ExperientialGestalt Therapy51076

8/18/2019 ExperientialGestalt Therapy51076

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Running head: TITLE 1

Experiential/Gestalt Therapy

Name

Academic Institution


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Experiential/Gestalt Therapy 2

Astract

Gestalt Theory is a humanistic! process orientated therapeutic practice" #e$eloped y

%rit& and Laura 'erls! (ith help )rom 'aul Goodman and Ralph *e)erline! Gestalt theory re+ected

classic %reudian models o) therapy and analysis! especially ho( %reud! and the therapies

deli$ered )rom him! ma,e the past highly deterministic"

#e$eloped out o) encounters (ith -ilhelm Reich and (ith T(entieth .entury

.ontinental 'hilosophy! Gestalt theory )ocuses on the -hole0! the No(0 or the 'resent0! and

the po(er o) perception" Gestalt theory says the human mind organi&es the disparate elements o)

sense perception! or o) a persons memory o) their past! into a )ield0" In this process o) ma,ing

a )ield! the mind creates patterns et(een the data to create a (hole! a gestalt" The indi$idual is

not a(are ho( much o) a part they play in creating these )ields"

Gestalt therapy )ocuses on concepts li,e dialogue! process! and a(areness to do the (or,

o) therapy" Therapy is $ery experimental! and there is no preset plan )or the therapy" The

relationship et(een therapist and patient is highlighted! and the patient is made to e a(are o)

their )reedom and their responsiility )or ho( they )eel and percie$e"

e$eral reasons (hy the author o) this paper )inds Gestalt therapy appealing are then

presented" Gestalt therapy is then applied to the case study o) a young (oman su))ering )rom

ody issues and )rom issues o) sel)3(orth relating to her parents"


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History of the Theory

Gestalt Therapy (as initially )ormulated y %rit& 'erls and his (i)e Laura 'erls in

the 1567s" Gestalt Therapy initially reacted to (hat the 'erls sa( as the o$er emphasis o) the

patients past in most other therapies" -hile the past is important! the 'erls )elt that therapy (as

loc,ing patients into a rigid determinism" Instead o) addressing the patients past! Gestalt therapy

(ould )ocus on the patient as he or she exists in the present moment"

'erls (as a German orn psychiatrist (ho (as trained in classic! %reudian

psychoanalysis e)ore he emigrated to the 8nited tates" In 1527s %rit& 'erls mo$ed to 9ienna

(here he spent years undergoing psychoanalysis y ;tto %enichel! -ilhelm Reich! and


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Experiential/Gestalt Therapy B

Basic Assumptions of Gestalt Therapy

Gestalt as a conceptual )rame means that a (hole is comprised o) parts! and all those

parts are necessary to achie$e the (hole0>'almer 2711 pg 1?" The term Gestalt (as selected

ecause it can e translated as uni)ied (hole0! (hich highlights the 'erls commitment to

dealing (ith the (hole person in the present! as opposed to attempting to inter$ene in the

persons past" The past and present (ere to e seen as a (hole0! (ith the )ocus on (hat could

e done to help the patient no(" Gestalt therapy is a humanistic practice o) psychotherapy" A

central premise o) Gestalt therapy is to deal (ith the patient as a (hole human eing" This

means )irst that the therapy is to deal (ith the past and present o) the patient as a (hole process!

and not see the past as o$erly deterministic o) (hat happens to the patient >Luccio 2711?" This

)ocus on the present! li$ing condition o) the patient encourages sel) reliance and responsiility on

the part o) the patient! as they cannot lame all their prolems on some hidden trauma in their

past"

;ther (holes the therapy engages include the client3patient relationship! and the

en$ironmental context in (hich the indi$idual is experiencing the present" The patients )eelings

and emotions and ho( they relate to all o) the ao$e must also e included" All these elements to

e made into a pattern y the patient! in a process descried as )ield theory" %ield theory means

that the clientCs li)e is regarded as an entire )ield! and e$ents and relationships are parts o) the

)ield"""The )ield consists o) a )oreground and ac,ground! and the elements in those parts indicate

their importance or note(orthiness in the clientCs li)e0>'almer 2711 pg" 1?"

Another ,ey concept o) Gestalt therapy is increased and enriched a(areness! (hich y

itsel) is seen as curati$e" The central idea is that indi$iduals are already stri$ing to impro$e and

sel) actuali&e! and that i) they are more a(are o) themsel$es! they can continue to gro( and


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Experiential/Gestalt Therapy =

change0 >'almer 2711 pg 1?" Again! the centrality o) the idea o) the no(0 or the present0 can

e seen in e$ery Gestalt concept"

In addition! the role o) dialogue is stressed y Gestalt therapy" This re)ers not only to the

classic idea o) the tal,ing cure0! the dialogue o) analyst and patient! ut also to ma,ing the

patient a(are that they are in dialogue (ith the past! (ith their en$ironment! and (ith

themsel$es" The patient in Gestalt therapy must constantly $ocali&e (hat they are thin,ing and

)eeling" They must $ocali&e their ody! their emotions! and their inner dialogue >Done)) 1554?"

