Abstract
Drawing on Winnicott’s thesis that the capacity to play is both a developmental achievement and an essential aspect of the therapeutic process, this article underscores the importance of play in the creation of an imaginative and exploratory space within human relations work. The author explores the possibility of play being conceptualized as the seventh form of time structuring as defined by Berne, one situated between games and intimacy and providing a bridge between the two. Using case vignettes, play is further described as a therapeutic alternative to game analysis.
Keywords:psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, games, play, intimacy, enactment, Winnicott, Berne, playing and reality, game/play shift