Playfulness as a support in disability contexts
Living a condition of disability, physical or cognitive, represents a major challenge not only for the person directly involved, but also for those who live next to them every day.
Family members, caregivers and educators are often confronted with a significant emotional load, made up of continuous responsibilities, constant adaptation and sometimes a sense of fatigue, worry or isolation.
In these contexts, creating spaces of relational lightness and shared participation can offer concrete support.
Activities based on play, movement and active participation help first of all to improve the general emotional tone, promoting a more sustainable perception of daily difficulties.
When the emotional climate changes, the way we deal with reality can also become more open, less burdensome, and more manageable.
The fact that the sessions take place in groups is also an element of particular value: sharing the experience with others allows you to feel less alone, promotes mutual recognition and creates a sense of belonging that lightens the individual emotional burden.
The collective dimension often offers an important opportunity to transform fatigue into relationships and personal experience into shared experience.
As for direct work with people with psychophysical disabilities, I had the opportunity to conduct sessions in different centers, both in Italy and in Greece.
The experience in the field has produced results that, in many cases, have exceeded initial expectations, showing how playfulness can become an effective channel of contact, participation and expression even in very delicate situations.
Practical experience: working with adults with psychomotor delays
In the section dedicated to testimonies, I also report the feedback of the psychologist of the center for adults with psychomotor delays in Kalamaria, in the Thessaloniki area, with whom I continue to collaborate.
Thanks to the constant presence of the educators and the psychologist, it was possible to build a safe relational context, within which to propose particularly effective playfulness sessions.
Within a few weeks, through an alternation of games, movement and circular dances, very significant changes were observed: the faces of the participants began to show themselves progressively more open, bright and participatory.
Each meeting was welcomed with growing enthusiasm, in an increasingly warm and engaging atmosphere.
One of the most touching aspects was observing the progressive search for a gaze, contact and a personalized greeting, even by those who initially appeared more reserved or distrustful.
The playful dimension produced effects not only on the participants, but also on the relationships within the center.
A different climate was also created among the educators: the fact of being able to express emotions in a protected space favored greater relational authenticity, allowing each one to show themselves more naturally.
This has made it possible to communicate more spontaneously, lighter and, at the same time, deeper: allowing oneself to share authentic emotions, even intense ones, without feeling judged.
Among the most significant moments remains the simplicity of some words received from the participants: hearing them say “We love you very much” encapsulates the human value of a path built over time.
For me too, this experience represents a precious source of energy, because the time shared in the activities becomes a space of mutual emotional nourishment every time.
