GESTALT THERAPY

PROPONENT  Contemporary Gestalt therapists

Frederich “Fritz” Salomon Perls was the facilitate the client’s
main originator and developer of Gestalt movement toward and away
therapy. Psychoanalytic concepts influenced from this figure of interest.
him, and he took issue with Freud’s theory
on several grounds. He valued examining Organismic Self-Regulation
the present over the past. Perls asserted  a process by which equilibrium
that how individuals behave in the present is “disturbed” by the
moment is far more crucial to self- emergence of a need, a
understanding than why they behave as sensation, or an interest.
they do.  What emerges in therapeutic
work is what is of interest to the
DESCRIPTION client or what the client needs to
Gestalt experiential therapy stressing gain equilibrium or to change.
awareness and integration; it grew as a
reaction against analytic therapy. It WHEN IS IT USED?
integrates the functioning of body and mind  Originally Gestalt Therapy was
and emphasizes the therapeutic relationship. predominantly used to treat
individuals who were anxious
BASIC TENETS/PRINCIPLES and/or depressed and who were
not showing serious pathological
Holism symptoms. Although still used in
 Gestalt is a German word the treatment of anxiety and
meaning a whole or completion, depression, Gestalt Therapy has
or a form that cannot be separated been effective in treating clients
into parts without losing its with personality disorders such
essence. as borderline personality
 Gestalt therapists are interested in disorder.
the whole person, they place no  Gestalt Therapy is also effective
superior value on a particular in counseling groups,
aspect of the individual. couples, and families (Corsini
& Wedding, 2000).
Field Theory
 the organism must be seen in its THERAPEUTIC GOALS
environment or context as part of  Gestalt therapy does not ascribe
the constantly changing field. to a “goal-oriented”
The emphasis maybe on: methodology per se, but
 figure (those aspects of the therapists clearly attend to a
individual’s experience that are basic goal—namely, assisting
most salient at any moment the client to attain greater
 ground (those aspects of the awareness, and with it,
client’s presentation that are often greater choice
out of his or her awareness)  The Gestalt approach helps
This is often referred to by Gestalt therapists clients note their own
as “attending to the obvious,” while awareness process so that
paying attention to how the parts fit they can be responsible and can
together, how the individual makes contact selectively and discriminatingly
with the environment and integration. make choices.
Through a creative involvement in the
The Figure Formation Process Gestalt process, Zinker (1978) expects
 Derived from the study of visual clients will do the following:
perception by a group of Gestalt  Move toward increased
psychologists, the figure-formation awareness of themselves
process tracks how the  Gradually assume ownership
individual organizes of their experience (as
experience from moment to opposed to making others
moment as some aspect of the responsible for what they are
environmental field emerges from thinking, feeling, and doing)
the background and becomes the  Develop skills and acquire
focal point of the individual’s values that will allow them to
attention and interest. satisfy their needs without
violating the rights of others.
 GESTALT THERAPY

 Become more aware of all of their  Listening for language that

senses. Learn to accept uncovers a story. Polster (1995)
responsibility for what they do, also teaches the value of what
including accepting the he calls “fleshing out a flash.”
consequences of their actions. Effective therapists learn to pick
 Be able to ask for and get help out a small part of what
from others and be able to give to someone says and then focus
others. on and develop this element.
Effective therapists learn to pick
THERAPIST’S FUNCTION AND ROLE out a small part of what
 The therapist’s job is to invite someone says and then to
clients into an active focus on and develop this
partnership where they can learn element.
about themselves by adopting an
experimental attitude toward life THERAPEUTIC TECHNIQUES AND
in which they try out new PROCEDURES
behaviors and notice what
happens. The Experiment in Gestalt Therapy
 Yontef maintains that the  Gestalt therapy methodology is
therapist’s task is to create a tailored to the client’s needs,
climate where clients are likely to and experiments are typically
try new ways of being and presented in an invitational
behaving. manner.
 An important function of Gestalt Difference between exercises and
therapists is paying attention to experiment
clients’ body language.  Exercises are ready-made
 The Gestalt therapist places techniques that are sometimes
emphasis on the relationship used to make something happen
between language patterns in a therapy session or to
and personality. achieve a goal. They can be
Examples of aspects of language that catalysts for individual work
the therapist must focus on: or for promoting interaction
among members of a therapy
 “It” talk. When clients say “it” group.
instead of “I,” they are using  Experiments, in contrast, grow
depersonalizing language. The out of the interaction
counselor may ask them to between client and therapist,
substitute personal pronouns and they emerge within this
for impersonal ones so that they dialogic process. They can be
will assume an increased sense of considered the very
responsibility. cornerstone of experiential
 “You” talk. The therapist often learning.
points out generalized uses of Other definitions of experiment:
“you” and invites the client to
experiment with substituting “I”  a method that shifts the focus
when this is what is meant. of counseling from talking
 Questions. Questions tend to keep about a topic to an activity that
the questioner hidden, safe, will heighten the client’s
and unknown. Gestalt therapists awareness and understanding
often ask clients to experiment through experience.
with changing their questions into  Often confused with techniques
statements.  In Gestalt therapy, an
 Language that denies power. experiment is an intervention
Some clients tend to deny their and active technique that
personal power by adding facilitates the collaborative
qualifiers or disclaimers to their exploration of a client’s
statements. experience. The goal [of an
 Listening to clients’ metaphors. By experiment] is always learning
tuning into metaphors, the —slowing down and
therapist gets rich clues to deepening experience in the
clients’ internal struggles. service of new understanding
and new possibilities for more
flexible and effective response.
 GESTALT THERAPY

