ABSTRACT
This chapter explores drama and imaginative play as expressed through pretend play as a lifespan activity. Research in brain development is beginning to identify the many regions in the limbic and cortex regions that are activated when children and adults engage in pretend-play scenarios. Although this research is still in the first decade of studies, already it has been found that neural activation through watching pretend-play scenarios is associated with brain regions linked to social and emotional understanding (theory of mind), narrative language and selfregulation. These findings provide evidence for the timing and use of activities that facilitate pretend-play ability within play therapies that are informed by the developmental neurosequential framework. In this chapter, examples of pretendplay activities are given for a child who was involved in sessions that used a Learn to Play therapy approach, an adolescent who was involved in a small group where group activities were informed by the Learn to Play approach, and an adult who was able to integrate emotional distress through an adult form of pretend play, improvisation. Play is powerful. It is powerful because social, emotional, narrative and sense of self can be integrated through play.
