Dr. Sue Jennings' keynote speech at the BADth Conference 2024 was a dynamic and interactive session focused on Neuro-Dramatic-Play (NDP). She explained NDP as a combination of brain activity, relational interaction, and playful creativity, essential for healthy psychological development. The session included theoretical insights on early attachment and practical activities like storytelling and improvisation, illustrating the importance of creativity and play in therapy. The audience engaged in creating and sharing stories, fostering a lively and connected atmosphere. Sue's talk highlighted the universal nature of NDP across cultures and its role in secure attachment and development.
When you hear that Dr. Sue Jennings is giving the Keynote speech at the BADth conference, you know it’s going to be a strong morning full of creativity, drama, and insight. Sue’s name is synonymous with dramatherapy. Like a stick of rock, it's written through her core. I knew that whilst Sue’s talk would be thought-provoking and enlightening, we weren’t going to be sitting motionless in our seats for long. We would be interacting, moving, and connecting.
Sue began with an explanation of NDP, Neuro-Dramatic-Play – “Neuro” referring to brain activity and safety, “Dramatic” making reference to the relational interaction between individuals, and “Play” being the element of curiosity, creativity, and fun. NDP happens simultaneously and can be seen in healthy childhood development. As creative arts therapists, we can encourage and create opportunities for NDP to aid psychological development.
The morning itself was full of Neuro Dramatic Play. The first part of Sue’s keynote speech was theoretical and “neuro” - my brain cells were firing and alive. Next came “drama” in the form of story-making and characterisation, and finally there was “Play” – an opportunity for improvisation, a chance to be curious, creative, and to connect together.
The theory part took the form of a PowerPoint presentation where Sue explained the nipple focus – the oral stage of development where the infant is dependent on the nipple for food and comfort and how this stage is our earliest form of connection and relationship, the foundation of early attachment. It begins in the womb, continues beyond infancy into childhood and for some, into adulthood. Sue illustrated her point with images of ice lollies, rubber teats on adult water bottles, children with dummies and lollipops. I’m guessing vapes and cigarettes could be added to this list?
Sue explained how the connection between mother/primary attachment figure and child is full of moments of NDP – and how this can be seen as far back as pregnancy, with mother and baby playing and connecting with each other across the womb through song and storytelling. As the baby grows, NDP can be seen in baby games like peek-a-boo, or toddler songs like pat-a-cake. NDP continues to be a key component in more structured, sophisticated childhood games like hide-and-seek as well as adolescent games involving role-play, improvisation, and drama.
Sue spoke about the containing nature of games, how they can hold a child both physically (think of the fun a child can have in a cardboard box) as well as emotionally (agreeing the rules and setting the boundaries) and how games provide a sense of security and safety, essential components for secure attachment and healthy psychological development.
Sue expanded her talk with further examples of NDP from her experiences living with the Temiar people, a small tribe of indigenous people in rural Malaysia. Sue’s insight into their dramatic rituals and performances, their use of trance dances and the power of community broadened our understanding of NDP and how it exists in all cultures as it forms the foundation of variations of attachment.
Once Sue had laid the theoretical foundations it was time to put theory into action. Cue creativity and play. Everyone out of your seats and down to the performance space!
Sue invited us to think of a childhood toy that we had a connection with and to create it out of playdough or plasticine. She then invited us to take some paper and create a safe place for that toy. We were then invited to close our eyes and scribble freely on another piece of paper and from this chaos of lines and shapes we went on to make a monster or creature who would interact with our toy.
Then it was time for storytelling. We were invited to flesh out our characters and begin to develop a story. We were encouraged to share our story with a partner and then to expand our connection by linking up in 4’s and 5’s. The room was abuzz with creativity, chatter, stories, and playfulness. Sue then invited us to sculpt our stories and from here we added movement and sound so that our stories moved through a beginning, middle, and to resolution. Sue then connected the whole room together by linking everybody’s sculpts in a story production line. There was energy, there was laughter. We were connected through creativity and play and Sue’s theory of NDP had come alive.
Time constraints meant that we had to end our journey with Sue there, but I know I wasn’t alone in feeling that we could’ve spent a whole day exploring this topic further.
Thank you, Sue, for an uplifting and insightful morning together.
Domini Hooper