Often the hands will solve a mystery that the intellect has struggled with in vain
Carl Jung
BISS Conference 2026
Sacred Space in Sandplay: Holding, Witnessing, Healing
Tickets are now available and there will be an early bird price until 15th March.
Call for Papers is now open.
The British and Irish Sandplay Society (BISS) is a member society of the International Society of Sandplay Therapy (ISST).
Founded by Dora Kalff in 1985, ISST endeavours to promote the study and practice of Sandplay Therapy, and the safe-guarding and development of this therapeutic method.
BISS represents and supports the professional practice of Jungian Sandplay in both Britain and Ireland. It was founded in 1987 by Joel Ryce-Menuhin, a London based Jungian analyst and Sandplay Therapist.
BISS continues to run a theoretical training programme for Jungian Sandplay therapy.
Training
BISS is preparing for the next training cycle, which will begin in April 2025 and continue into 2026.
The British and Irish Sandplay Society (BISS), under the umbrella of the International Society of Sandplay Therapy (ISST), initiated by Dora Kalff (1980), the founder of Jungian Sandplay, holds that Sandplay typically leads children, adolescents, and adults to the restructuring and experiencing of their personalities. In approaching the sand tray, individuals are invited to find objects within the room that they would like to use in their image in the sand. The sequence of these images evolves into a fusion of life experiences, the psychic imagination, and opening channels to unconscious resources.
Jungian Sandplay is a creative path of evolution in the sand, connecting the individual to ‘the most profound connection to the centre within, the source of the human spirit’ (Kalff. 1980). Jung (1963) has said that symbols (as can be amplified in the Sandplay images) are the remedy that has been associated with healing effects from time immemorial.
The British and Irish Sandplay Society (BISS) is preparing for the next training cycle, which will begin in April 2025 and continue into 2026. The training consists of eight weekends, extending over a year and a half, with a blend of online and in person training in London. The dates and details of the training weekends, available on the BISS website shortly. If you are interested in applying, BISS requires you to complete a personal process with a BISS/ISST Sandplay therapist before the training starts, a minimum of twenty sessions with sandplay images is required. Please contact BISS, who can help you find a BISS therapist.
BISS Webinars – Don’t forget to sign up
Webinars are open to BISS Members and Trainees but this year we are pleased to open up the Webinar Programme to IRCs and IMs of ISST.
Upcoming webinars
19 November – John Moffitt
The Retrieval of the Inner masculine in the trays of a man undergoing marriage breakdown
27 January 2026 – Lorraine Freedle – NEW DATE, BOOK NOW!
Fire & resilience : Goddess Pele and Sandplay Therapy
