What is the Play of Life?
Many times I have been asked to describe what the Play of Life® is and does. In truth the only way to fully appreciate the power of the Play of Life is by experiencing it. To put it simply, it is a three-dimensional psychotherapeutic tool that helps people learn how to live life better. One person described it as "a way to stop thinking like a crocodile & start feeling like a human being again."
As a psychiatrist and corporate trainer I created the methodology 20 years ago to fast-track behavioural transformation in individuals and groups. At first glance it is seemingly simplistic but every element has been researched, scrutinized and developed in accordance with my studies in neurobiology, psychiatry, role theory and sociometry.
It consists of a small board or "stage" on which participants use mini figurines and props to create representations of their relationships and issues. Having a visual picture brings clarity and insight very quickly; helping people to access true feelings, see where they are, where they want to go and what practical steps they can take to get there.
Some information about the brain
The Play of Life works by building better pathways between the different areas of the brain. Our brain consists of three main neurological configurations: the hypothalamus (the reptilian brain), the limbic system (the mammalian brain) & the neo-cortex, (the thinking brain). MacLean describes this as the "Triune Brain". These "three brains" are like a network of information hubs. Whilst each functions distinctively, they are by no means distinct.
In evolutionary terms the Reptilian Brain is the oldest part of the brain. It is known as the "reptilian brain" because it is concerned with processing our most basic biological functions for survival (homeostasis) like: breathing; retracting our hand quickly when we've touched something hot; or protecting our face with our hands when a rock is hurled at us. We often react this way under conditions of intense emotion or heavy stress.
More evolved and complex is the Limbic System. This is the distinctive mark of mammals. The limbic system is the HQ for our emotions and memory. As do all mammals, humans depend upon parenting assistance from birth in order to survive. As such, our "mammalian brain" by its very nature, requires us to live in relationship with others. Of course, relationships create both good and bad experiences and the memories of the emotions and feelings attached to them are stored in the limbic system. Ever watched a movie and cried in empathy for one of the characters because you could relate to what he/she was going through? Something in that movie touched your limbic system.
Emotions and memories stored in the mammalian brain are also transferred to the reptilian brain. When conditions are right, the body is calm and relaxed but when there is a build up of negative feelings we can experience physical effects. The body aches - often literally, producing physical manifestations, or exacerbating existing conditions such as diabetes or blood pressure.
The Neo-Cortex is the newest neurological structure, and the most distinctive part of the human brain. This is where our capacity for language, planning, strategizing, reasoning, and rationalisation sits. It modifies the knee-jerk reactions from the reptilian brain and the emotional responses from the limbic system. For example, a mother watching a doctor immunize her child must connect the cortex in order to overcome the strong feeling of wanting to protect her child from experiencing any kind of discomfort. Her neo-cortex rationalizes that the long- term benefit for her baby, outweighs the immediate discomfort both mother and child are experiencing.
Sometimes the thinking brain can't cope with the origin of the feelings, so it launches defence mechanisms or "constructs" as a way to create meaning and/or justify actions. We construct our own "stories" to explain what we do or what is done to us. For example, a disgruntled employee sanctions the stealing of office stationery "because they don't pay me enough" , or a wife stays with an abusive husband "because he only hits me when he's drunk and afterwards he is truly sorry".
Often we are so well insulated by our own defence mechanisms; we are merely coping instead of living. The constructs we create filter out not only the bad but the good. We rely on our internal narratives to tell ourselves that we are OK when we are not.
Play of Life fast-tracks people to the crux of the matter
Everybody creates their own self image and their impression of others through this process of sharing data between the three main centres of the brain. To maintain a state of sound mental health it is important to make sure the messages we are sending ourselves, about ourselves and others, are healthy and true. A healthy understanding of the self is neither overly negative nor positive; it is realistic. Constructs can suppress the knowledge of who we really are and how we really feel. They make it difficult: to get to the crux of an issue; to know what we really want in a given situation; to act appropriately in relationships; to give ourselves permission to live better.
The Play of Life bypasses the stories we have written for ourselves by accessing the limbic system where our true feelings and emotions sit. In this way we can trade the subjective view for objective insight. The Play of Life helps us to recognise the difference between how we think we feel, and how we actually feel; and that's the first step to actually feeling better, as opposed to just trying to convince ourselves we feel better. When people make that breakthrough realisation, they have unlocked their potential for transformation. They can begin to set themselves positive life goals and take the practical first steps to achieving them.
The Play of Life was described by one client as a "turbo-charged method"; a way to gain insights rapidly; previously unattainable through conventional psychotherapies. That's because the Play of Life is both language independent and cross-cultural. It targets that core part of who we are as humans. Its effectiveness is not limited by differences in culture, education levels or people's articulation skills. People are able to "show" the therapist (and themselves) what's going on in usually around ten minutes; a process that may have taken hours, weeks, months or even years to using (verbally based) therapies. That provides the platform for shifts in thinking and real sustainable change
Humans have the innate ability to modify their thinking and their actions
I believe that each one of us is unique and uniquely designed to contribute and relate to the people we encounter in our daily lives in appropriate and mutually satisfying ways. I also believe every person has a purpose in life and desires deeply and passionately to fulfil that purpose. What I mean by fulfilling our purpose should not be confused with simply meeting social expectations or conforming to cultural norms.
When people are consciously and purposefully interacting with one another appropriately; taking actions that leave both parties better off than they were before the encounter, happiness and fulfilment is inevitable. Personal fulfilment can only occur internally; it is not dependent on whether or not external conditions are optimal. As Victor Frankyl illustrates very well in his book "Search for Meaning," humans can choose to be happy in spite of their circumstances, not because of them.
When we don't realise our purpose, dismiss our true feelings and rationalise inappropriate actions, we are left with a gaping hole in our identity. We call this dissatisfaction or depression and get stuck in the blame game. We blame externals for our discontent-- our parents, our job, our bad luck, our partner, the weather, God, the universe, our body shape, our baldness and the endless list of "if only"s. These states of being normally cause, or exacerbate poor relationships with the people and situations around us. Soon, the symptoms are feeding the problem and we start to act and react to others more and more from the reptilian brain, "like a crocodile" instead of like human beings.
The Play of Life helps people escape this cycle and live life better. It is used in Australia and internationally by psychotherapists and counsellors; people in corporate; church and welfare organisations and in education. For the last two decades, it has been my privilege to train thousands of practitioners in the application of the Play of Life techniques. It has long been my passionate desire, however to demystify psychotherapy and to make many of the Play of Life techniques available on-line for individuals interested in helping themselves. That's currently in the process of becoming a reality. Some techniques will be available from Active Learning before the end of 2008. Visit my website on www.neuro-learning.com. That's not to say that Play of Life self-help techniques should ever be considered as an alternative to face-to-face counselling with a professional therapist, but they can certainly help people get clarity and direction on day to day life issues, before they get too big to handle.
Australian psychiatrist, MBA, Executive Coach and Trainer, Dr Carlos A. Raimundo is the creator of the Play of Life®; a method and technology that revolutionised individual and team behavioural transformation more than 20 years ago. His extensive experience in the fields of business, philosophy, medicine, psychiatry and group training enables him to integrate the best of each. He guides individuals, executives and organisations through easy, practical steps towards new goals and directions. Dr Raimundo is a sought after motivational speaker and international keynote presenter.
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