Eviatar and Just (2006) explored brain scans of participants reading statements. The scans found increased activation levels in multiple areas of the brain when exposed to metaphoric or ironic statements as compared to exposure to literal language alone (Eviatar & Just, 2006). Brain imaging and scans also suggest that multiple areas of the brain, including sensory based areas known for increased memory retention, are used when engaging in metaphorical thinking or activities (Lacey, Stilla, & Sathian, 2012). This research indicates that metaphor helps engage more of our brain, while enabling the engagement of the somatosensory cortex, which is less responsive when a literal, verbal response is elicited from the client (Lacey et al., 2012). This may answer the question of why the play-based intervention was more successful than seeking a verbal response from the 12-year-old client in the case example. Additionally, these sensory storage and experiencing centers of the brain are theorized to be responsible for the storage of trauma memories, which may be the reason for the deeper, more meaningful response and processing ability of the client (van der Kolk, 2000). Similar to the client’s miniature animal family standing together in safety and peace at the conclusion of his story, learning to work together to survive in the new family dynamic, we are learning the importance of metaphor.


Play as an Opportunity for Sensory Engagement Whether hiding and searching for plastic feeling faces in a tray of cool, soft sand or playing a social skills game using paper and smelly markers, play engages multiple senses. Brain science reveals that


learning information while involving multiple senses results in information being stored in multiple areas of the brain and allows for easier activation of circuits in memory storage areas, thus making the information more readily accessible (Willis, 2007). For example, imagine you practice deep breathing as a coping skill with a client by having her blow on a pinwheel. The child now has visual stimulation (the swirling colors of the pinwheel as it moves), tactile stimulation (the weight of pinwheel and the feel of the smooth wooden stick on which the wheel is mounted), and auditory stimulation (the slow rattling sound of the pinwheel as it spins). By engaging multiple senses such as in this example, the coping skill can be stored in multiple areas of the brain, allowing it to be more readily accessible when needed (Willis, 2007).


Play as a Form of Novelty


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Children often react in surprise and excitement when things like puppets, games, and creative outlets are offered in therapy. I have often heard statements such as, “I thought therapy was just talking about stuff.” Novelty is the term for something new or different (Novelty, n.d.), and brain science shows us that novel experiences, when compared to a mundane or expected experience, are stored more easily in long term memory (Shaomin, Cullen, Anwyl, & Rowan, 2003). For example, Shaomin et al. (2003) found that rats introduced to unexpected material experienced a release of dopamine, which activated synapses along nerve cells leading to longer- term memory storage. This could explain why we may not recall details from routine and mediocre experiences, such as a typical commute home from the office. The experience is expected, therefore there is no release of dopamine, as our brain does not see this as important to our survival. The brain, wired for efficiency, prunes itself of mundane and expected material, considering it unnecessary (Paolicelli et al., 2011).


Related memory research has been conducted on humans, and the results indicate that when material is introduced in unexpected ways, there is longer memory storage and increased activity through the feedback loop created from the hippocampus and the midbrain (Fenker & Schutze, 2008). The statement, “Cool! We get to do a puppet show! I thought we were just going to talk about stuff,” may have more relevance to brain science than we previously considered; serving as the beginning of a novel experience.


Conclusion


The playing brain is a powerful tool, and we are at the cusp of discovery and research to more deeply understand it. At the end of the day, as I sit in my empty play therapy


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PLAYTHERAPY | September 2017 | www.a4pt.org


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