Therapeutic

Role Play Gaming

Researchers are confirming what geeks have known for years. Role play gaming is therapeutic. The act of playing with friends or with like minded strangers (who will likely become friends) is fun and allows us to explore and embody traits that we might not have access to in real life. That includes magic and fighting abilities, but can also just be someone who is brave and stands up for what is right. Therapeutic role play gaming uses the game as a vehicle for these inherent therapeutic qualities while also providing the framework to target specific goals and practice skills in a fun and safe environment.

Research supports that therapeutic role play can be beneficial to social skills development, impulse control, anxiety and mood regulation. Therapeutic role play incorporates traditional therapeutic models, in our groups that would be CBT and DBT, and melds it with role play gaming using Dungeons and Dragons (if you’re unfamiliar, you might recognize it from Stranger Things). Skills are taught and discussed as a group then practiced through their characters in the game. Play allows us to take new ideas on in a different way that everyday life can impede. Play allows for freedom of action, allows people to make mistakes or look foolish or be something they are usually not. The players will engage with a story and work together to meet their goals both in game and in real life.

If you don’t want to read, you can watch this video created by Scientific American which discusses D&D Therapy.