https://goddard-edu.zoom.us/j/94272664457 “Reflections of an Ordinary Ecstatic” is a presentation of the work of graduating student Tracey Girdich. As she began her Goddard journey, Girdich became aware of a lack of consensus in the scientific world around a definition of play. As she reviewed research on play in the non-human world, her own definition of play began to take shape. She became aware of a web of rich, resonating strands of connections in her research, her dreams and her life experience that led her to believe that play is a state-dependent, primal language of kinesthetic sensory awareness that promotes the connection of life forms to their kin as well as to their environment. Play is the first language we speak and a catalyst for evolution. This presentation will focus on play and the players across the biosphere, the role of play in dreaming, the effects of play deprivation, simple exercises for awakening the senses and strategies for promoting play.
