Dungeons and Dragons: the use of a fantasy game in the psychotherapeutic treatment of a young adult.

Publisher: American Psychiatric Association Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 0110672 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Print ISSN: 0002-9564 (Print) Linking ISSN: 00029564 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Am J Psychother Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: <2018>-: Arlington, VA : American Psychiatric Association
Original Publication: Bronx, NY : Association for the Advancement of Psychotherapy

Fantasy* ; Play and Playthings* ; Psychotherapy*; Schizoid Personality Disorder/*therapy; Adult ; Humans ; Male ; Schizoid Personality Disorder/psychology ; Suicide, Attempted/psychology

A schizoidal young man made a methodical attempt at suicide. He revealed a paucity of object attachments leading to profound isolation. His early upbring led him to extreme isolation of affect and a fear of fragmentation. His inner life was not safely reachable by conventional therapy. After he became involved in playing a fantasy game, Dungeons and Dragons, the therapy was modified to use the game material as displaced, waking fantasy. This fantasy was used as a safe guide to help the patient learn to acknowledge and express his inner self in a safe and guided way. The patient ultimately matured and developed healthier object relations and a better life. The theoretical underpinnings of this process are explored, both in dynamic terms and in terms of the biologic correlation and equivalence of dreams and waking fantasy. The utility of this game as a vehicle for treatment of selected individuals is discussed.

Date Created: 19940101 Date Completed: 19950328 Latest Revision: 20180831

20250114

10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.1994.48.4.624

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