For Mathias- Dungeon Master extraordinaire
I’ve recently been playing Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) A fantasy role play game (if you have missed this phenomena!) There are a variety of creatures and characters. Dwarves,Elves, Dragons, Mages etc. The list is long. In any given game we may interact with a number of other beings- some benign and helpful; some malevolent and dangerous. We usually meet other people on a given journey or quest and have to reach some sort of accommodation with them. (An”accommodation” can range from a temporary paralysis to death or, preferably, a negotiated agreement not to hurt each other.) These encounters can be a 1:1 , a group versus a monster, group vs group. Think of a permutation and at some point it will occur.
As part of the game, each player has a number of characteristics. Strength; Dexterity; Constitution; Charisma; Intellect and Wisdom. Each of the ratings affects the part one plays in the game. Thus one might send in someone with a hight strength rating to fight a Werewolf. As against using a player with a high dexterity rating to pick someone’s pocket. This is a very over simplified account. On my desk next to me I have a Players Handbook consisting 300 A4 pages of rules, rubrics and protocols. This is my D&D bible. The ultimate authority-and like all ultimate authorities, capable of different interpretations. (The Ultimate Authority as far as any given game is concerned is the Dungeon Master. Their word is Law. Their decision Final.)
That is an outline of Dungeons and Dragons. So… how does a quirky game played by adults who should know better have anything to do with psychotherapy? It strikes me that it stands as a very accurate Personality Inventory. One could devise a personality chart that points one to a particular personality type-or combination. Instead of Introversion / Extroversion; Psychopathy / Altruism; axes we might. have Dwarf / Fairy axes. Or Dragon/ Werewolf. Much more interesting than Eysenck’s inventory. (I should love to see this administered as part of a selection process for a job. The feedback would be such fun. “Well Mr.Brown. I see you score highly on the Dwarf axis but low on the Elf axis. I’m afraid the post requires much more Elf than you have.”)
The D&D sheets could also work as a self development guide. As part of my assessment interview, I could ask my patients which character they most identify with snd which character they like least. Then an exploration of their choices would make an excellent basis for our therapeutic work together. This would give me at least as much information as an exploration of their early years. Finally it should be possible to ask my patient to self assess on the scale that I used at the start of this blog. “On a scale. of 1 -20 how would you rate yourself in these areas?”( I think Jung would approve of this approach, tapping in as it does to archetypal material. The Lover, the Jester, the Magician and the other nine archetypes.)
I’ll end with a quote from Jung, who I think would have enjoyed D&D “Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”
Epiphanies 