A Study on the Symbolism of Butterfly in Sandplay Therapy

The purpose of this study is to understand the function of butterfly symbols in the internal psychological development process of clients by considering the symbol of butterflies and exploring the symbolic meaning of butterflies in sand play treatment cases from an analytical psychological perspective. To this end, the biological characteristics of butterflies and symbols of butterflies in various literature materials such as myths, folktales, literature, and art were expanded to seven aspects: sacredness, death and regeneration and soul, transcendence, freedom and liberation, happiness and love, good fortune and forecast, and longevity. Later, by analyzing the symbols of butterflies in actual sand play treatment cases, it was confirmed that butterflies symbolically revealed psychological pain, conflict, and oppression in the unconscious of the client, and acted as a symbol for the development of consciousness and internal transformation. The butterfly turned out to be a channel of emotion suppressed by the unconscious and a symbol representing the possibility of self-development, emotional recovery, and self-integration. Through butterfly symbols, clients became conscious of the unconscious, developed the self, changed adaptively to the group, and proceeded to the process of individualization. This study is meaningful in that the interpretation centered on the symbol of butterfly provided basic data for deeply understanding and interpreting the mental world of the client in sand play therapy, and it is expected that it can be used as basic academic data for therapeutic intervention in the future.