week has led me to contemplate their symbolic significance. I am eager to explore this further.

Acquiring a train for my sand tray box is a must!!

Which symbols presented themselves to you over the past week? 🤔💭🚂

Lindsey, Director of Sandplay, Creative Arts & Trauma Training and Integrative Sandplay and Trauma tutor explores the power of symbols in therapy. In the quiet space of sand and creative therapies, symbols have a profound power. Whether through painting, drawing, sand, or 3D creations, symbols emerg...

06/11/2025

I thoroughly enjoyed this piece of writing. Thank you for sharing it with us. 😊👏💕

Wisdom from Nature: The Spider’s Patience in Building Again

When the wind sweeps through the forest, breaking branches and tearing down the spider’s web, the little creature doesn’t sit in mourning. It doesn’t curse the storm, nor does it wait for pity. Instead, it begins again, thread by thread, line by line, with quiet patience and unwavering focus.

The spider teaches us a profound truth about life: strength is not in what we build, but in our willingness to rebuild.

Every morning, the spider wakes to uncertainty. Its web may be gone, its hard work erased overnight. Yet it starts anew, without complaint, without hesitation. Why? Because its purpose is greater than its pain. Its instinct tells it: “To live, I must build again.”

In our human journey, storms come too. Dreams collapse, relationships break, businesses fail, and plans crumble. But just like the spider, we are called not to weep over broken webs, but to rise, rebuild, and trust the process once more.

The spider’s lesson is patience wrapped in persistence. It doesn’t rush the threads or take shortcuts; it knows that beauty and strength come from steady work. And when the web is complete again, glistening in the morning dew, it stands not only as a trap for prey but as a quiet monument of endurance.

Two proverbs remind us of this truth:
🕷️ “The spider’s web may be fragile, but it catches what it needs.”
🌿 “A tree that bends in the wind will never break.”

So, the next time life tears down your web, remember the spider. Do not despair. Begin again. Not because it’s easy, but because your destiny demands it.

Moral:
Patience is power. The world rewards not those who never fall, but those who quietly rebuild after every storm.

©️Africa Today

04/11/2025

🌾 The Free and Protected Space

“The child’s play must be free, yet held.” — Dora Kalff

Healing starts when a child feels safe enough to be their wild, goofy self. In Jungian Sandplay Therapy, the tray’s edges say, “Don’t spill!” while the open sand whispers, “Go ahead, make a mess!” It’s a perfect setup for the inner world to come out and play, no translator required.

Dan Siegel reminds us that a child’s brain is like a Wi-Fi router—it works best when it feels secure, seen, and occasionally rebooted. At home, parents can create this magic with calm routines, choices that aren’t too wild, and listening without jumping in to fix every tiny “disaster.”

When adults master this art—firm like a cookie crust, soft like its gooey center—kids find their way back to being the delightful little chaos-makers they’re meant to be.

✨ Read the full article: The Free and Protected Space – How Sandplay and Parenting Create Safe Ground for Growth
https://rinalouwclinical.co.za/healing-begins-in-spaces-safe-and-free/

04/11/2025

🌾 The Free and Protected Space

“The child’s play must be free, yet held.” — Dora Kalff

Healing begins when a child feels both safe and free.
In Jungian Sandplay Therapy, the tray’s boundaries create protection, while the open sand invites freedom — allowing the child’s inner world to unfold without fear or words.

Dan Siegel reminds us that a child’s brain integrates best when they feel safe, seen, soothed, and secure.
At home, parents can offer the same space through calm routines, choice within limits, and listening without fixing.

When adults hold this balance — strong edges, soft center — children find their way back to wholeness.

✨ Read the full article: The Free and Protected Space – How Sandplay and Parenting Create Safe Ground for Growth
https://rinalouwclinical.co.za/healing-begins-in-spaces-safe-and-free/

03/11/2025

See what I found in my travels to Potchefstroom......
an old man with calm eyes and bare feet.
He carries no weapons, no crown, only wisdom born from stillness.

In Sandplay, this Wise Old Man appears in both children’s and adults’ worlds.
For a child, he may symbolize the inner guide— the part that knows, even when words are few.
For an adult, he often arrives as the inner sage — reminding us to slow down, to listen, to trust the quiet rhythm of life.

He teaches that wisdom is not found in doing more,
but in being present — grounded like sand, flowing like water.

🪶 Sometimes, healing begins when we stop searching outside
and discover that the guide we long for
has been waiting patiently within.

03/11/2025

Back at my sandplay therapy room following a week away....... I am truly grateful. 🙏💆‍♀️🌸