물: 잠재성의 상징

Water: A Symbol of Potential

Water is a recurring motif in many fairytales, legends, and religions, and therefore it is perhaps not surprising that it appears regularly in the sandtrays of counselees taking part in sandplay therapy. As a symbol, water is rich with psychological meaning for it represents the source of life, maternity, potential energy, healing, wisdom, as well as destruction. It embodies all possibilities and potentiality, both harmful and helpful. Specific symbolic meanings were examined in the case studies of two counselees who were in the early stages of psychotherapy at the time of research. Both utilized water in significant ways in their sandtrays, serving as a portal for their descent into the unconsciousness and discovery there of potential energy and possibilities at the wellspring of life. As a result, this study found that water functions as a symbolic mediator that reveals human problems and offers the possibility of healing.