Playing With…:

5 Steps to Emotional Relief through Imaginative Play

Often when I talk to people about imaginative play, the response is “Play is for children”. But, what if I told you that play, creativity and using the imagination is a researched based intervention that builds new neural pathways in our brain allowing for relief from difficult emotions. Tor Wagner, the director of the Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory at CU Boulder published a paper that confirms  “Imagination is a neurological reality that can impact our brains and bodies in ways that matter for our wellbeing.” Drama therapists have known this for years but the neuroscientists are now proving our point. Play is not a frivolous activity but an important way of engaging with material around us.. Play provides safety to engage with difficult material and gives us freedom of being, feeling, moving and relating.


So- lets look at 5 ways to engage your imagination and “play with…” while finding some relief from difficult feelings. Take your time doing these- they should be done over multiple days or weeks and can be done over and over again. Remember “playing with” is one of the best resources we have.

1. Play with Resourcing:

Resourcing is the practice of inviting our minds to connect with our body to locate feelings of safety however small or large they may be. Resources might be places, people, feelings, animals, and objects that we use to generate an internal emotional shift. For example, someone might visualize a peaceful place that they can return to in their mind when they are feeling stressed or sad. Other resources might include supportive people in our lives. However, when we use our imagination to resource the possibilities are endless.

Super hero/Fictional character as protector : Using archetypal figures as resources can be a playful way to create a resource that we can go back to time and time again. Take a moment to think about a superhero or fictional character that represents protection. Once you have a character in mind, take a moment to close your eyes and try to imagine this character. Ask yourself what are they wearing, where are they standing, and notice how you feel when you think of them as a protective figure. Once you have a felt sense of this character open your eyes and grab a piece of paper and some markers or colored pencils. Without thinking too much or judging your work, choose one image of this character that can be representational of the protective aspect of your character. Perhaps it is the cape of the superhero, or the wand of the fairy godmother.  There is no wrong answer. Once you have finished drawing, place the paper somewhere where it can become a reminder of the protector when you need them. Remember a resource is used when you are feeling overwhelmed. At any time you can close your eyes and imagine your character with you.


2. Play with a non-judgmental compassionate stance.

It’s okay to have negative thoughts- we all do, we’re human! Part of why we don’t even allow ourselves to feel difficult emotions, is because we immediately judge ourselves. The inner critic starts with the “you’re not supposed to think those things”. But what if we allowed ourselves to experience all our emotions with no inner critic, no shoulds or should nots. What if we befriended all the parts of ourselves by treating them with compassion?

Conversation with Judgment:  Find two chairs and place them across from each other. Sit in one chair and imagine the character of judgment in the other chair. Notice how looking at judgment makes you feel. Take the opportunity to say anything you want to judgment in this moment. Judgment, today, will not speak back. Do you have choice words for judgment? Do you have compassion? Allow yourself to really play and speak anything that comes to mind - there is no wrong answer. Tell the judge  what you need it to do, perhaps give it a place to go so it can rest if needed.  Continue to notice shifts in your body.

3. Play with feelings:

Once you begin to experience your feelings, the next step is to be curious about those feelings, maybe even just putting words on those feelings and emotions (This can be harder than it sounds)

I am Poems: Grab a piece of paper and something to write with. Allow yourself to feel the feeling that you are having today in this moment without judgement (if you need to call on your compassionate guide do so!). Begin to imagine a personified version of this feeling. Notice where this feeling lives in your body and give that part of your body some attention. Keeping your feeling present write from the voice of the feeling using the following prompts The first line and last lines should read “ I am sadness” or whatever feeling you are working with today. Don’t think, don’t judge just write. When you are finished just read it over and notice.

I AM

I am ________________________________________

I wonder _____________________________________

I hear ________________________________________

I see _________________________________________

I want ________________________________________

I pretend ______________________________________

I feel _________________________________________

I touch ________________________________________

I worry ________________________________________ 

I understand _________________________________

I say _______________________________________

I dream _____________________________________

I try ________________________________________

 I hope ______________________________________

I am ________________________________________


4. Play with expression

Feelings are not only about emotion. They are also about responsiveness and awareness. When you name it and describe it, meaning can shift, it might lose some if it’s power, bring new understanding or even transform. Expression not only gives meaning but distance to see things from a new perspective 

Let it out: Put on some music that you find relaxing and let yourself start to visualize releasing  stress. Imagine all the things you want to express and let go off.  Remember you have resources to help if you get overwhelmed and you have the power to tell Judgment to take a seat if necessary. Remember to breath as you imagine letting go of all you want to release. Think about color, texture, size and shape. Open your eyes and draw what you breathed out. This can be realistic or abstract. Alternatively open your eyes and find movement that releases what you want to release. If you choose movement work with the idea of constraint  and release as you move.

5. Play with integration

Integration is when you put the parts together – resourcing, feeling and expressing. You may alternate between different steps of the process may times as you work through whatever issues are holding you back. That’s normal.

Once Upon a time:….Look around your space and find four objects that can represent the work you did above. An object that represents your resource, and connect that represents your non-judgmental self, an object that represents your feeling, and an object that represents your ability to express yourself. Clear off a space in front of you where there is room for all the objects and nothing else in your view. Take a moment to place the objects in the space in front you in relation to each other to create a picture of how these pieces might coexist together. Once the objects are placed take a literal and metaphorical step back and observe what you see. Without thinking too much, speak or write the story of these representational objects by starting with the phrase “Once Upon a time….. “ and ending the story with “The end… for today”.