#ialogue is comined (ith process! the notion that e$erything is in process! e$erything is

mo$ing! and most o) all! e$erything is changing" A(areness o) dialogue and process is the ,ey to

the patient claiming control o$er their li)e! their )eelings! and their perceptions o) the (orld"

Examples

Gestalt Theory in$ol$es culti$ating sel)3a(arness y paying attention to your

ody0>%lanagan and %lanagan 2712 pg 157?" This doesnt simply mean the physical health o)

the ody! ut ho( the ody reacts! ho( the ody )eels! discussions aout the patients past and

prolems" -hen the patient discusses an incident )rom the past! he or she is as,ed ho( their

ody )eels that incident in the present" Is there tension! anxiety! or a )eeling o) the stomach

dropping out These odily )eelings help de)ine the (hole meaning o) an experience in the

present"

%lanagan and %lanagan summari&e one o) the original Gestalt therapy practices" The

patient (as gi$en the )ollo(ing instructions: Try )or a )e( minutes to ma,e up sentences stating

(hat you are at this moment a(are o)" egin each sentence (ith the (ords no(! or at this

moment0>%lanagan and %lanagan 2712 pg 154?" The purpose o) the experiment is to )ocus


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attention on (hat is actual and no(! )or too o)ten our attention is di$ided and (ere num to li)e

our (e experience anxiety or apprehension"""ut true contact (ith the en$ironment and (ith your

sel) is di))erent )rom an anxiety state0>%lanagan and %lanagan 2712?"

-hen patients are as,ed to descrie the )ields that they create! se$eral things happen"

%irst! (hat the patient sees and )eels is considered a more )ruit)ul area )or inter$ention!

highlighting the (hole process o) therapy the patient and therapist are engaged in" econd! the

patent comes to see that e$erything in the )ield is dynamic@ e$erything in a )ield is constantly

changing" Third! the patient ecomes a(are o) the part they play in creating the )ield! and in the

process o) therapy" Thus! the patient ecomes a(are o) their role! and their responsiility )or the

outcomes o) the therapy and the experience o) the present >Guerman 271B?" Gestalt therapy

elie$es this is an incredily empo(ering a(areness )or the patient"

Gestalt therapy is an acti$e process in (hich goals and purposes o) discussions and

exercises are clearly ,no(n y oth patient and therapist" As .orsini and Doni)) summi&e! the

Gestalt system is truly integrati$e and included a))ecti$e! sensory! cogniti$e! interpersonal! and

eha$ioral components" In Gestalt therapy therapists and patients are encourages to e creati$e

in doing the a(areness (or," There are no prescried or proscried techniFues in gestalt

therapy0 >.orsini and Doni)) 277! pg 423425?"

Overall Impression of Gestalt Therapy

I elie$e that Gestalt therapy ma,es good intuiti$e sense! and this is a therapy I (ould e

(illing to oth use and undergo" The main reason I )ind Gestalt Therapy so appealing is that it

as,s the patient to ta,e responsiility" The patient must ta,e responsiility )or themsel$es and

their )eelings! ut also )or their emotional perception o) their past! and ho( they let their past


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control their present" I also agree (ith as,ing the patient to ta,e responsiility )or not +ust their

relationship to the (orld! ut the part they play in constructing that (orld" %ar too o)ten people

)orget that they are adding so much su+ecti$e )eeling to the pattern their rain is ma,ing out o)

sense experience"

Another reason Gestalt therapy appeals to me is ecause it is an inherently creati$e

therapy" The therapist has a lot o) room )or creati$ity in designing the (or, to do (ith each

patient! and they can cra)t (or, to match the clients indi$idual needs" *o(e$er! Gestalt therapy

also as,s the patient to e creati$e" In a sense! the patient is made to reali&e they are an artists

and their li)e is their (or, o) art! their masterpiece" I am strongly dra(n to ho( Gestalt theory

re+ects and strict determinism and ma,es human li)e a )ree process )ull o) possiilities"

A potential (ea,ness o) Gestalt therapy is its commitment to experimental (or," Not

e$ery ne( approach is going to pro$ide insight or help the patient" It is possile that some

untested experiments may actually harm the patient or slo( do(n the process o) therapy" E$en i)

nothing o$ertly negati$e happens! the )ailure o) a numer o) ne( experiences )ail could lea$e the

patient )eeling li,e therapy is a +o,e or that (ere ma,ing it up as (e go along0" This could

cause the patient to disengage )rom the therapeutic pro+ect"

