Emotigame, to play with emotions...

At Vinatier, caregivers created Emotigame, a board game with cards to allow users to identify and understand their emotions.

In 2023, an occupational therapist and a caregiver created Emotigame, a board game with cards to allow users to identify and understand their emotions. This idea emerged at the Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (USIP) at Vinatier (University Psychiatry Lyon Métropole). This closed service welcomes adult patients in acute crisis who have difficulty verbalizing their emotions and their personal experiences.

Inspired by the work of D. Winnicott on games as a space conducive to psychological development, this board game was built around five major themes: the definition of an emotion; recognition of emotions (facies or behavior); the description of a situation facing a given emotion; the reaction and feeling faced with a situation; the stage expression of an emotion. The answers were developed based on the Wheel of Emotions (Plutchik, 1980) (1) which determines eight basic emotions and Ekman’s work on facial emotional recognition (2).

The game was developed based on the responses of 32 patients to a satisfaction and knowledge collection questionnaire, distributed before and after the psychoeducation program, but also over the course of around sixty sessions, which made it possible to adjust its use and content.

Emotigame is used in closed groups in two ways: either a single session to initiate work around emotions with a view to integrating a psychoeducation program dedicated to this theme, or directly during this program. This takes place over 6 weeks (according to medical indication and multi-professional consultation once a week with 2 to 4 patients and a pair of caregivers trained in the tool. They participate in the game with the patients to promote exchanges within the group and the therapeutic alliance. Each player must progress with their pawn on the board using a die, then respond to the card corresponding to the box where they stopped. The answers are validated by the group, in order to allow discussions around the question/situation (3).

Emotigame aims to stimulate the following skills:

Be able to recognize, distinguish and define emotions,
Facilitate the recognition of the behavior and expressions of the interlocutor,
Learn to manage your emotions and better understand their invasion,
Communicate and put words to your own emotions,
Share your experiences with a group and know how to listen to others,
Develop your vocabulary and language,
Develop your relational/social skills.

The device is currently in the development and testing phase in several adult departments of the hospital. The objective is to disseminate it and adapt it for as many patients as possible.

Anne BOURRON, occupational therapist P-Intensive and Secure Care, PAPV, PULM et Yannick PENAS, ASDE animator, P-SIS, PAPV et USIP, PULM, yannick.penas@ch-le-vinatier.fr

(1) Robert Plutchik’s psychoevolutionary theory of emotions is one of the methods for classifying emotions. In 1980, he created an “emotion wheel” to organize their complexity and help people identify and label their emotions. He distinguishes 8 fundamental or primary emotions which, according to him, have important functions for survival. They are organized in opposite pairs: anger and fear; disgust and acceptance; joy and sadness; anticipation and surprise.

(2) Paul Ekman is an American psychologist recognized worldwide for his research on emotions and facial expressions. He developed the FACS (Facial Action Coding System), a system for classifying and measuring facial movements. One of Ekman’s most striking discoveries is the universality of basic facial expressions. His work with isolated populations, such as the people of Papua New Guinea, has shown that expressions of joy, sadness, anger, disgust, surprise and fear are universal and innate. (https://afpro.eu/facs/decouvrez-le-facs-de-paul-ekman-un-outil-essentiel-pour-comprendre-les-emotions/)