Moira Williams is a renowned emotional healer, Reiki master, and spiritual teacher with over 35 years of experience. As the founder of Pure Heart Centre, she specialises in empowering individuals through heart-centered healing, self-expression, and transformative spiritual growth.
When you hear the words power play, it often suggests a clash of wills, a struggle for control, or an attempt by someone to assert dominance in a situation. In a workplace or personal relationship, a power play is usually aimed at gaining an advantage or authority over another, often leaving someone feeling powerless or ineffective, as though there’s no room to choose or change the outcome. The experience can be unsettling, making us feel we need to fight for survival. Life can begin to feel like a series of battles rather than a journey of connection.
What does play mean?
Interestingly, the word play itself brings to mind something quite different. For children, play is a natural expression of joy and curiosity a chance to explore, create, and connect with the world around them. When we’re young, play brings laughter, sharing, learning, and a sense of wonder at our own potential. This innocent exploration feeds our growth, expanding our energy centres (chakras) and supporting our development as creative, confident, and compassionate beings. Children know instinctively how to “play” with life.
As adults, however, we often lose this natural sense of play, instead associating it with pleasure or escape through substances, social media, or other distractions. These behaviours may even become addictions, making us feel low in self-worth or disconnected from our true power to create positive change. The result is that we “play” less with life and instead feel life is playing us.
Learning to play and shine again
Our early experiences shape how we view power and play. If a child grows up without joyful, expansive experiences, their brain may be wired to approach life as a challenge to be survived rather than enjoyed. A harsh word, a dismissive attitude, or restricted expression can cause a child’s energy to contract, telling their nervous system to stay alert and ready for fight or flight. The brain’s amygdala, our emotional alarm bell, keeps us on guard, interpreting the world as a potentially hostile place and creating lifelong patterns of anxiety, fear, or even aggression as a form of self-protection.
For many adults, reconnecting with play and self-worth can be a powerful journey back to themselves. Finding ways to enjoy life and introduce playfulness can help us relax and let go of defensive energy patterns. When we learn to play with life again whether it’s through creativity, movement, or exploring new activities we release tension, relax our energy centres, and open the way for greater self-acceptance, confidence, and insight.
Taking back your power
Recognising past experiences as opportunities to learn about power and resilience can be empowering. If play feels like an unfamiliar concept, that’s a sign it may be time to cultivate more joy and connection in life. Engaging in activities that make you feel alive, whether alone or with others, can help release negativity and allow for creativity, self-trust, and self-awareness to blossom. True play lifts us beyond survival and into curiosity, reminding us that life’s challenges don’t need to rob us of our joy.
Becoming self-aware
For those who grew up in tense or stressful environments, self-awareness can be an unfamiliar territory. If the nervous system spent years in high alert, focusing on others’ moods or behaviour to feel safe, it’s no wonder many adults find themselves people-pleasing or avoiding conflict. This pattern can lead to a dissociation from the true self and an identity shaped around survival rather than self-expression.
When the personal power of a child is diminished, their inner light dims, and they may grow up feeling unable to use their voice to assert themselves or set boundaries. Instead, their energy flows to others in an attempt to please or avoid tension. This pattern often leads to adulthood habits that are hard to break, yet recognising the power within to change this dynamic is transformative.
Healing from the influence of power plays
The words power play may create an inner belief that there is no power to choose, feel free, or focus on what matters. Sometimes, the experience may drive a need to “get ahead” of others, leading to behaviours like arrogance, manipulation, or control. When power plays cause us to feel shut down, silenced, or emotionally exhausted, it’s often because we haven’t yet learned how to hold our ground with self-trust and compassion.
Power plays, whether at home, work, or in social situations, can stifle the voice, especially if we lack emotional support or feel our needs aren’t being acknowledged. Many people are taught that communication itself is a power play arguments where voices clash, points are driven, and people dominate to “win” rather than connect. If someone grew up in an environment where speaking up was met with criticism or dismissal, communication itself can feel like a minefield.
A narcissistic personality, for instance, may use tactics like gaslighting to deflect issues and make others feel overpowered and confused. Yet, even an experience with a narcissist can be reframed as an opportunity for self-empowerment when viewed through a spiritual lens. Sometimes, others’ manipulation is a sign for us to build inner strength and assert healthy boundaries.
Being assertive without aggression
It’s easy to feel defeated and walk away from conflict with a low sense of self-worth, but there is a way to respond to power plays from a place of strength rather than fear. Taking time to examine how communication was modelled growing up can help us understand what’s missing now and how we can start communicating from a place of wholeness and clarity.
When we engage in self-awareness, we can shift our perspective from reaction to response. For example, a person may feel disempowered at work but, upon reflection, realise this feeling mirrors past experiences with authority. By recognising these patterns, we can begin to let go of old responses and act from a place of self-respect.
How it works: A case study
Imagine a young woman who always dreamed of becoming a police officer. However, she found herself trapped in unsupportive environments and felt discouraged from pursuing her goal. Through exploring her life experiences with authority, she realised her parents had not left her feeling empowered. She also saw that she was “playing out” similar dynamics with her workplace superior, leaving her feeling disadvantaged.
By tapping into her inner strength, she was able to reprogram her mindset and implement the actions she needed to take. When she approached life from an assertive and confident awareness, she found the courage to pursue her dream and became the police officer she had always wanted to be. Life may still present power plays, but with her newfound awareness, she now navigates them from a place of empowerment.
The spiritual perspective
The key message here is that every experience has a purpose, and that purpose is to lead us back to our true selves. We may feel frustration or resistance in the face of power plays, but each of these challenges invites us to look within, beyond our fears or anger, and connect with the inner self. This inner journey frees us to live with purpose, confidence, and self-assurance.
You are invited
Pure Heart Centre invites you to visit our website at online.pureheartcentre.com to explore what we offer. If you feel drawn to healing communication dynamics or reclaiming your voice, take a look at our Because Your Voice Matters course or sign up for our monthly newsletter for further insights.
We’d love to hear from you too! Reach out to us here, or book a 15-minute chat to learn more about our services.
Steps to rise above a power play
Use self-awareness to respond rather than react. Take a breath, slow down, and stay present.
Centre yourself to listen without overreacting. Give thoughtful feedback on what you hear.
Show respect for both yourself and the other person. Remember, it’s a learning experience, not a survival struggle.
Listen and be assertive in your response, keeping emotions steady.
Focus on finding solutions and creating win-win situations.
Ask open-ended questions to encourage deeper insight.
Trust yourself, and if needed, respectfully disengage from the situation.
Reflect on past experiences of communication to understand your patterns.
Practise assertiveness with trusted individuals.
Set boundaries and express your needs openly.
Remember to play and have fun! Life is a journey, so celebrate every step toward your empowerment.
The journey to self-empowerment is about breaking free from the patterns of the past, connecting with our true essence, and embracing a life where power and play co-exist in balance. As we transcend the power plays around us, we reclaim the inner light that shines when we live from a place of love, authenticity, and self-respect.
Read more from Pure Heart Centre
Pure Heart Centre, Sound Healer & Neuroscience Consultant
Pure Heart Centre is a heart-centered sanctuary for emotional healing, spiritual growth, and intuitive development, founded by Moira Williams. With over 35 years of expertise, Moira and her team offer transformative courses, 1-1 consultations, and a thriving virtual community. Pure Heart Centre is dedicated to empowering individuals to live authentically, reconnect with their inner strength, and create heart-centered lives. Through practical tools, grounded spirituality, and a nurturing space, the Centre continues to inspire personal and collective transformation. Learn more at online.pureheartcentre.com.
