A Case Study of Sand Play Therapy on the Consciousness Development Process of an Infant with Attachment Disorder

The purpose of this study is to study the process of how consciousness develops through sand play in infants and toddlers with serious attachment difficulties throughout infancy and by incorporating Kalff’s theory of ego-development from the perspective of ego-development. Based on reception, interviews, HTP, and mother’s reports, sand play therapy was performed 24 times for 8 months. Through the analysis of the sand play box process, it was based on the psychological change according to the progress of the sand play treatment process and Kalff’s theory of ego-development. The first was viewed as the stage of the animal and the plant, the second as the stage of struggle, and the third as the stage of group adaptation. In this study, the client revealed his psychological pain and showed stability as the treatment session progressed, expressing his inner language through the sandbox and the experience of a safely protected space in the sand play treatment process. Based on that sense of stability, the sand play change shown by the client showed the process of ego-developmental transformation, and confirmed the development of consciousness and psychological growth. Through counseling, the client’s unstable emotions were stabilized, and in the past, he avoided playing with friends in kindergarten, but now he does not shrink in peer relationships, adapts well, and plays actively among peer relationships. As a result, it shows that sand play treatment is effective in developing children’s consciousness.