ABSTRACT
Brenda's central needs are for energy regulation and attunement. Her transformational hubs—constituted by the small inputs that have led to large and unpredictable change—have been play and attention to what is meaningful for her. This chapter explores what constitutes play and examines its role for children and adults; for Brenda, it is about fun, creativity, and spontaneity. The theory and practice of play in therapy is viewed particularly through the lens of psychodrama. The chapter shows that pursuing meaning leads to well-being and psychic integration. It looks at different levels of meaning and the centrality of love to meaning. The higher loves yield long-term satisfaction and constitute part of an ongoing process of development. But sometimes a higher love, whether spiritual development or the love of the earth or of other people, can become infected or taken over by destructive parts of the self.
