The Who Of Gestalt
Gestalt therapy was developed by Fritz Perls, Laura Perlz and Paul Goodman in the 1940s to 1950s. It is said that Fritz Perlz, Laura Perlz and Paul Goodman took concepts and elements from different bodies of knowledge and disciplines weaving them into a new practice to create Gestalt.
If you are interested in seeing a session led by Fritz Perls you can view it on YouTube here.
The What Of Gestalt
Gestalt therapy is a form of psychotherapy that aims to increase self-awareness and personal responsibility. It focuses on the individual's present-moment experience. The client-therapist relationship is a key aspect that helps generate greater self-acceptance and improved well-being.
The core processes of Gestalt therapy include:
Here and Now Awareness: Encourages the individual to become aware of their current thoughts, feelings, and actions and emphasises the importance of the present moment.
Holism: The therapist must consider all aspects of the person's experience, including their body, mind, emotions, and environment.
Field Theory: This explores how an individual interacts with and is influenced by their surroundings and relationships.
Figure-Ground: Focusing on what is most prominent (figure) in a person's awareness at any given moment, while recognising that background elements (ground) also influence their experience. Therapy involves bringing background issues into the foreground for exploration.
Experimentation: Encouraging individuals to try new behaviours or ways of thinking within the safety of the therapeutic setting by role-playing, creative arts or other experiential techniques to increase awareness and foster change. This allows the individual to try out new behaviours or decisions in the safety of a session before taking those actions into their everyday life. This way they can get an idea of how it feels and adjust it, alter it or let it go completely.
Dialogical Relationship: Building a genuine, empathetic, and collaborative relationship between therapist and client.
Gestalt therapy is particularly good at helping with anxiety, substance abuse and addictive behaviours, post-traumatic stress disorder and other traumatic experiences. It is a good choice for people who wish to improve their self-awareness and build their self-esteem. Gestalt therapy encourages living in the present moment rather than the past or future. However, Gestalt may not be particularly good for more extreme psychological disorders such as schizophrenia, sociopathy or psychopathy unless the Gestalt therapist has a lot of experience.
Remember to check out this blog post here for a list of other therapies, knowing that not all therapies are for everyone. It is important that you find a style of therapy that best meets your needs, that resonates with you and then find the right therapist who practises that therapy. If you are going to invest in your mental health, spending time and money, you have a right and deserve to have the best fit for you.
If You Need Extra Support
Australia (Call 000 in a medical emergency)
Beyond Blue - https://www.beyondblue.org.au/ 1300 22 46 36
Lifeline - 13 11 14 or SMS 0477 13 11 14
Black Dog Institute - https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/ (02) 9382 2991
Kids Helpline - 1800 55 1800
Beyond Blue - 1300 22 4636
Around the World
BetterHelp - https://www.betterhelp.com/
New Zealand - Lifeline - 0800 543 354
USA and Canada - Suicide and Crisis Lifeline - 988 (call 911 in a medical emergency)
UK - Samaritans - 116 123
UK - SANEline - 0300 304 7000
Canada - https://kidshelpphone.ca/ 1800 668 68 68 or text 68 68 68
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