From Blood Elf to Angry Young Man: An Atypical Analysis or Simply the Use of a New Facilitating Object?

Abstract

This article explores the clinical usefulness of video games and other electronics in the treatment of a traumatized adolescent. At times, one can find in the computer game and its Avatars a facilitating and containing environment that allows for the establishment of basic trust and playfulness within the emerging psychotherapeutic relationship. The process of developmental help that can then take place conveys the possibility of new ways of relating away from the protective shield of the cybernetic world. As the therapeutic alliance and patient's ego strengthens, the technical use of the video game transforms as it facilitates working in the transference. Clinical material illustrates the emergence of a sense of agency in the context of a facilitating environment. A capacity to think about real and painful realities within the context of an inquisitive and playful relational atmosphere emerges from the fantasy world.