 Spontaneous, one-of-a-kind, created to fit what is happening in the

and relevant to a particular therapeutic process and can be useful
moment and a particular tools to help clients gain fuller awareness.
development of a figure-formation
process. 1. The Internal Dialogue
 Miriam Polster (1987) says that an Exercise
experiment is a way to bring out
some kind of internal conflict  Gestalt therapists pay close
by making this struggle an actual attention to splits in
process. personality function.
It is important for counselors to personally  A main division is between the
experience the power of Gestalt “top dog” and the
experiments and to feel comfortable “underdog,” and therapy often
suggesting them to clients. focuses on the war between the
two.
Preparing Clients for Gestalt Experiments  The top dog is righteous,
 Clients will get more from Gestalt authoritarian, moralistic,
experiments if they are oriented demanding, bossy, and
and prepared for them. manipulative. This is the
 If clients are to cooperate, “critical parent” that badgers
counselors must avoid directing with “shoulds” and “oughts”.
them in a commanding fashion  The underdog manipulates by
to carry out an experiment. playing the role of victim. This
 Gestalt therapists expect and is the passive side, the one
respect the emergence of without responsibility, and the
reluctance and meet clients one that finds excuses. The top
wherever they are. Gestalt dog and the underdog are
experiments work best when the engaged in a constant
therapist is respectful of the struggle for control.
client’s cultural background  The conflict between the two
and has a solid working alliance opposing poles in the personality
with the person. is rooted in the mechanism of
 The idea of resistance is viewed as introjection.
unnecessary by some Gestalt
therapists. 2. The Empty-Chair Technique
 Within the safety of the
 Jacob Moreno, the founder of
therapeutic situation, clients are
psychodrama, originated the
given opportunities and
empty-chair technique, which
encouraged to “try on” a new
was later incorporated into
behavior.
Gestalt therapy by Perls.
 The empty chair is a vehicle for
The Role of Confrontation
the technique of role reversal,
 Perls practiced a highly
which is useful in bringing into
confrontational approach as a way
consciousness the fantasies
to deal with avoidance, but this
of what the “other” might be
technique-focused style of working
thinking or feeling. Essentially,
has given way to a more dialogue-
this is a role-playing
centered methodology today.
technique in which all the parts
 In contemporary Gestalt therapy,
are played by the client.
confrontation is set up in a way
 Using two chairs, the therapist
that invites clients to examine
asks the client to sit in one chair
their behaviors, attitudes, and
and be fully the top dog and
thoughts.
then shift to the other chair and
 Confrontation does not have to be
become the underdog.
aimed at weaknesses or negative
 The goal of this exercise is to
traits; clients can be challenged to
promote a higher level of
recognize how they are blocking
integration between the
their strength.
polarities and conflicts that
exist in everyone.
Gestalt Therapy Interventions
Exercises are preplanned activities.
Experiments in contrast, are spontaneously
 GESTALT THERAPY

3. The Future Projection  In this exercise the person is

Technique asked to exaggerate the
movement or gesture
 An anticipated event is brought repeatedly, which usually
into the present moment and intensifies the feeling attached
acted out. to the behavior and makes the
 Is designed to help clients express inner meaning clearer.
and clarify concerns they have
about the future.
 A client creates a future time 8. Staying With the Feeling
and place with selected people,  At key moments when clients
brings this event into the present, refer to a feeling or a mood that
and gets a new perspective on a is unpleasant and from which
problem. they have a great desire to flee,
 Clients may act out either a the therapist may urge clients to
version of the way they hope a stay with their feeling and
given situation will ideally unfold encourage them to go
or their version of a feared deeper into the feeling or
outcome. behavior they wish to avoid.
 A strong therapeutic
4. Making the Rounds relationship built on trust
and non-judgmental
 Making the rounds is a Gestalt acceptance fosters the safety
exercise that involves asking a needed for clients to stay with
person in a group to go up to these unpleasant feelings.
others in the group and either
speak to or do something with
each person. 9. The Gestalt Approach to
 The purpose is to confront, to risk, Dream Work
to disclose the self, to experiment  The Gestalt approach does not
with new behavior, and to grow interpret and analyze dreams
and change. Instead, the intent is to bring
dreams back to life and
5. The Reversal Exercise relive them as though they
were happening now.
 The therapist could ask a person  The suggested format for
who claims to suffer from severe working with dreams includes
inhibitions and excessive timidity making a list of all the details of
to play the role of an the dream, remembering each
exhibitionist. person, event, and mood in it,
 The theory underlying the and then becoming each of
reversal technique is that clients these parts by transforming
take the plunge into the very thing oneself, acting as fully as
that is fraught with anxiety and possible and inventing dialogue,
make contact with those parts of  To Perls dreams are the “royal
themselves that have been road to integration”.
submerged and denied.  According to Perls, the dream is
6. The Rehearsal Exercise the most spontaneous
expression of the existence of
 When clients share their the human being. Perls asserts
rehearsals out loud with a that if dreams are properly
therapist, they become more worked with, the existential
aware of the many preparatory message becomes clearer.
means they use in bolstering their
social roles. BASIC QUESTIONS
To prepare clients for gestalt experiment:
7. The Exaggeration Exercise  Are you willing to give it a try
 One aim of Gestalt therapy is for and see what happens?
clients to become more aware of During interventions:
the subtle signals and cues they  Are you willing to do something
are sending through body right now to get yourself more
language.
 GESTALT THERAPY

invested and to begin to work on

gaining trust and self-confidence?

CONTEMPORARY TRENDS
 Contemporary Relational
Gestalt Therapy stresses
dialogue and the I/Thou
relationship between client and
therapist. Therapists emphasize
the therapeutic relationship and
work collaboratively with clients in
a search for understanding
(Wheeler & Axelsson, 2015; Yontef
& Schulz, 2013).