Archetypal Symbolism in the Recovery Process from Natural Disaster: Sandplay Therapy of Nepal Earthquake Adolescent Survivors

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze the process of psychological recovery following earthquakes as well as the archetypal symbolism in the process of sandplay therapy. The study participants were 12 adolescents who had resided for 16 months in a temporary camp for those displaced after the earthquakes in Nepal in 2015. The participants typically created scenes of archetypal invasion (Attacks by snakes, beasts, aliens, monsters and unidentified assailants), earthquakes or the aftermath of earthquakes (Earthquake, destruction of buildings, volcanic explosions), Helping Forces (Emergence of heroes, police, father or outsiders/Soldiers, weapons, and fighting scenes between soldiers and animals/monsters, and bad people Gods), and reconstruction of homes (Construction of a new and good nation), Recovery of Order (Division, well-compartmented strong houses/Peaceful nature, family and home). The religious and cultural in influences on the participants were reflected in their sandpictures and comments that the earthquake was caused by a divine being. Yet at the same time they expressed in archetypal symbols their ability to recover with the help of this divine presence.