Fundamental Research of the Characteristics of Expression in Sandplay Therapy for Elderly People with Dementia Using an Impression Assessment Method

Abstract

This study analyzed the characteristics of sandplay expression for 24 elderly patients with dementia using the impression assessment method: 4 dimensions of “Integration”, “Abundant”, “Magnitude”, “Flexibility”, and 20 pairs of adjectives, which are the subscales of the 4 dimensions. The following results were obtained over eight sessions. A significant difference between the mild and the moderate/severe dementia level in impression was evident in the “feminine-masculine” axis (Magnitude dimension). Significant differences between the mild/moderate and severe dementia level were evident in “poor-rich”, “deserted-cheerful” (Abundant dimension), “shallow-deep” (Magnitude dimension), and“abnormal-normal” (Integration dimension). Thus, it is considered that the influence of dementia is deeply related to these evaluation axes in sandplay expression. Evaluating the influence of dementia using this method can lead to a more precise understand of the individual expression and provides an in-depth understanding of the internal world of elderly people with dementia.