Play Is Essential Medicine For Hurting Relationships

The Healing Power Of Playful Conflict

As a couples therapist, I use different forms of play and irreverence (approaching serious topics with a light or even humorous touch). These techniques aren’t unique to me. Many skilled therapists use forms of play to facilitate psychological growth, whether or not they explicitly label their work as “play-based."

This past year, I started sharing ideas for playful conflict on Instagram (like here and here).

And when I do, comments inevitably pop up like...

Note: The cantankerous comments stick with me, but these posts also had thousands of likes, saves, shares, and positive comments. Lots of people inherently get that play is a vital tool in your relationship and crave a more playful connection.

I'm left thinking a lot about why play matters so much to me as a couples therapist, and why it has become a core tenet of my message.

Today I’m going to break down:

what the heck I mean when I talk about “relational play,”
examples of playfulness in your relationship,
why play is a generational gift,
and seven tangible, achievable strategies to activate play during conflict.

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