Play Is a Sacred Rebellion
- Lillian Murray
- Oct 31
- 4 min read
I’ve come to believe that play is medicine for the modern soul—the great equalizer between stress and surrender.
As a young parent, I didn’t realize how lucky I was. I hadn’t been hardened by the world yet. I was still friends with all my soulful parts—none of them had been bled onto by other people’s fears or stories.
I trusted wonder.
I trusted laughter.
I trusted life to show me joy, even when things were messy.
What a blessing that was—to parent before the world taught me to be “serious.”
The Lost Art of Play
One of my favorite job descriptions was working as a Brain Balance Play Therapist.
It wasn’t just a profession—it was a lifeline, a way to connect with my own son, who was navigating the diagnoses of Asperger’s and ADD.
Looking back, I see how that time—the 1990s—was marked by over-analyzing, over-diagnosing, and over-labeling. Schools were focusing less and less on the emotional needs of children, even as recess, art, drama, and home economics were being squeezed out of the curriculum.
We were asking kids to sit still and perform while cutting away the very things that helped them grow resilient, connected, and emotionally alive.
Somewhere between finger paints and the grown-up to-do list, most of us forgot that play isn’t just for kids—it’s for the human spirit. Play taps straight into the emotional heartbeat that shaped us in childhood.
Take a moment to reflect:
What did play look like for you as a child?
How does it show up (if at all) in your life today?
What if they could mirror one another—curious, wild, and timeless?
Play is instinctive—a rhythm written into your nervous system, waiting to be remembered.
The Science of Joy
Even science agrees. Deep in the limbic system—right alongside the circuits that manage breath, heart rate, and hormonal balance—lives the play circuit.
It’s one of our built-in motivational systems, wired for joy, exploration, and connection.
When a child plays, their brain lights up with integration:
🧠 Left and right hemispheres sync.
💭 Memory systems connect.
💓 Emotional regulation takes root.
It’s nature’s way of saying: learning should feel like wonder.
And here’s the best part—the brain is beautifully plastic. It reshapes itself in response to experience, especially in environments filled with safety and creativity.
In homes where laughter, curiosity, and connection are welcomed guests, children grow resilient.
They learn the felt sense of safety first—because only when we feel safe can we dare to explore the unknown.
Play literally rewires the brain toward wholeness.
Relearning What We Forgot
Play doesn’t have to look like flashcards or structured activities. It’s messy and marvelous—painting, dancing, drumming, singing off-key, molding clay, climbing trees, getting a little muddy.
These self-generated acts of joy teach presence—not perfection. There’s no outcome to chase, just the moment itself unfolding.
As adults, we often forget that play isn’t something to outgrow—it’s something to grow back into.
Children don’t need to be told how to play—they lead, we follow. And in that space, learning becomes self-discovery.
Through play, kids (and grown-ups alike) develop:
Emotional intelligence
Problem-solving skills
Self-regulation
Empathy
That delicious sparkle of self-esteem that no praise can replace
Families who play together create emotional glue.
Connection may take time—especially after grief, adoption, divorce, or transition—but when safety returns, so does healing.
And something even deeper happens: Parents remember their own playful selves.
They rediscover the parts of their spirit that once built forts out of blankets or turned dandelions into magic potions.
That’s the restoration of play—the remembering that love, laughter, and imagination are how we regulate, how we reconnect, and how we rise.
Grown-up play should feel a little risky, wildly exciting, and deeply human. Trust your mind and body to remember what invigoration feels like—the rush of being fully alive, screen-free, spontaneous, and awake to joy.
Returning to the Heart of Play
Play is not a luxury; it’s a primal instinct that’s been dimmed by distraction.
For the first six years—and really, for life—we were never meant to rely on screens to teach us connection.
We were meant to use our hands, hearts, and imaginations.
To roll in the grass, climb too high, paint outside the lines, and giggle ourselves whole again.
This is the heartbeat of Respite Play—a return to curiosity, courage, and creative restoration. It’s where nervous systems find safety through laughter, where families rebuild connection through imagination, and where adults rediscover the simple, sacred truth:
Joy is not childish. It’s the way back home.
Your Invitation to Reclaim Play
Start—or join—a group that supports your playful side.
Gather your people for a little rebellion against rigidity.
Try this:
Make space for messy art and shared laughter
Add spontaneous movement to your day
Tell wild stories around a table (or a campfire)
Laugh until your sides hurt
Let joy be your teacher again.
After all, as the great Oscar Wilde once said, "Life is too important to be taken seriously."
About the Author
Lillian Murray is a holistic life and wellness coach, sound alchemist, and Human Array Catalyst. Through her work at Respite Play, she guides individuals and groups in nervous system regulation, creative restoration, and community-centered healing.
As midwife to transformation and keeper of joyful community, Lillian helps you pause, play, and rise into your radiant self.
Her approach weaves science, spirit, and soul—helping you slow down, soften, and return to the harmony that fuels true abundance.
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