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Chapter 55 - 55 55 Sandbox Artwork Interpretation

55: Chapter 55 Sandbox Artwork Interpretation 55: Chapter 55 Sandbox Artwork Interpretation Sandplay therapy is an analysis of a person’s subconscious.

In the subconscious, different people understand things differently: for instance, a [Spider Model], some would interpret it as a [fearful insect], while others might see it as a [mythical creature guarding treasure], or even as a [ugly but strong and gentle mother].

Domestic experts have studied and revised a more standard “Operational Correspondence Table of Sandplay Therapy” to help learners more efficiently understand the sandboxes created by visitors and facilitate comparing the cognitive differences between the visitors and “standard mentally healthy individuals.”

Like now, when Chen Ting digs the sand and reveals a blue area, in Nan Zhubin’s interpretation, it is an “isolated island” and a “lake surrounding the island.”

Nan Zhubin unobtrusively analyzes in his mind, observing Chen Ting and the sandbox she created.

After creating the isolated island and surrounding lake, Chen Ting went into a daze, staring at the small island, pondering something unknown.

Then she turned around to choose models from the sand rack.

First, she circled in front of each sand rack, confirming which types of models were available, and then spaced out again.

One minute later, she picked up a model tree.

Nan Zhubin prepared to record with his left hand in reverse grip, resting the clipboard on his forearm—

Chen Ting put the model tree down again.

Nan Zhubin also put down the pen.

After another minute, this time Chen Ting picked up a plastic flower.

Nan Zhubin picked up the pen again—

Chen Ting put it down again.

She crossed her hands in front of her lower abdomen, her ten fingers constantly rubbing against each other, pursing her lips.

This time she hesitated for a minute and a half before finally picking up a Western-style toy house.

Nan Zhubin’s eyes followed the toy house, watching it get placed on the isolated island before he took down notes.

Unlike making a sandplay for himself, when making one for someone else, extra concentration is required.

Nan Zhubin needs to observe the order in which Chen Ting selects each model, the state she is in when choosing each one, whether there’s a change in her thinking in between, and even what she picks up and puts down.

These all have their significance.

After placing the toy house, it seemed like a start was made, and Chen Ting’s thoughts flowed much more smoothly.

She then picked a spider, three dolls, a table lamp, a ball of yarn, a cigarette, cutlery, a ship, and Death God in succession.

The whole process took about ten minutes.

…

“It’s finished,” Chen Ting said softly, looking up at Nan Zhubin, then stepping back.

The creation of the sandplay work was completed.

Nan Zhubin surveyed the sandplay work, and the first impression was—spacious.

In the entire 50cm*70cm*7cm single-person sandbox, Chen Ting only used about one-third to one-fourth of the area, most places just having clean sand, showing a lifeless dark yellow.

While a small area in the upper right corner of the sandbox was crowded with too many models.

At the center of that “isolated island” unearthed by Chen Ting were three [dolls], two large and one small, with the smaller one in the middle.

Surrounding them haphazardly were models of [table lamp], [ball of yarn], [cigarette], and [cutlery].

On the very edge of the isolated island was the [toy house] that was picked out first, with a [spider] lying on top of the house.

In the lake surrounding the small island was a [ship], with [Death God] behind the ship.

This was how the sandplay presented before Nan Zhubin’s eyes looked now.

“Can you give your work a title?” Nan Zhubin first probed.

Chen Ting pressed her lips: “No name…

let’s call it ‘Unnamed’.”

Nan Zhubin was quite curious about the themes within the sandplay, but was worried that asking directly might lead Chen Ting to continue her blank thinking or say “there’s no theme in the sandplay.”

So Nan Zhubin took a more roundabout approach.

“I saw that you first picked up a tree and then put it back.

What were you thinking at that time?”

[Please don’t answer me with “I wasn’t thinking anything, I just wanted to do this.”]

Luckily, this time Chen Ting finally started to think: “At first, I felt comfortable seeing them, thinking the island should have trees and flowers…

But later, I felt that this island shouldn’t have them…”

Nan Zhubin’s eyes brightened, catching the keyword: “So this is an island.”

“Yes.”

Nan Zhubin then pointed to the circle of blue surrounding the island: “And this?”

“A lake…

or maybe it’s the sea, anyway, it’s something surrounding the island.”

That was enough, Nan Zhubin decided to steer the conversation back: “You thought the island shouldn’t have trees.

What are these currently on the island?”

With those words, Chen Ting began introducing the models, using her cognition to name them.

At the same time, she also naturally narrated their “story.”

She first pointed to the three dolls and said: “This is a family of three.”

She pointed to the small house: “This family of three lives inside this house, but the house is too small, so I can only place them outside.

The outside area represents the inside of the house.”

“And these…” she gestured to the cigarettes, cutlery, yarn balls, table lamp, “these are also from inside the house; these are things a household should have.”

Nan Zhubin looked at those cigarettes, cutlery, yarn balls, table lamp; they were spread out very chaotically, one to the left, one to the right.

There was no “interaction” between them, nor could they construct a “story.”

As if they really were just “things a household should have.”

As for “what purpose they serve”?

That was entirely unimportant.

…

Just at that moment, Nan Zhubin noticed a purposely omitted model.

“What about this one, what is it?”

“It’s a spider.”

The spider model was placed over the house, being a toy model, it was as large as the house, positioned in a crouching and hunting posture, covering the entire building.

“Why is it here?”

“The spider is just in the house…” Chen Ting specially explained, “The spider is good.”

“Good?”

“…Yeah, good for the house.

It catches mosquitoes and such.”

Nan Zhubin nodded, thought for a moment, and said something a bit daring.

“Then can I interpret it this way: if these things are all inside the house, then from our perspective looking at the island, in fact, the island only has this house and this spider?

Nothing else?”

Nan Zhubin looked into Chen Ting’s eyes, seeing her lower her head, seemingly struggling, as if resisting.

Finally, she relaxed, as if she accepted something, decided to admit something.

“Yes, on this island, apart from this house and the spider on top of the house, there is nothing else.”

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