Why play transformation games, what do they give and are they effective? Family psychologist and art therapist Irina Donenko tells.

Transformational Games vs Trainings: What's the Difference?

If you need to understand yourself or find a solution to a problem, people turn to psychologists. Today, such a visit is no longer an hour of lying on the couch, as before. Psychologists have many tools to teach familiar things anew. Art therapy, for example, uses transformational games. Irina Donenko, a family psychologist, art therapist, game practitioner and author of 4 transformational games, told us what these are and what their effectiveness is.

“Transformation games are a project method of working with the human subconscious. They help to identify what prevents us from achieving what we want, living and overcoming these obstacles.

Our people are still reluctant to turn to psychologists, although they may need help. And the game is not so scary. You seem to play your life situation and see how your decisions affect it.

The transformational game is the achievement of goals through work on oneself. You correctly formulate a desire, find a resource for its implementation and everything that prevents you from achieving your goal.

It seems that this is an ordinary board game. Participants move around the cells and work with the leader – answer questions and complete tasks. But the transformational game always works out a specific request through a creative perception of what is happening. Everyone has their own request: success, money, career, love, health. And a good facilitator helps each player learn something about themselves and overcome internal limitations. This study shows how all aspects of life will change if the desired is realized.

Any game gives participants some kind of skill or knowledge: teamwork, brainstorming, decision making, even just communication in a group of people. Therefore, some confuse it with training – you can go, listen to the trainer and do as he says.

In fact, training is a lesson, a way of learning. It provides theoretical knowledge in an accelerated way, but does not guarantee that you will apply them correctly. The game is an activity, the practice of solving a problem with individual study. In it you get the impression of lived.

Play and training can coexist, but they are not interchangeable. You can say this: sometimes the game determines the effectiveness of the training. The higher your level, the more useful the knowledge gained. So don't be afraid to play. The main thing is to choose those that suit your desires and goals.”