Sand & Clay Therapy

22/01/2026

A Humble Day in Clay

Today I worked on a clay vessel.
I’ve been studying Baba Yaga, also known as Vasilisa, and without planning it, this form emerged.

I am calling it Baba Yaga.

What surprised me is that this vessel is not gentle or decorative.
It carries fire inside.

In Jungian psychology, when we work with clay, something deeper than thinking is at play.
The hands know before the mind does.

This vessel feels like a container for inner fire —
not destructive fire, but the kind that tests, transforms, and gives light.
The fire Baba Yaga guards.
The fire Vasilisa must learn to carry.

I did not set out to “make meaning.”
I simply stayed with the clay and allowed the form to arrive.

Sometimes the psyche doesn’t speak in words.
It shapes itself into form — quietly, honestly, without explanation.

Today, this is what wanted to come.

22/01/2026

What a Jungian Sandplay Therapist Does NOT Do

In Jungian Sandplay Therapy, restraint is intentional.

We do not:
– interpret too soon
– direct the play
– ask leading questions
– rush insight
– explain symbols
– take control

We hold.
We witness.
We trust the psyche.

Healing happens when the unconscious is given space to speak in its own language.

20/01/2026

In Jungian Sandplay Therapy, the most important principle is not interpretation, technique, or explanation.
It is freedom within a protected space.

When a child enters the sandtray, we do not ask them what to do.
We do not guide the story.
We do not correct the play.

Instead, we offer a safe and contained world — and then we step back.

In this space, the child is in control.

From a Jungian perspective, the psyche moves toward healing when it is not interfered with.
The unconscious already knows what needs to be expressed.
The child does not need instruction — only permission.

Through the placement of figures, the movement of sand, the creation and destruction of scenes, the child communicates in the only language that is fully available to them: symbol.

Control in the sandtray is not about power.
It is about inner authority.

Many children live in worlds where they are constantly directed, corrected, or evaluated.
In the sandtray, something different happens:

The child chooses

The child decides

The child leads

And through this experience, the ego begins to strengthen quietly and naturally.

This is why we do not rush to interpret.
Why we do not interrupt the process.
Why we trust the image.

Healing in Sandplay does not come from being told what something means.
It comes from being allowed to be with what emerges.

When the child is in control of the symbolic process, the psyche can reorganise itself — safely, slowly, and in its own time.

This is the essence of Jungian Sandplay.

—
Rina Louw
Clinical Social Worker | Jungian Sandplay & Clay Therapist

17/01/2026

Trauma is not only about fear.
It is about losing connection with the Self.

In The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel van der Kolk describes how trauma fragments identity, body awareness, and meaning.
From a Jungian Sandplay perspective, healing happens when the Self is given space to re-emerge symbolically.

In the sandtray, integration appears before words — through image, centre, and relationship.

🔗 Read the full article on my website.
https://rinalouwclinical.co.za/losing-your-body-losing-your-self-sandplay-trauma/

16/01/2026

Why “Just Breathe” Doesn’t Work for Children

When a child is overwhelmed, anxious, or dysregulated, asking them to “just breathe” often doesn’t help.
Not because they are unwilling — but because their nervous system is not yet calm enough to think.

Children can’t reason their way to regulation.
They first need to feel safe.

In Sandplay Therapy, we don’t rush children into cognitive strategies.
We create a safe and protected space where the body can settle, emotions can express themselves symbolically, and regulation can happen naturally — through play, imagination, and image.

When a child feels safe:
• the nervous system softens
• thinking slowly returns
• emotions become manageable
• healing begins

This is why Sandplay Therapy is so powerful for children struggling with anxiety, emotional outbursts, school stress, or trauma. It meets them where they are, not where adults think they should be.

I’ve written more about this in my latest blog — explaining why safety always comes before techniques, and how symbolic play supports emotional regulation.

👉 Read the blog here:
https://rinalouwclinical.co.za/wp-admin/post.php?post=4654&action=edit

Children don’t need to be told to calm down.
They need to feel held.

14/01/2026

14/01/2026

Type THINK and I’ll send you the resource link.

These restorative plans help students slow down, reflect, and repair what went wrong.

✔️ Great for behavior intervention
✔️ Perfect for peer conflict
✔️ Works for writers and non-writers

Drop THINK below.

13/01/2026

🌿👑Why do images matter more than explanations?

In Jungian psychology, an image is the psyche’s first way of speaking — sensory, emotional, and alive. A symbol emerges only when that image enters a living relationship with consciousness, deepening meaning without being reduced to a fixed interpretation.

In sandplay therapy, we honour this distinction by allowing images to emerge and organise themselves over time — without rushing to explain. Healing happens in the space between image and symbol, not through interpretation alone.

Explore this distinction and why it matters for psychological growth in my latest article:

🔗 https://rinalouwclinical.co.za/jungian_-difference_-between_-image_-and-_symbol/

If you’ve ever wondered what it means when the psyche shows rather than tells, this is for you.



https://rinalouwclinical.co.za/jungian_-difference_-between_-image_-and-_symbol/

12/01/2026

🎒 When children cannot find the words, they speak through play.

In Jungian Sandplay Therapy, children are offered what Dora Kalff described as a free and protected space—a calm, contained environment where feelings can be expressed symbolically rather than verbally.

Through sand, figures, and quiet movement, children can:
• express fears they cannot yet name
• regulate emotions gently
• regain a sense of safety and control
• integrate inner feelings with outer demands

Especially during the back-to-school period, this non-verbal space can be deeply supportive for children who feel overwhelmed, anxious, or withdrawn.

🪶 If your child is struggling emotionally after returning to school, Sandplay Therapy offers a safe, creative space to explore and grow.

📩 Book a session
🔗 rinalouwclinical.co.za
rinaluw22@gmail.com