When the word play comes to mind, what do you think? The idea of playing is generally perceived as an activity reserved for children, but we need to remember that humans are animals and animals are playful. Playing can be a deeply rewarding activity. It can make us feel better, not only physically but emotionally, and this can be deepened especially when it transpires between family members and friends (Pellegrini 2010, as cited in Palagi, 2023, p.8).  But what does the word play actually mean? Play can be defined as a voluntary and enjoyable activity valued for allowing participants to engage without worrying about their skill level. It encourages improvisation, offers freedom from time constraints, and is purposeless. There is no survival or practical reason for one to play. People do not gain money or food; it is done for its own sake.

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Benefits of Playing

Play can be seen as a temporary escape from everyday pressures and responsibilities. It allows adults to recharge and rejuvenate their minds and bodies. Adults who make time to play have demonstrated positive outcomes, including increased physical activity, life satisfaction, engagement, social support, and decreased depression and negative affect. Additionally, they exhibited lower blood pressure, cortisol levels, BMI, waist circumference, and enhanced perceived physical function, even after accounting for standard demographic variables (Pressman at el., 2009, p.730). Play can be used as an indicator of psychological and physical well-being. If an individual is stressed, anxious, or sick, playing is usually the first activity to go.

Play does not look the same for everyone and can take many forms. One type of play that tends to last into adulthood is parallel play. This is when two or more people share the same space but are engaging in separate activities or hobbies. The benefits of this type of play are that it can reduce pressure in relationships and create space for comfortable silence, which allows people to relax and helps regulate the nervous system. It also encourages exploration of one’s own interests and strengthens nonverbal intimacy between people. Examples of this activity can be one person playing a video game while the other draws or each person working on their own art project. Parallel play can be compared to body doubling; however, they both have different reasons for engagement.

Cooperative play is when those involved work together towards a shared goal. This type of play usually is structured and has some form of rules. Cooperative play can facilitate forming social connections and strengthening adult interpersonal relationships. Playful interactions promote laughter and camaraderie, encouraging a sense of belonging. Through cooperative play, adults can bond, alleviate loneliness, and build a supportive social network. Particularly popular with millennials and Gen Z, many stores now host events where adults can gather to play board games, often emphasizing games where players are not disqualified. In tournament events that do have a winner, participants can continue playing alongside those who have been eliminated. This is a great example of a simple way to create an inclusive experience that supports cooperative play and ensures no one is left out.

Cooperative Play in Therapy

Like most people, trauma is part of my lived experience. Not rare but also not common, at 24 years old, I lost a romantic partner unexpectedly and not through natural causes. It was painfully difficult to connect with others. What other 24-year-olds want to talk about death when it seemed so far away? I felt incredibly lonely. It felt like I was being left behind while everyone was able to move on and I couldn’t. It became easy to isolate myself. Individual talk therapy worked for a while, but I found it had its limits. It was only when I started being playful around others that I began to feel less alone. As a creative person, I naturally turned to art during my grief. Initially, it was an easy activity to do alone. Eventually, alongside others until I found myself collaborating with others. In doing so, I noticed I was beginning to feel more hopeful about the future.

Engaging in play provides a non-threatening and non-verbal medium through which clients with trauma can explore and express difficult emotions, facilitating a sense of safety and comfort in the therapeutic environment. Additionally, play encourages spontaneity, creativity, and imagination, allowing clients to approach their healing journey with curiosity and openness. This can encourage adult clients to articulate feelings of empowerment and readiness for more intensive therapeutic tasks, including trauma processing (Olson-Morrison, 2017, p.176). Many individuals carry shame as a result of trauma and may feel reluctant to address it openly. By incorporating play into therapy sessions with adults, therapists can improve the client’s perception of the therapeutic setting as secure and supportive for healing.

Trauma can sometimes be a shared experience, such as natural disasters or racial trauma, reminding us that healing does not always happen in isolation. Healing sometimes needs to be done in a collective and communal manner (Menakem, 2017, p.13). In a nurturing and safe environment, clients can be encouraged to explore their cultural identities and find solace in shared experiences. To quote Menakem (2017), “More than anything, culture creates a sense of belonging - and belonging makes our bodies feel safe” (p.246). Playing fosters inclusion and ensures everyone feels welcomed, valued, and emboldened to participate regardless of ability and background. In doing so, it addresses a vital component of trauma work: the creation of safety, both physically and physiologically.

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Conclusion

Cooperative play provides adults with trauma opportunities to deepen self-awareness, promote healing, and cultivate resilience within their communities.  A community that plays generally tends to exist after the game is over. “The feeling of apart-together lasts after the exceptional situation ends. Through the process of initiation to the rules and the testing of the players’ ethics, the playgroup outlasts the game” (Huizinga, 1955, as cited by Balug & Vidart-Delgado, 2015, p.1040). Whether you’re a therapist running a trauma group or someone working through trauma, incorporating play strengthens the communal nature of healing by fostering connection and mutual support so people can navigate trauma recovery together.

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References

• Balug, K., & Vidart-Delgado, M. (2015). Imagine! You Have Nothing to Lose: Collaboration and Play in Urban Development. Critical Sociology, 41(7-8), 1027-1044. 
• Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul by Stuart Brown & Christopher Vaughan
• Evans, C. (2020). Adlerian Play Therapy and Trauma. Journal of Individual Psychology, 76(2), 217–228. 
• Homo Ludens: A Study of the Play-Element in Culture by Johan Huizinga 
• My grandmother’s hands: Racialized trauma and the pathway to mending our hearts and bodies by Resmaa Menakem
• Olson-Morrison, D. (2017). Integrative play therapy with adults with complex trauma: A developmentally-informed approach. International Journal of Play Therapy, 26(3), 172–183. 
• Palagi, E. (2023). Adult play and the evolution of tolerant and cooperative societies. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 148, 105124. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105124  
• Van Vleet, M., Helgeson, V. S., & Berg, C. A. (2019). The importance of having fun: Daily play among adults with type 1 diabetes. Journal of social and personal relationships, 36(11-12), 3695–3710. 
• Play Doesn't End With Childhood: Why Adults Need Recess Too