The Power of Play Gets Hired by the US Army

As we were sitting in the office of the command's clinical psychologist at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, I had a moment that made me giggle out loud. And what I said to the clinical psychologist who was part of the team that brought us in, was, "So what you're saying is that basically, it was a snowball's chance in hell that The Power of Play and the US Army would be here working together...with Richard and I sitting in front of you."

And she said, "Yep. That's about right. You are the snowball, Rahla, and this is hell!"

Wow! From our initial "read-ahead" white paper (which was a new term for us) back in December, 2007, to yesterday's acknowledgment from the Colonel who was the other part of the team who hired us, we are now taking a deep breath to share with you what a unique, powerful, creative, laughter filled, exhausting, miraculous journey this intersection in the history of The Power of Play and The Power of Play Approach has been.

Our goal is to work with returning veterans who are suffering with the suddenly broken life that PTSD, deep brain trauma and the amputation of limbs brings. We know The Power of Play Approach works, because of our experience in the 1980's with veterans from another war - the Vietnam war.

At that time we were working at a support center for homeless and mentally ill adults in Santa Monica, called Step Up On Second. One day a couple of Vietnam veterans showed up in my class. One, in particular, was hesitant to participate. On the spot I began an exercise that has become a staple in The Power of Play repertoire of games. I asked him to tell a true story from his life that had something to do with a pair of shoes. His story was inspiring, poignant and wonderful. He told of how he had been a Rhodes Scholar and was on his way to Oxford, when he went to Paris for a short holiday. He found a pair of shoes in a small shop that made him feel like a king when he put them on. He blew his holiday budget to buy the shoes, but they were worth it.

The smile and openness of this man who moments before had been closed off and shut down, told me that something important had happened. Soon other vets were showing up in my class. The reason? They said they heard they could tell their stories there. They also said that my class was one of the few places where they could laugh and enjoy some humor, instead of the usual gripe and complain sessions that they were used to.

Now, with a new war and a new wave - make that tidal wave - of veterans returning, I know we have an important job to do. Our Approach helps people discover or rediscover their creativity, authenticity and natural sense of humor. That practice has health benefits that science is now validating. But more importantly, I believe our fun and easy methods bring people - whether they be dealing with cancer, chronic illness or deep brain trauma - to a familiar place within themselves that they may have forgotten about. It is kind of like going through your old junk drawer and finding some treasure you haven't thought about in decades. You are reminded of who you were then, with all the feelings of excitement and anticipation that each adventure in life brings. It is almost like meeting an old friend on the street. Only the old friend is you!

Global Thinking About Global Warming

I have been part of an email conversation about global warming. It has sparked some very "lively" and very heated comments from both sides. I mostly sat on the sidelines, but I finally decided I had something to say. Below are my thoughts on this provocative issue.

I’d like to jump in here for a couple of observations. It seems there are a few questions on the table. They may all be repeats of things covered in earlier e-mails, but they keep coming up for me, so I thought I’d add my two cents.

Is there a climatological crisis?
Did mankind’s activities create it?
Is there something we can do about it?

Each of those questions seems to have sub-questions.

is there a crisis?
It sure seems so. Things are happening. Scientists are gathering data and reporting on it. That part seems undeniable. But the Newsweek cover back in the 60’s said the crisis was that we were getting too cold and the planet would be freezing. That was only 40 years ago. What will Newsweek or scientists say in another 40 years? I have no idea. However, it seems our perspective is filtered severely by the short span of our lives. If we personally experience a heat wave, we may make some decisions that things are heating up. If we experience a cold snap at an odd time of year, we may conclude that things are cooling down.

And that is the problem I had with Al Gore’s recent comment about changes like “more tornadoes than in living memory” (emphasis added). I can’t remember where I put my keys. How can I rely on my memory to make policies about something as big as the climate? Let me be clear – I believe in recycling and living lightly on the land. But Mr. Gore’s comments sound a bit narcissistic. Of course there is a lot of data and ice core samples, etc., but Gore’s folksy approach seems a little disingenuous. Besides...with mass communication being as good and as instantaneous as it is, we are finding out about things so quickly, that it may appear there are more tornadoes than ever, simply because we’re all finding out about them all so quickly, instead of hearing about them when the Pony Express brings the news.

2. Did mankind’s activities create it?
This is a great question. Environmentalists are certain that we did. It makes logical sense that as the pace of the Industrial Age has picked up, major impacts are being felt in the ecosphere and ultimately the climate. But just because those two events are occurring simultaneously, does not necessarily prove cause and effect. The character in “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” apparently made the sun go dark. To the unwitting mind, it was obvious and clear that he did it. But to people who understand the broader natural cycles that were going to occur anyway, it is clear that he was not the cause of the sun’s disappearance. I use that example and mean no disrespect to anyone in this email dialogue. This is as an amazing, talented, smart, sincere and heartfelt group of people as probably exists anywhere. But if – and this is a big if – there are natural climatological cycles that take thousands of years to cycle through, how would we ever get a clear enough picture to truly understand how it all works? Modern methods, such as studying ice core samples, are certainly a good start. But it seems that new discoveries keep changing our understanding of the past. An example might the one-time cataclysmic anomalies like a meteor strike that created a nuclear winter that killed the dinosaurs. Maybe that incident triggered some slow moving something else that we have not figured out yet.

3. Is there something we can do about it?
I think the great thing about the human mind is that whether we can or whether we can’t take effective action, we like to (and may even need to) take some kind of action, if only to feel like we are doing “something.” That is what gives us hope to keep pushing on to find the next thing we should do to avert the next disaster. I believe in hope and its importance for keeping us in action. And that is what is so frustrating about this whole issue. We don’t know if we can stop what seems to be happening. And if it is a natural cycle, could we stop it anyway?

This last thought speaks to Robert’s question about whether there really is a correct time to ring the alarm...when to know you have reached it...and will that give us the time to do anything effective.

When I was boy I attended a summer camp in upstate New York. I can remember one night in particular when I stood out in a large field and looked up at the sky. It was one of those moments where even as a boy, I had an overwhelming experience of my smallness in a vast universe. I was amazed to see so many stars. I could actually see the crowded spray of stars that made me aware of how we were a part of the Milky Way, and our little planet is but a mere, tiny dot...the smallest of specks in comparison to the immensity of what is out there. I feel that way when I try to understand the problems questions and effective solutions for our ecological issues.

Best,
Richard Rossner