Application: Case Study

%or the case study! I selected .! Audree .henlee0" ;ne reason (hy I thin, Gestalt

Therapy could e $ery e))ecti$e in treating this patient is ecause the root o) this patients

prolems re$ol$e around her perceptions" These perceptions include: her sel) perception! her

perception o) all the girls0! her perception o) (hat a oy desires a (omans ody to e li,e! her

perception o) (hat is critical0! and the social perception o) (hat constitutes eauty" Another


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reason I selected Gestalt therapy (as the language the patient used (hen she said she did not

see it as a prolem! and that she needed to loo, +ust right0" ;$erall! an a(areness o) ho( her

unconscious perception is coloring her actions! and increasing her )eelings o) personal po(er

(ill help the patient o$ercome her troules"

A reason the patient is )eeling po(erless! and thus )eel more pressure to con)orm to social

$ie(s o) a (omans ody could stem )rom her relationship (ith her parents! especially in regards

to her choice o) career" he is a)raid that i) she peruses her personal career pre)erences! the out

come (ill not e prestigious enough )or her parents0" *er )amily enacts traditional gender roles

and sees the role o) (oman to cater to the mans (ants and desires" This can also e a cause o)

her allo(ing social pressure to push her to(ards (eight loss" Li,e(ise! this could e the cause

o) (hy she is allo(ing the desire o) an imaginary oy)riend regarding (eight to determine ho(

she )eels aout her ody"

;$erall! the issues )acing the su+ect express themsel$es in prolems o) language and

perception" he needs to e made to reali&e that an actual real oy may not (ant (hat she is

imagining a oy (ill (ant" he needs to ecome a(are that a oy (ill e attracted to her )or

(ho she is and not )or her con)orming to a )ictional ody type" *and in hand (ith this is the

need to o$ercome her )ear o) ho( her parents (ill percei$e her i) she does not go into medicine"

An a(areness that she is ta,ing a passi$e role in her dialogues (ith society aout her

ody image! and (ith her parents aout her +o! (ill help her to reclaim responsiility )or her li)e

and her happiness" Instead o) needing the other to li,e her )or her to li,e hersel)! she needs to

reali&e that relationships (ith others are acti$e dialogues! and that a part o) a relationship is sel)

expression! not sel)3censorship"


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The techniFue o) ody a(areness (ill greatly help the patient in her therapy" I am

(illing to et she is una(are o) ho( she )eels aout her ody! or aout her (eight loss! ecause

she has al(ays let the perception o) others! o) her parents and o) )riends! control ho( she )elt"

he also needs to e made a(are o) the responsiility she has )or ho( she )eels" he is choosing!

e$en i) she doesnt reali&e it yet! to let ho( she imagines others )eel determine ho( she )eels"

he is choosing to let her parents negati$e perceptions determine ho( she )eels aout her

academic (or, and her career choices" Again! she needs to e made a(are she is the )inal +udge

o) ho( she )eels and ho( she loo,s! and she has the po(er to choose to percei$e her )eelings in a

positi$e manner! +ust as she has the po(er to choose to e a decorator instead o) a doctor" The

patient must learn! she is the artist (ho (ill ma,e her and her li)e a thing o) inherent eauty!

ased on sel) expression! not the perception o) others"


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Re)erences

.orsini! Raymond" And -edding! #anny" Current Psychotherapies" Ne( Dor,: Thompson!

roo,s! .ole! 277"

%agan! Hoen" And hepard! Irma" Gestalt Now: Theory, Techniques, Applications" ;x)ord:

cience and eha$ior oos! 157"

%lanagan! Hohn and %lanagan! Rita" Counseling and Psychotherapy Theories in Context and

Practice" *ono,en: -iley and ons! 2712"

%orti! runo" -hat are the Limits o) Gestalt Theory0" Gestalt Theory" 9ol 4! No" 2

>271B?:1=131

Guerman! helia" ;n Gestalt Theory 'rinciples0" Gestalt Theory" 9ol 4! No" 1 >271B?:2B366"

Luccio! Riccardo" The Legacy o) Gestalt 'sychology0 Humana ente" No" 1> Huly 2711?:

i3$iii"

'almer! 2711?" Gestalt Therapy in 'sychological 'ractice"!tudent Pulse!">11?"

Retrie$ed 11/27/271B )rom http://((("studentpulse"com/aidJB5B

Todoro$ic! #e+an" -hat is the ;rigin o) Gestalt 'rinciples0" Humana ente" No" 1> Huly

2711?:1327"

-oldt! A" K Toman! " >Eds"? >277B?"Gestalt therapy: History, Theory, and Practice" Thousand

;a,s! .A: age 'ulications! 277B"

Donte)! Gary" Awareness, #ialogue, and Process$ Gouldsoro: The Gestalt Hournal 'ress! 1554"

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