Gestalt Therapy was developed in the 1940’s by Fritz and Laura Perls and further influenced by the likes of Kurt Lewin and Kurt Goldstein (Corsini & Wedding, 2000). It was developed as a revision to psychoanalysis and focuses on an experiential and humanistic approach rather than analysis of the unconscious which was one of the main therapeutic tools at the time Gestalt Therapy was employed.

Gestalt therapy is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on a person’s present life rather than delving into their past experiences. This form of therapy stresses the importance of understanding the context of a person’s life when considering the challenges they face. It also involves taking responsibility rather than placing blame.

Key Concept of Gestalt Therapy

The following are the key concepts of Gestalt Therapy:

The Present

The main hallmark of gestalt therapy is the focus on the present. In the session, the client and therapist rapport is critical in building trust and safety. As the client shares, a gestalt therapist will help bring the client back to the present if there is a sense they are spending too much time in the past may be speeding them into the future.

Self-Awareness

During gestalt therapy, there may be some experiential exercises that you will do with your therapist. Experiential exercise refers to therapeutic activities done in therapy that can help to increase awareness and help with processing. At the heart of gestalt therapy is awareness. As Frederick Salomon Perls put it, “Awareness in itself is healing.” According to (Seligman, 2006), When individuals are “aware”, they are able to self-regulate in their environment.

Techniques

In Gestalt Therapy, the client has space to safely explore their experiences without fear of judgment. In fact, the client is encouraged to not simply talk about their emotions or experiences, but to bring them into the room so they can be processed in real-time with the therapist.

Context Matters

When in session, gestalt therapists want to learn about the experience of their clients. It is understood that context matters and the therapists use techniques to help the client become more aware of their experiences, their perceptions, and their responses to events in the here and now.

Rather than specifically targeting the past and asking clients to purposefully bring up old experiences, gestalt therapists operate from a place of understanding that as clients become increasingly aware, they will overcome existing roadblocks. There is no forced work or technique, just holding space for client awareness is key in this approach.

Empty Chair

The empty chair technique is a “method of facilitating the role-taking dialogue between the patient and others or between parts of the patient’s personality. It is generally used in a group situation” (Patterson, 1986). Two chairs are placed facing each other: one represents the patient or one aspect of the patient’s personality, and the other represents another person or the opposing part of the personality. As the patient alternates the role, he or she sits in one or the other chair.

The therapist may simply observe as the dialogue progresses or may instruct the patient when to change chairs, suggest sentences to say, call the patient’s attention to what has been said, or ask the patient to repeat or exaggerate words or actions.

In the process, emotions and conflicts are evoked, impasses may be brought about and resolved, and awareness and integration of polarities may develop – polarities or splits within the patient, between the patient and other persons, or between the patient’s wants and the social norms (Patterson, 1986).

The empty chair exercise can be very helpful in drawing out important perceptions, meanings, and other information that can help clients become more aware of their emotional experience and how to start healing.

Key Concept of Gestalt Therapy(CTn)

Topdog – Underdog

A commonly utilised Gestalt technique is that of the topdog-underdog dialogue. This technique is used when the therapist notices two opposing opinions/attitudes within the client. The therapist encourages the client to distinguish between these two parts and play the role of each in a dialogue between them (Patterson, 1986).

Body Language

During a session, a gestalt therapist will observe the client’s body language and movement such as tapping their foot, wringing their hands, or making a certain facial expression. The therapist is likely to mention their observation of this and ask what is happening for the person at that moment.

Creative Arts

Additional activities such as painting, sculpting, and drawing can also be used to help people gain awareness, stay present, and learn how to process the moment. It is generally noted in this style that any technique that can be offered to the client, other than traditional sitting still and talking, can be helpful in allowing them to become more aware of themselves, their experiences, and their process of healing.

Dreams

Dreams are used to bring about integration by the client. The focus of a client’s dream is not on the unconscious, rather on projections or aspects of the dreamer (Seligman, 2006). The therapist would get clients to talk about their dream/s in terms of the significance of each role in the dream and this allows clients to take responsibility for the dreams and increase awareness of their thoughts and emotions.

Fantasy

Fantasy is used in Gestalt Therapy to increase clients’ self-awareness of their thoughts and emotions and to bring about closure to unfinished business (Seligman, 2006). Therapists use guided imagery techniques (fantasy) to encourage clients to imagine situations such as what they would do in a certain situation or by projecting themselves into different roles.

Words and Language

Attention to language and tone is important in gestalt therapy. As clients learn to accept responsibility, they learn to use language that reflects a sense of personal ownership rather than focusing on others. For example, rather than saying, “If he didn’t do that I wouldn’t get so mad!” a client might be encouraged to say, “I feel mad when he does that because it makes me feel insignificant and I don’t like that.”

Confrontation

In Gestalt Therapy, confrontation means ‘to challenge or frustrate the client’. The client is challenged with sensitivity and empathy on the part of the therapist to face the issues important to them. It is an invaluable tool for bringing clients into clear awareness of their realities, when used appropriately. However, confrontation is not a technique that can be used with all clients.

Winding up

Gestalt Therapy focuses on the integration between the “whole” person and his or her environment. This therapy sees a healthy individual as being someone who has awareness in his or her life and lives in the here and now rather than focusing on the past or future. Gestalt Therapy has a number of successful techniques that are applicable in therapy today and may be utilised across a broad spectrum of emotional issues.