The Benefits Of Using Playmobil© As An Emotional Management Tool

Depressive or anxiety states not only have a great capacity to make us feel bad for months, but they also modify our way of interpreting things and “visualizing” the environment around us, with its opportunities and risks. That is why in the field of emotional management some forms of help or tools have been developed designed to allow the person to express their way of seeing or feeling things and, based on that initial representation of what they see, they feel. and what you interpret, you can detect errors and tendencies towards self-sabotage, taking the first steps to reconfigure your mind and your philosophy of life.

One of the resources that go along this line is the use of Playmobil© dolls, both for children and adults. Let’s see how it can help in cases of depressive or anxiety states.

A complementary tool for emotional management

This tool, new in Spain and with growing popularity for several years in the US and Latin American countries, is used as a projective technique in individual personal counseling sessions.

Through dolls, unconscious aspects can be detected and revealed, which visually they convey much more information than the person can sometimes express verbally. We can understand the basis of the problem or conflict, since they can represent people, objects, emotions or internal parts. It provides information that helps to understand the origin of the discomfort, and subsequently, to find the best possible solution.

It can be used (in person or online) on both children and adults, although the operation is different, since the children use the dolls to play and it is the professionals who interpret what is happening through that game. The adults, however, represent their conflict by creating a scene through the dolls, and in this way visualize that conflict, in addition to expressing it verbally.

How are anxiety and depression related?

If the use of Playmobil© dolls is justified for emotional management in states of anxiety or depression, it is in part because both have several things in common; That is to say, some of their characteristics overlap and, therefore, can be addressed from the same type of strategies. So that… What do these states share?

It might seem that the two obey completely opposite logic: while depressive states deactivate us mentally, anxiety keeps us excessively activated. However, assuming this is oversimplifying.

First of all, in practice, it is known that A large number of people who develop depression in some of its forms also suffer from some anxiety problem ; This is what is known as anxious-depressive disorder. On the other hand, both states have as one of their main causes a predisposition to emotional instability. It seems that this element causes mental health to deteriorate both from the point of view of depression and anxiety.

Secondly, these two psychological alterations significantly modify our way of interpreting reality.

Therefore, once we have begun to experience the first symptoms, it is very easy for the situation to worsen relatively quickly, since our philosophy of life leads us to self-sabotage and adopt habits that deteriorate our mental health. As both depression and anxiety are characterized by making us feel bad, this emotional alteration leads us to behave in a way that works against us, both by constantly worrying about real and/or imaginary problems (suffering from anxiety) and by suffering from a state of anxiety. of hopelessness, demotivation and inability to enjoy the good things that happen to us (suffering from depression). And it is this second common element that is best to take into account when understanding the usefulness of the Playmobil© doll tool.

What are the benefits of using Playmobil© dolls?

These are the main positive aspects of using Playmobil© dolls as a resource with people who suffer from depressive or anxiety states:

1. It offers a means in which to express with or without words what you feel

Various studies show that putting into words what worries us or makes us feel bad is an effective strategy to prevent our emotions from overwhelming us and be able to address these issues from a more neutral vision. However, sometimes this is not possible due to various circumstances. In this sense, performances with Playmobil© dolls are a very good vehicle to express yourself.

2. Predisposes the person to create a narrative thread that integrates what has happened to them

The use of Playmobil© dolls is also a way of representing a story, that is, a narrative in which characters participate and an initial situation arises, a problem that exerts disruptive effects, and the development of the experience of facing that problem. That’s why, helps organize ideas and understand what happened since by aligning concepts and events, it makes it easier not to get lost in the details.

3. Helps you see things in perspective and discover new interpretations

With an overview of what has happened to the person, it is easier for them to adopt an external observer’s perspective, discovering alternative ways of interpreting what happened and breaking out of the vicious cycle of dysfunctional beliefs.

4. It is a systemic tool to visualize the influence of the family

Finally, as dolls are normally used to represent the closest people, this resource helps to understand the role of the family and its influence on the person, as well as their possible participation in the problem or the opportunities for improvement offered by the family context.

Are you looking for professional psycho-emotional advice?

If you are interested in starting a process of emotional education to overcome conflicts linked to depressive or anxiety states, I invite you to contact me.

Am Luisa Ramirez psychologist and coach, and I work helping people of all ages by offering sessions focused on the individual person or, conversely, family or couples counseling.