Healing Through Play
A Brief Exploration of Childhood PTSD
As many of you know, I spent decades in therapy dealing with my own complicated childhood trauma. Embarking on a journey as a psychotherapist thirty years ago has allowed me to witness the transformative power of resilience and creativity in the therapeutic process. One particular case stands out vividly in my memory—a fragile little girl with long blonde hair, around the age of seven, grappling with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), manifested through nightmares and withdrawal from the world around her.
The Little Red Truck
After ten years into my career in the mental health world, this young soul entered my office at an agency specializing in the treatment of children and their families who have experienced extreme adversity. My office, though windowless, was a child's haven—jam-packed with toys, a sand tray, and calming nature photographs. You might call it cluttered, as many of my colleagues did. Out of the myriad of objects, this timid child was haunted by a seemingly innocent trigger—a little red pickup truck, a mere matchbox car. But her response was immediate and overwhelming—she dove under a chair, seeking refuge from the seemingly innocuous toy that triggered an inexplicable discomfort within her. She obviously had a severely traumatic experience with a similar vehicle as she witnessed violence between her parents. It wasn’t just a toy —to her. What PTSD can do to a child is rob them of their capacity for curiosity and play. I knew that at a visceral level from addressing my own issues in therapy in my late twenties. Determined to understand and help her break through the barriers created by her traumatic experience, I decided to begin weaving a therapeutic narrative through the guise of a simple game of hide and seek. My task was laid before me.
The Birth of a Healing Game
Our weekly sessions took on a unique dimension with the introduction of our playful hide-and-seek game, designed to gently guide her in confronting the source of her paralyzing anxiety—the little red pickup truck. Before each session, I would discreetly hide the truck, turning the process into her special mission as she entered the office. It became our shared ritual, a little game she willingly played. Naturally, as she inevitably found the truck, there was a hesitancy to touch the object, almost treating it as if it were something vile, repulsive, and utterly disgusting.
Ewwwwwe! There it is!
The Evolution of Exposure Therapy
Over subsequent sessions, our light-hearted but important therapeutic game evolved into a delicate form of exposure therapy. Slowly but steadily, I encouraged her to not only intentionally seek out the truck but to delight in discovering exactly where it was hidden. One day, she finally mustered the courage to pick up the red pickup truck, holding it tentatively in her hands as if it were an interesting curiosity found in an imagined grassy field. The once-reviled object became her conduit for healing, symbolizing her acceptance and eventual triumph over traumatic reactions. I wanted her to handle it, turn the toy over and around, to explore and examine her trauma in the relatively safe space of my office. In other words, to play more freely in order to know and understand her world.
A Gentle Unveiling of Resilience
With each passing session, the hide-and-seek game became a vehicle for gentle exposure, releasing layers of resilience within her. Gradually, she transitioned from pointing at the truck in disgust from a distance to placing it into my gratefully cupped hands, a gesture of trust and progress. I made it a point to express my pride in her accomplishments, reinforcing the positive strides she was making on her healing journey.
Thank you for finding the truck today. Great job!
This poignant time with the young girl and the little red pickup truck underscores the profound impact of creativity and tailored (not cookie-cutter) interventions in the realm of psychotherapy. It serves as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, especially in the face of childhood trauma. This is something I confronted in my own treatment described in more depth in my memoir “My Mother’s Ghosts”. You can find it for free on Substack. As therapists, our role extends beyond traditional techniques and methodologies (that we learn and promptly store away) taught in graduate training, allowing us to create bespoke strategies that cater to the unique needs of each individual. In the nuanced interplay between therapist and client, we find healing through connection, compassion, and the transformative power of play.
Please feel free to share your own thoughts or experiences related to the transformative power of play or overcoming childhood trauma. What has been the little red pickup truck in your life you have faced or might want to explore?
Links to learn more about play therapy:
Association for Play Therapy (APT)
HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF PLAY THERAPY
