Playing in and with the Dark: Symbolic Meaning and Psychic Function of the Dark in Neglected and Maltreated Children in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

According to our clinical experience, children who were neglected or maltreated at a young age show a peculiarity in psychodynamic play psychotherapy: they often play in and with the dark. How can children who often experience traumatic situations in the dark be so keen to sneak into it to play? As far as we know, no author has pointed out this characteristic of maltreated children’s play, and there is very little literature on the general subject. The purpose of this article is fourfold. Firstly, it aims to explore the symbolic value that the dark might have for these children. Secondly, it aims to describe some typical psychological mechanisms of the psychic functioning of traumatized children, which may explain why the dark has become a useful play space for them. We suggest that darkness became a transitional space in which they can ignore the environment to avoid their imagination being hampered by the constraints of physical reality. Thirdly, the article elaborates on the technical characteristics and counter-transference issues related to playing in the dark. Fourthly, it uses several examples to illustrate how playing in the dark unfolds, and how the dark can become a decisive factor in the play of traumatized children.