Tag: mental-health

Playful You and Me

Do you love the moments when you experience spontaneous bubbles of exploration and joy? And are these moments too few and far between?

Are you often holding your breath waiting for the other shoe to drop and for the goodness in your life to disappear? 

Delight is one of the most joyful experiences humans can have. From bursts of spontaneous laughter, to genuine smiles shared, to shared exploration of ideas, to goofy and rambunctious expression. 

Are you curious to learn how to cultivate the safety and self-care that will allow your nervous system to turn towards playfulness and joy with ease? 

Do you long to be surprised, enlivened, and nourished by your healing journey?

Did you know that each of us has a neural circuit and body system dedicated just to play?

Play is our birthright. 

The experience of playing lets us and our brains become who we are meant to be.

Playing brings balance into the body’s and the brain’s endocannabinoid system, which is the system that is responsible for our homeostasis. When we play, we balance every tissue in our body. 

And it feels so good.

Play–not the shallow, competitive kind, but the deep play that comes with both emotional discovery and surprise, and with truth-telling in safe environments– is spontaneous, emergent, and unexpected. 

This form of deepest play can only arise when our nervous systems are fully supported and in the company of people with whom we feel known and understood.  Without supported and safe nervous systems, our bodies are unable to experience the absolutely spontaneous and unexpected expressions that come with our PLAY circuit. 

Play in its purest form requires the interaction of two or more beings (people, pets, anyone that can be responsive). It also requires safety. 

But what do we do if people have not been safe? 

How can we support ourselves to have nourishing playful social connections and a sense of belonging even when we have lived through difficult things? 

Resonance is the experience of another human understanding what is happening for you, and you being able to say yes to their expression of understanding. It has the transformative capacity to connect and heal us by offering new experiences of safety and acceptance to our nervous systems, which opens the door to play.

With the help of a neuroscience-based understanding of what makes us safe, Resonant Language works directly with the nervous system to restore our birthright of safety so that true delight becomes possible and even frequent. 

Resonance enables us to have the experience of making sense to ourselves and others, sometimes for the first time. Often social safety is the missing piece that allows our bodies to find relaxation and open to joy. 

As our nervous systems become fully supported, the movement towards spontaneous emergent play is actually unstoppable: like a bubbling brook cascading down a mountainside after the snows melt. 

The Resonance Summit 5-9 April 2024

The fourth annual Resonance Summit, hosted by Sarah Peyton, offers a deep exploration of the latest neuroscience research on play plus wonderful interactive sessions, and an opportunity to immersively experience and learn resonance in community.  

Each morning of the Summit features a keynote address by five exciting voices in the field of relational neuroscience, play, and trauma healing. Following keynotes, the days unfold through workshops and practice spaces led by some of the most creative and rigorous resonance practitioners working today. 

My session “Play’s Hidden Symmetry: Constellations Through Play Alchemy” will take place on Tuesday, 9 April 10.30 am – 11.55 am PDT. I hope you’ll come to play!

Register here this free five-day experiential learning immersion to begin to change your brain into a kinder and more playful place, discover your own relational self, and catch a glimpse of the rich world of emergence that resonance and play can make possible for you.

What if you can’t make it to the LIVE summit?

In that case, you’re welcome to support this wonderful event by purchasing the summit recordings package available now with a pre-summit discount!