| Original Play is the courage to be kind and safe in all situations.
This practice is a way of relating to the world that transforms patterns of
fear, aggression and violence into love, kindness and belonging. Original Play
conveys a message of connection that is a powerful alternative to fear and
contest behavior. It allows us to effectively respond to aggression, violence
and other unproductive behaviors while maintaining self esteem and not diminishing the esteem of others.
Original Play is not about games, sports, winning, losing, playing a game or
having fun. These culturally-based behaviors are not part of
Original Play.
Original Play is a physiological and psychological process. It is not a
cognitive exercise but instead combines cognitive, affective and sensory-motor learning processes. Therefore, to fully understand Original Play requires
that you experience it rather than simply talk about it.
The skills found in Original Play result from years of play experiences and
research with children, adults and animals around the world. The term
"Original Play" and descriptions of this process were first coined by O. Fred Donaldson, Ph.D.
The way we connect with people and the world around us dramatically shapes
our everyday lives. For this reason Original Play is applicable to many
areas including business, education, family relationships and health. In
Original Play we demonstrate that there are better ways to spend energy than in postures of self-defense and contest behavior. In Original Play we
discover that love is more powerful than fear. |
| A
10 year-old writes, “Play is being able to tell the world that you
don’t like what it is doing to you, and not harming anyone while you
do it.”
A 6 year-old
asks his teacher, “Can we practice playing? Because if we practice
we will get good at it and learn how not to hurt others and how not
to get hurt.”
After a play
session with me an eight year-old boy with autism comments, “I wish
I had a normal life. I wish I had a normal life. [Sigh!] This
[play] is my reminder of a normal life.”
A four and a
half year-old boy says following a play session, “Nothing can get
better than this.”
After
playing for the first time a six year-old boy says, “Real play is
when no one is crying and no one has a broken heart.” |
