Creativity, Theology, and Posttraumatic Growth: The Sacred Impulse of Play and Transformation Out of Tragedy

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The relationship between creativity, Christian theology, and experiences of growth after trauma may open pathways towards transformation for individuals and communities. An integrated theory based upon the psychological theories of D. W. Winnicott, the pneumatology of Jurgen Moltmann, and the current science of trauma and creativity is proposed to investigate how playful, creative expression with the world may foster experiences of positive psychological change. This theory suggests that creative action, rooted in a rediscovery of play, might allow for experiences of reorganization and growth after traumatic upheaval. Stewarding creative action after trauma is one way in which the afflicted can collaborate with the Holy Spirit, even in the midst of tragic pain, to honor our wholeness and dignity as beings made in the image of God. Accessing our created, God-given purpose and identity, from a perspective of playful co-creation, is offered as a path to psychological healing and transformation. This approach may have wide-ranging implications for faith-based clinicians, the church, and communities walking through traumatic, desert-like landscapes of the heart.