Play Therapy
Play therapy uses toys, stories, and play scenarios as metaphors and catalysts for integration and healing.
Play externalizes problems and makes them more approachable.
Do you ever feel like it is easier to take care of others than yourself? Have you noticed that you could feel angry on behalf of a friend, but minimize your own anger? Have you ever cried while watching a movie or TV show only to realize later that your tears helped release work stress?
This happens for several reasons.
Seeing our needs and emotions externalized and reflected back to us makes them more approachable. This process helps us to acknowledge them and gives them new meaning that can otherwise be hard to explain.
Similarly play therapy helps by:
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Through play, we externalize our challenges in a way that makes them safer to process and work through. In play, we can imagine a new scenario in which a loved one responds differently, covid-19 disappears, or we are somehow triumphant.
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We’ve all heard the phrase, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” The same is true of play. We don’t need to say I was terrified, when instead we can pretend to be a cat trapped inside a burning building. The play paints a deeper picture.
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When we process through play, we integrate our experiences by literally building neural pathways in our brains. These pathways build our self-concept and ability to understand, regulate, and overcome challenges that come our way. Imagination is powerful in shaping our brain’s synaptic connections.
Connect with Rainbow Sprout Wellness, today.
If you are liking what you are reading and think that working with Lina could help you or your child, reach out today to set up a free 15 minute chat or jump right in to setting up your intake session. We’d love to hear from you.