The objective of this paper is to reflect on the utilization of playing in the therapeutical work with adult patients who have cancer, having, as a start, the clinic experience of one of the authors as a trainee. A short research was made in order to comprehend the function of the psychologist inside the hospital, his competences and limits, the multiprofessional relationship and the use of playing techniques. Among the activities, it is the ludic project which tries, by the usage of stories and toys, to allow the patients to gain their individuality back, taking them momentarily out of the disease. The reflection also considered sickness and cancer as well as the process of hospitalization and its consequences to the patient’s life. We concluded that playing is a technique that contributes for adult patients to face the disease, helping them to re-signify sickness and to live this moment in a painless manner. In this way we believe that the psychologist can reach the objective of minimizing patients suffering by actuating in projects like the one we mentioned here.
Playing; Cancer; Psychologist; Re-signification