Workshop "Connected by Play" / "Połączeni zabawą"

Workshop "Connected by Play" / "Połączeni zabawą"

We invite you to take part in a special workshop that combines the knowledge and practice of Original Play, Somatic Experiencing, and Nonviolent Communication (NVC). This workshop is for people who want positive change in life and are interested in personal development, improving communication, and relationships with others — in personal life, family life, and at work.

Location: ul. J. Czeczota 31, Warsaw
Dates and times:

• 21.03.2026, 9:00–16:00
• 22.03.2026, 9:00–13:00

Cost: in the range of 700 zł – 1000 zł (depending on financial ability and discretion). The workshop is intended to be accessible to people with varied financial means; payments help cover organizational costs.

Bank details:
Centrum Promocji ORIGINAL PLAY, Jolanta Graczykowska
Account number: 53114020040000370240998379

Registration and contact: jola@originalplay.pl

Workshop description:
When we play, we connect with each other and the world around us in ways that support safety and belonging. For some people this is not easy — life experiences can lead to shutting down, clenching, or constant fight responses. Play is essential, especially for people who have experienced trauma. Traumas can “freeze” our responses; the aim of the workshop is to release blocked energy, restore the ability to experience safety, relaxation and genuine reciprocity, and to feel seen and heard.

Main methods used in the workshop:

• Original Play: a practice studied by O. Frederick Donaldson that helps move out of fight-or-flight states, anchor in the present, and re-experience joy, curiosity, and connection.
• Somatic Experiencing: an approach developed by Peter Levine for gradual and careful releasing of trauma responses; includes exercises to regulate the nervous system.
• Nonviolent Communication (NVC): Marshall Rosenberg’s method focused on empathy and honesty, helping connect with universal needs and build coherence and bond between people.

All three approaches focus on compassionate presence — toward oneself and others — and offer practical exercises that support opening the heart to another kind of connection and change.

Facilitators:

• Jolanta Graczykowska — educator, mother of two; over 20 years dedicated to studying Original Play, runs educational and social activities, has worked with many groups of children in various settings.
• Christiaan Zandt — lives in the Netherlands; trainer, mediator and CNVC-certified NVC trainer, Somatic Experiencing practitioner, participant in Original Play work under Jolanta Graczykowska since 2013.