As Dora Kalff, the founder of Sandplay Therapy was born December 21, 1904, it has been suggested to celebrate this event with a roundtable meeting, with me as the presenter and Prof. Shen as the host, and other invited guests of CSST as main participants.
Indeed, December 21, 2024, is a special occasion and it is worthwhile to celebrate Dora Kalff’s contribution to Jungian psychology at this point.
The merit of Dora Kalff of having created Sandplay Therapy is that she added the body to Jungian Psychology. The Sand is like a body, to be touched, molded, shaped, and in turn also activates body sensations and connected emotions in the client. It is, if we consider verbal analysis, a new element that is added. This element reshapes the transference between analyst and analysand. Thes the sand tray becomes a transitional space beyond therapist and patient, a space where the patient or client can experience his or her emerging self.
As we all know, it has been Margaret Lowenfeld’s contribution to psychotherapy with children and later also adults to provide sand and symbols to engage in healing play.
Thus, it is Margaret Lowenfeld which we can consider as the second root for Sandplay Therapy. It is very meaningful that it has been Jung himself who had suggested to Dora Kalff to study with Lowenfeld in England. Hin vision was that Dora Kalff would develop a tool for child psychology, but as we know, the method proves also to be helpful for adults.
Dora Kalff’s approach to Sandplay also involved her unique capacity to be mindfully present with her clients. Her own capacity to be present in a non- judgmental, mindful way has been enhanced through her own meditation practice, using for example a Daoist breathing practice, to restore her energy after seeing a patient. Therefore, it is only right to also speak of a third root of Sandplay therapy, nurtured by Dora Kalff’s deep interest in Eastern contemplative traditions.
Sandplay Therapy moreover, based on the various international students Dora Kalff had been able to attract, became a truly international movement. She had been invited by a variety of different countries in the West and East and a she held many seminars with international students in her home, Hinterzünen 8., in Zollikon, in Switzerland. 1985 this led to the creation of the International Society of Sandplay Therapy, ISST. This international character of Sandplay has become a very enriching aspect for the way Sandplay is practiced worldwide.
Sandplay in its history has, as it has been from its beginning, remained a living entity. Already at her time, some Japanese therapists, suggested Sandplay to be used in sessions where parents, the child and even therapist created a scene together, all being filmed by video. In general, Sandplay in the view of Dora Kalff mainly and foremost is a tool to be used in an individual way, as she felt that only this setting could spark off a deep inner process leading to the manifestation of the self. However, others have suggested different uses, which are interesting to explore. Sandplay has also profited in its application by a combined use with methods such as EMDR or Somatic Experiencing (SE). Personally, I have suggested that both in therapy and supervision Sandplay can profit from specific ways to encourage moments of mindfulness of sensation and emotions both on the side of the therapist and the client. This approach honors the origins of Sandplay, Dora Kalff’s own use of mindful presence and suggests to enhance this part in new ways. I have outlined this in my recent book “Old and New Horizons of Sandplay Therapy, Mindfulness and Neuroscience. Routledge 2022.
Thus, in our celebration we could both reflect on Sandplay as brought about by Dora Kalff and celebrate Sandplay as a living entity crossing many cultural boundaries and being open to new nuances of how it can be used. It would indeed be useful to hear from various Sandplay therapists how they experience Sandplay as a living healing tool in past, present and future. Thus, you are invited to contribute your own experiences and questions to our panel.
Martin Kalff, Zollikon, November 21, 2024
为纪念沙盘游戏疗法创始人多拉·卡尔夫(Dora Maria Kalff)女士诞辰120周年,表达对卡尔夫女士的崇高敬意。洗心岛文化暨东方心理分析研究院、国际沙盘游戏治疗学会(ISST)中国学会(CSST)将举行四场盛大的公开圆桌讲座。
本次纪念讲座,我们邀请到多拉·卡尔夫之子,同时也是著名沙盘游戏治疗师马丁·卡尔夫(Martin Kalff,瑞士),以及曾跟随多拉·卡尔夫学习,如今已成为世界著名沙盘游戏治疗师的山中康裕(Yasuhiro Yamanaka,日本)、贝蒂·杰克逊(Betty Jackson,美国)、乔治·拉舍(Joerg Rasche,德国)、里斯·泷·幸子(Sachiko Taki Reece,日本)。