Biography of Dora M. Kalff (1904-1990)

Dora m. Kalff was a Swiss psychologist, a follower of the the theory of C. G. Jung, which led her to develop, in the fifties and sixty, a technique known as the sand box.

The sand box method consisted of a Play with a box, as the name implies, full of sand, whose interior was painted blue, symbolizing the sky and the sea.

It was a technique that could be applied to both children and adults and it was available to dry or wet sand. The box also included miniature figures, such as bridges, plants, houses, cars, dinosaurs, domestic animals and human figures.

The purpose of the sand box was to represent the inner world of the patient, thus accessing your unconscious to help you become aware of certain aspects and take them to emotional healing.

Dora m. Kalff

Dora Kalff was a Swiss psychologist who was born in 1904 and died in 1990. His orientation was Jungian. In addition, she was a student of Margaret Lowenfeld.

At the end of the fifties it was when it developed the well -known sand box or “Sandplay Therapy”, which was based on the deep psychology of C.G. Jung, and in the so -called “world technique”, by Margaret Lowenfeld, who, in turn, was a pediatrician with innovative contributions for the time and who founded one of the first psychological clinics in children in 1928, in England.

Actually, it was Lowendfeld who indicated what would be the classic tools to be used in the sand box therapy, which were later adapted by Dora Kalff.

In principle, it was a tray with sand and miniatures that allowed to represent the internal psychological contents when creating a three -dimensional world. This method, expanded by Dora Kalff, was very successful, because, It became a tool that could not only be applied to children, but also to adults.

In addition, Kalff added the element of the earth and the fact of being able to make movements when handling the sand.

It should be noted that Dora Kalff was also influenced by oriental philosophy, specifically by Zen Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism and Taoism, which helped them expand their therapeutic vision and understand what was the best attitude that the therapist with the patient could assume with the patient with the patient.

Kalff also wrote a book entitled: "Tibetan Buddhism and Taoism", with which the understanding of creations in the sand could be deepened much more. In 1966 his book was first published Sandplay: a psychotherapeutic approach to the psyche, in which he introduced his method, focusing mainly on children.

However, her method was gaining popularity outside Switzerland, and this led her to travel throughout Europe, until she reached Japan and America, to teach the therapy with the sandbox.

For the 1980s, he began a series of annual meetings with several psychotherapists and advanced students, in Switzerland, to continue disseminating his proposal for the therapy with the Sand box. However, the need arose later that this method had a more formal structure that would allow the study and practice of therapy.

It was this reason that led to form an international group that met regularly at the house of Dora Kalff, in Zurich, which led to the foundation of the International Society for Game Therapy with Arena, on August 13 of the August 13 Year 1985.

Society and members

The company was initially composed of fourteen founding members, including some of Switzerland, such as DR. Med Kaspar Kiepenheuer, Dr. Phil. M. Kalff; others from Italy, such as Paola Carducci and Andreina Navone. Members of England also met, such as Joel Ryce; from America, like Kay Bradway, and others from Japan. Almost all group analysts were Jungians.

This was a unique quality for the group of professionals, who from the beginning dedicated themselves to the study of the technique, driven by the enthusiasm that everyone shared, and that managed to take many parts of the world.

Since then, the institute defined the Guidelines for training therapy of the sand game, as well as the guidelines to become a member of the group, in order to guarantee a high professional level at the work carried out.

Similarly, it was provided, and is still provided, an international forum in which professional experiences referring to the sandbox technique are exchanged.

Even in the Asian world, the sand box method fell into a fertile terrain. For many years, various congresses have been taken to the United States, England, Canada, Japan, Italy, Switzerland, among others.

Dora Kalff made a great effort to specify her project and that this was maintained, despite the cultural differences that existed in each nation to which she reached.

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Bibliography

• Bradway, k., & McCoard, B. (2006). What is sandplay. Journal of Sandplay Therapy, fifteen(2), 7.
• Mitchel, r. R., & Mitchell, R. R. Dora Maria Kalff.
• Kalff, d. M. (1991). Introduction to Sandplay Therapy. Journal of Sandplay Therapy, 1(1), 1-4.
• Kalff, d. M. (2003). Sandplay: a psychotherapeutic approach to the psyche. Fear Press.