Gestalt therapy is a psychotherapy modality created in the 1940s. Frederick Fritz Perls, Laura Perls and Paul Goodman are considered to be its founders. An important historical moment is the publication of Gestalt Therapy by Perls, Hefferline and Goodman in 1951, which is still considered the foundation for the development of the theory and practice of this therapeutic approach.
Some of the important philosophies woven through Gestalt therapy theory are holism, existentialism, phenomenology, field theory, the dialogic method, and Eastern philosophies (Taoism and Zen Buddhism).
Let us elaborate at least some of them.
The dialogic method implies a specific manner of contact between the therapist and the client(s), which sets the focus of the research on the potentially therapeutic relationship between them. This means that the therapist observes the way that the therapeutic relationship develops whatever the clients bring or what they are not immediately aware of, and which is in the background of their experiences - in their contact with significant others but also in general, in contacts with other people and the world.
The book by the philosopher and existentialist Martin Buber I and Thou inspired Gestalt therapists to integrate this method into their work and to continuously develop it in theory to this day. Beside understanding the difference between I-it and I-Though contact within the therapeutic relationship, the dialogic method is enriched by practising the observation of ‘what is in between’, and also by the development of _inclusivity in the relationship, presence, confirmation and commitment to dialogue, conscious surrender to the relationship, attunement… _
This means that the therapist in a gestalt therapeutic relationship is ready to create a therapeutic alliance as a human relationship between two or more individuals, with their own vulnerability, openness, respect, willingness to develop and exchange.
The phenomenological approach represents a common search for the meaning of what is immediately present in the experience rather than in the interpretation of a competent ’expert’ who knows better.
Therefore, such an approach implies a horizontal relationship between the therapist and the client.
Phenomenology also implicates the importance of the awareness. Sensations in the here and now are a guide to the meaning that will be revealed when the organism is sufficiently supported for it. Today, people often approach things purely from the cognitive aspect and define meanings before taking the time for a sufficiently grounded bodily experience of awareness.
Sensations are also the way in which the memory of then and there appears in the body here and now.
Focusing on the immediate experience of here and now instead of something hidden beneath is also a phenomenological approach in Gestalt therapy.
Sensations are the way we experience the immediate world, those that developmentally precede our ability to describe these experiences verbally. Experiments in the therapeutic space are often aimed at emphasizing of the awareness.
The answer to this question is simple: everyone. Anyone can gain a lot from this type of approach: people going through some life challenges, people facing certain psychological challenges, but also anyone who is curious or wants to grow this way.
Gestalt therapy is used in an individual approach as an advisory modality, psychotherapy, coaching, couples and group therapy, support therapy, and I also offer the possibility of workshops in certain fields.