Words can be hard to find sometimes. Sand tray therapy allows for a gentle, creative way to explore your thoughts, feelings, and experiences without needing to find the “right words.” You’ll use miniature figures, objects, and the sand itself to create scenes that reflect your inner world. There’s no right or wrong way to do this — it’s all about what feels meaningful to you. Think of it as a safe, hands-on space to express what’s inside, discover new thoughts and feelings, and learn about yourself. Sometimes it’s nice to just run your hands through the sand while you talk or use it as a way to calm your nervous system.

Literally anyone! People assume sand tray is for kids, but it’s truly healing for anyone who wants another way to process their thoughts and emotions — whether you’re struggling with stress, life transitions, relationships, or just want to connect more deeply with yourself. You don’t need to be “creative” or have any artistic skill; this is about your experience, not a technique. If you’re curious, open to self-exploration, or looking for a gentle, hands-on approach to growth and healing, the sand tray might be great for you

When we go through something stressful or traumatic, our brains can have a hard time processing what happened with words alone. That’s because trauma lives mostly in the right side of the brain — the side that handles feelings, images, body sensations, and creativity — not the left side, which is responsible for logic, language, and storytelling.

Talking about trauma uses the left brain, but the emotions and memories are stored in the right brain and deeper emotional centers (like the amygdala). When those two sides aren’t working together, people might feel “stuck,” overwhelmed, or disconnected from their own experiences.

This is where Sand Tray Therapy comes in.

Using sand, figures, and symbols activates the right brain — the creative, emotional side — allowing people to express what words can’t capture. As clients build scenes in the sand, the brain begins to integrate both hemispheres:

the right brain expresses emotion, memory, and intuition

the left brain starts to make meaning, form language, and understand the story

Over time, this gentle back-and-forth helps the brain “re-file” traumatic or confusing experiences so they can be remembered without reliving the pain.

In short: Sand Tray Therapy helps the brain heal by speaking its natural language — imagery, touch, and story. It bridges the emotional and thinking parts of the brain so that what once felt chaotic can start to make sense.