How Sand Tray Therapy Can Help You Deal With Grief

Have you been struggling to really deal with and move past grief? Grieving can be very burdensome and challenging. It is a natural part of life when you have lost someone or something you love -- but it is also something that you should be able to eventually move past and move on from. If you're struggling to move past your grief and re-embrace life, then you may want to consider sand tray therapy.

What is sand tray therapy?

Sand tray therapy is a type of non-verbal therapy that can help you express feelings and emotions that you are struggling to put into words. Basically, you will start with a big tray of sand in front of you. This tray may be its own unit, mounted on rubber wheels. There are also small sand trays that are about two or three square feet that you can buy and use on your kitchen table. You will also have an assortment of figurines, dolls, and accessories that you can place in the sand.

During a therapy session, you will use your hands to form the sand into shapes, adding figurines and accessories as needed. You have complete creative freedom here. You can recreate a scene from your life that is related to your grief. You can try to carve your lost loved one's face into the sand. The idea is that you let go and just let the creativity flow through you.

What are the benefits of sand tray therapy?

Sand tray therapy gives you an opportunity to really focus on and express your grief without the worry of putting into words or worrying how others perceive it. You know what your sand sculptures mean and how they relate to your experience, but you don't have the vulnerability of having someone else hear the meaning as you would if you were to talk about the issue.

Sand therapy can also be practiced in your own home. It's something you can turn to whenever you feel the need to express yourself and your grief. You can sculpt for 10 minutes or all day. Sand tray therapy kits are widely available and relatively inexpensive, too.

You're not the only person who has struggled to move on from grief. This problem is quite common, especially in people who are not overly comfortable talking about their feelings. With sand therapy, you don't have to talk -- but you can still express yourself so that you can start healing and moving forward.