Fate & Fortune CIC
Ever since I was a child I have used make belief and role play a part of my life, what is tabletop gaming and how can it be used to gamify therapy?
A younger me grew up with Barbie dolls, Sylvanian Families, using other toys as props to create supermarkets, libraries and cafes. I loved my dolls so much – I would pretend that I was a nurse and I was treating them with some weird disease or throwing them into a swimming pool for my beloved Dad to rescue them.
The other thing I used to do is pretend and make belief different situations such as what would I do if something bad had happened at school or what would happen if I was a superhero and no one hadn’t found out yet. And as a teenager, who experienced bullying and other forms of trauma I found this an amazing way of overcoming the darkness that was in my head – this is a skill I have used during some challenging times in my life and this is called maladaptive dreaming.
Have you ever imagined that you were someone else or living their life? Acting it out and even beginning to believe this – then you have experienced maladaptive dreaming. This is a psychological phenomenon that individuals and groups can experience as a way to overcome the stress response.
That is where Fate & Fortune comes in, through the loss of my Mum and several employment issues. I want others to experience the benefits of tabletop gaming not only in their personal life but also as an alternative to teambuilding.
D&D helped me to learn and feel better about my situation and develop skills that whilst being unemployed can help in the future such as collaboration, team working and resilience. We offer Dungeons & Dragons sessions for the local community and develop a therapeutic community that is based around belonging and developing creativity.