Sandtray 101
Common Themes
Left Brain/ Right Brain
X vs X
True or False
What do you Notice?
100
Term created by Stephen Porges- A Subconscious System for Detecting Threats and Safety
What the Neurosception of Safety?
100
At Least Half of the Tray is Empty
What is Empty World?
Often consistent with hopelessness and depression
100
Cares about the big pictures, the meaning and feeling of an experience. Specializes in images and emotions.
What is Right brain?
Is emotion centered where we look in context in relationship. Often what runs the show when people come to therapy
100
Implicit vs ___________
What is Explicit?
Levels of Distance
Implicit: Not me, not mine— “the doggy is afraid of the lion”
Explicit: Self is identified in the story— “this is me”
100
The process of Sandtray uses a top-down approach
What is False?
The process of sandtray uses a bottom-up approach
100
Items used for keeping the “Bad” Out AND/ OR Protecting the “Good” Guys
What are Fences in the Tray?
Often consistent with high anxiety or need for protection.
Lining of Tray with Rocks/Fences/Other Items: Before Building AND/OR During the Building Process: Often consistent with need for protection
200
An object of any shape or size filled with sand is called a ___________?
What is a Sandtray?
200
Rows in the sand, Controlled, Lines, Fences/ boundaries
What is Rigid World?
Often consistent with high levels of anxiety and need for control
200
Sandtray lets the _______ brain show up without words in the choosing of miniatures and creating a scene. The ______ brain is invited to add language to the story, supporting integration and use of the whole brain in processing their experience.
What is Right and Left brain?
200
Directive vs _____________
What is non directive?
Directive
“Build a tray about your school”
Nondirective
“Make a tray about your world… no good or bad, right or wrong. I’m going to be sitting here and you just let me know when you are done.”
200
Trauma memories are encoded only in the brain
What is False?
Trauma memories are encoded not only in the brain, but within the body as well
200
This age is when abstract thought is starting to come into play so they will use some objects that correspond to feelings or events. The clients in this age group are capable of either moving or static worlds, so be prepared for both.
What is Ages 6-11 (Chronological or Developmental)?
300
When you start to see increased coherence in the story, bridging, journeys, abstract themes, centering... it represents what?
What is Progress in Sandtray?
300
What does it mean when figures are laying flat in the tray?
What is often consistent with depression or loss of control?
300
Healing happens ______brain to ____ brain.
What is Right brain to Right brain?
If happened left brain to left brain then when we tell a client to stop being stressed and the healing would happen, but we know that doesn’t happen.
300
Moving World vs ___________
What is Static Tray?
300
Sandtray supports horizontal and vertical integration of the brain
What is True?
300
A 4th grader who is building on the floor is developmentally ______. 
What is Younger Than Expected?
May be limited IQ, Stunted emotionally, but oftentimes it's indicative of trauma.
Important to have training so that you can know what to expect from each age in the sand tray. If you are not aware of what is normal you will not know what to be worried about.
400
Using Sifter, Funnels, A turkey baster, Scoop or mini shovel, a container or cup
What is using Sandtray as a regulation tool
400
Miniatures Placed Closely Together in the Sand. There are almost no empty places, but all of those are placed in the tray.
What is Chaos?
Often consistent with feeling out of control within internal life. You'll see this a lot with kids. Will do this when they're experienced a lot of anxiety and/or trauma, they will just fill up the tray. Again, not dumping, but there's something everywhere.
400
Sandtray strategies, embraces the language of the _______ hemisphere and its ability to utilize metaphors, symbols, and stories.
What is Right Brain?
400
A Sandtray theme- Often consistent with feeling of being pulled opposite ‘X vs. X’ feelings within client
What is Polarities in the Tray?
Need no need, good vs evil, light and shadows
400
Trauma is most often coded as preverbal implicit memories
What is True?
400
Clients are able to verbalize and express strong emotions at this age and miniatures representing nature are often used to represent the overwhelmingly powerful feelings that they are trying to express.
What is Ages 12-22 (Chronological or Developmental)?
500
Figures used in sandtray to represent the symbolic and metaphorical expression of clients' words, thoughts, feelings, beliefs and desires are called ______. 
What are miniatures used in sandtray?
500
There is no order to the placement of figures
What is Dumping in the Sandtray (Chaos)?
Often consistent with feeling out of control within internal life. Remember if they're stunted emotionally, they have limited regulation, so they'll just start dumping.
500
Logical, literal, linguistic, and linear. Desires order
What is the Left brain?
500
Sand_ _ _ _ vs Sand_ _ _ _
(Two types/ very different)
What is Sandtray vs Sandplay
500
Sandtray is a theory not a tool.
What is False?
Sandtray is a tool not a theory. It is a cross-theoretical intervention that is flexible and can be adapted to multiple therapeutic models.
500
At this age, clients often use the sand as a regulatory mechanism. Clients may not even use miniatures at all.
What is Preschool Age 3-5 (Chronological or Developmental)?