STA Assembly: “Fire and Sand: Mobile Sandplay in Disaster Relief”

Big Island Sandplay Group presents at STA Assembly in Minneapolis, MN!!

Saturday, May 18th, 2019

8:30 – 10:00 General Session: “Fire and Sand: Mobile Sandplay in Disaster Relief”

Lorraine Freedle, PhD, CST-T; John Souza, Jr., DMFT; Vishwani (Deepa) Ram-Souza,

LMFT; Michael McGee, MSW Intern; and Sarah Blechman, MSW Intern

On May 3, 2018 the revered Pele, Goddess of the Volcano, took her lava form on the Island

of Hawai`i. This eruption was particularly sudden, forceful and prolonged, claiming over

750 homes and causing thousands of residents in the lower Puna district to evacuate.

Local sandplay therapists immediately banded together to bring mobile sandplay to the

people in crisis.

This workshop reviews the applications of Kalffian sandplay therapy in disaster relief

efforts through a presentation by the volunteer sandplay therapists followed by a short,

award-winning documentary film called Fire and Sand. The movie examines the firsthand

experiences of the people affected by the volcanic eruption, community trauma and

mobilization, and the living mythology of Pele. A discussion follows the film.

Learning Objectives:

1. Apply key tenets of Kalffian sandplay to mobile sandplay in disaster relief

2. Discuss research results from 2018 disaster relief efforts

3. Describe the function of mythology in the Hawaiian culture– specifically the

living mythology of Pele during a volcanic eruption