Possible dialogues between playing and trauma in D. W. Winnicott

Abstract

This article relates a research that aimed to establish a possible relationship between playing and the process of trauma elaboration according to Donald W. Winnicott’s theory (1896-1971). Playing in psychoanalysis gains new meanings from Winnicott’s propositions, to the extent that the author suggests that playing should be understood as something in itself, as well as having a fundamental role in the constitution of emotional development. With regard to the concept of trauma, Winnicott emphasizes the role of the environment: what is experienced as a trauma depends, for the author, on the stage of emotional development the individual is at. This investigation used the theoretical-methodological method in psychoanalysis, based on Winnicott‘s literature. Based on this study, we propose that playing has a relevant potential in the process of elaborating trauma, as it allows the child to come into contact with the traumatic experience in a safe and trustworthy space, being able to give new meanings and significance to the trauma, which leads to the resumption of a continuity that had been broken.