Sandbox Game Experience Can Promote Individual Self-growth It?

The study explored whether Sandplay Experience promoted individual self-development. Action Research was adopted with several Sandplay Experience visitors as participants.Three of Nanjing Normal University’s Sandplay experience visitors who had typical characteristics were finally selected as research participants. Six separate interviews were conducted to facilitate the exploration. Additionally a Sandplay Therapist was invited to share her research in terms of Sandplay Experience. Also, resources collection and relevant analysis was further clarified according to shared diaries by means of all Sandplay Experience visitors’ QQ Zone platform. Analysis, dialogues, article excerpts as well as pictures were shown within discussion part, conclusion part, reflection and recommendation part, as well as in turn limitation part of the present study. The study focused on investigating self-development in the process of self-exploration via Sandplay Experience.Based on findings of the study, Visitors who have in-depth understanding on Sandplay Experience and are extremely interested in mind exploration can effectively achieve self-development via Sandplay Experience; otherwise, constrained effects take place. To sum up, they had made positive changes as follows:1. Recalled memories and discovered real self;2. Conducted self-glooming, got relaxed, and reduced pressure3. Released creativity, and enhanced connectionsHowever, in contrast with Sandplay therapy, Sandplay Experience had following limitations:1. Spent more time completing the process of Sandplay experience;2. Difficulty in distinguishing the effects with those resulted from other factors;3. Research results were occasional and occurred after a long time.In order to assist visitors to further achieve self-exploration and self-development, according to the therapist and participants’practical experiences, recommendations were proposed as follows:1. Play it as a game and be an observer;2. Combine it with other ways of self-exploration;3. Never give up each "Star";4. Persistence wins in the process of self-exploration.