‘Space’: Adventuring into the unconscious through play

Chief Scientist, Mackenzie, entering into the unexplored realm of a Blackhole (ABC’s Bluey - ‘Space’, 2022).

Becoming untethered, being left behind on an interstellar body and then venturing alone into a dangerous and unknown place, all from the safety of a school playground. In a masterful seven minutes, Joe Brumm takes us on a border collie’s therapeutic journey towards self-healing through play.

The loveable deep-voiced Rusty, the enthusiastic Jack and their friend from over the ditch, Mackenzie, are embarking on an adventure to explore territories unknown. They begin buckling their invisible belts, pulling invisible levers and pressing invisible buttons, deciding which interstellar body to explore.

But it’s clear from the outset of the adventure, there’s something stirring in Mackenzie. The great unknown of what happens when you journey into a black hole triggers a wistful, far-off stare. The designated Chief Scientist’s mind is at work on something…

And - LAUNCH!

But then… 

Mackenzie begins to throw complications into the space venture…

First, he becomes untethered on his space walk and needs to be saved. Later, when his comrades come to find him, he accuses, “why did you leave me behind?!?….You left me behind on purpose!”

He states:

“I want you to pretend that you leave me behind and I’m all alone…”

Something’s innately driving Mackenzie to this play. He doesn’t know why but he wants to feel what it is to be abandoned by those who care about him in an unfamiliar and possibly unsafe place… and then to express the anger and the hurt that comes with those feelings.

Then, Mackenzie decidedly steers the ship off-course and, alone, he disappears into the unknown depths of the black hole, “to figure everything out…” 

Suddenly, out of a playground slide pops a much smaller version of the space explorer, who then cries out “Mum? Mummm?”

The sage form of Calipso materialises, reassuring tiny Mackenzie that his Mum is still there. He just got “mixed up” in the slide. 

And then, poignantly:

“You know what’s here now, you don’t have to keep coming back to this place.”

Mackenzie, all at once back to his regular Chief Scientist size, makes a dramatic escape from some colourful extra-terrestrials and is dragged back through the black-hole by his faithful friend, Rusty. 

Mackenzie answers the crew role-call with confidence, taking one final glance at the now not-so-mysterious black hole, before emphatically boarding the ship, moving on to the next adventure. 

What Mackenzie has demonstrated in this whirlwind interstellar adventure is the fundamental role of play in helping children meet and understand the world. Children harness play instinctively both consciously and unconsciously to effectively explore, examine and uncover their experiences through play. Like the unexplainable compulsion experienced by our border collie protagonist here, children intrinsically gravitate towards exploring these unknown or uncomfortable facets of their experiences. Mackenzie’s apparent experience of being left behind as toddler was something he felt uncomfortable about. He needed to revisit those feelings and explore what happened. He safely simulates this experience through the metaphor of play, reigniting his feelings in a non-confrontational way. By re-examining it, he is able to re-work this significant attachment-related experience, re-remembering and reassuring himself that he was not, in fact, left behind, and is consequently able to move forward, knowing he can trust his caregiver.

Like Mackenzie, many children find their own natural and safe play-scenarios to examine and understand their experiences. Through creating their own storylines and complications, and experimenting with problem-solving techniques, they are able to think, feel and conquer their experiences, gaining further understanding of who they are in relation to the world around them. Play enables them to look at and re-work their feelings and gain mastery over their experiences in a safe and non-threatening way.

For some children, though, these kind of play opportunities, filled with expression and self-discovery, may not arise organically. Perhaps they are still learning the basic strategies to help them play out their world, such as pretend play, emotional regulation, social skills or narrative building. Perhaps they may not be afforded a safe place to replay their experiences, or have safe people to navigate them with. Perhaps their experiences may be more complex, such as trauma or grief, and they may find themselves ‘stuck’ in their play, unable to navigate their way out on their own. These reasons, along with many more, mean that children may need the help and support of a safe and secure forum guided by a highly trained and non-judgemental professional to help them understand themselves and the world around them. Play Therapy is an effective and developmentally appropriate therapy for children that harnesses this natural tendency of practicing, re-experiencing and resolving feelings and events through play.

Within a therapeutic playroom, children have access to a variety of resources designed for therapeutic expression, permitting them to use those they are intrinsically drawn towards in most of the ways they choose. The Play Therapist provides a safe and non-judgemental ally for the child, witnessing and verbally reflecting back to them their stories and the feelings being expressed through the metaphor of play, providing the child with insight and allowing them to feel heard. Play Therapists journey with the child into their world of play - taking on the role of a playmate when required - providing warmth, acceptance, respect and permissiveness to help them experience cathartic relief through play. And for those children who are yet to gain fluency in the language of play, a trained integrative Play Therapist can also assist them in building their play-skills, providing them with the tools necessary to work through their experience of the world. Through Play Therapy, a child can work through both conscious and unconscious experiences, develop self-regulation and coping strategies, build their resiliency, work through fears and stress, work through attachment-related issues, and much more. Together, the child and the Play Therapist navigate, re-explore and re-remember the child’s experience of the world, providing therapeutic expression and healing, and ultimately fostering the tools required to support them in their future adventures.

To find out more about how Play Therapy can support your child/family, please visit ‘Why Play’.