represented how I felt about earlier losses I experienced or was it representing the hurt I was feeling at being alone in hospital? In fact Winnicott reminds us that just prior to loss, or when feelings of anxiety are prominent, we may see exaggerated use of the transitional object. (1971: 15). I was able to experience the bear as a transition between my imagination and all that the outside world entails; something Winnicott argued is essential for good mental health in later life along with a sense of creative satisfaction,

“Throughout life (it) is retained in the intense experiencing that belongs to the arts and to religion and to imaginative living, and to creative scientific work” (Winnicott, 1971: 14).

Winnicott’s theories cement the power of play through the relationships children have symbolically with objects, whether physical or something less tangible. Being aware of this in the therapeutic environment is valuable. My experience of experiential work has shown me the power of play and what we unknowingly project through our imagination. Children may act out their own anxieties through play, consciously or otherwise highlighting the importance of being attuned to what they may be trying to convey. I feel excited about the possibilities of play and what can be achieved between therapist and child. As Winnicott himself said, “Psychotherapy has to do with two people playing together” (1971: 38).

JOHN BOWLBY

All newborns, whether human or animal appear to be born with some innate bonding mechanism, relying on our birth mother to ensure our emotional and physical needs are met and to protect us from danger. It is in a way a form of survival. This forms the crux of Bowlby’s work on attachment, which grew out of his work with emotionally disturbed children. Making a connection between how these children coped being taken from their mothers at such a young age and any subsequent neurosis in later life formed the basis for his theories of attachment behaviour.

Bowlby proposed that the roots of any satisfying relationship must start at the beginning, between mother and baby; the infant must feel safe, secure and protected in order for a secure attachment (1979: 23) to take place. Many of our negative and positive personality traits about how we relate to others are linked to our earliest attachment experiences (1979: 127), and they are just as likely to get played out in the therapeutic relationship, hence the importance