What is Gestalt Therapy

Gestalt Therapy is a positive and integrative approach. In this approach, the practitioners assist people in focusing on their immediate feelings, behaviours, and thoughts so they have a better understanding of why they relate to others. It helps people seek new perspectives. That’s where change begins. 

Founder of Therapy 

It is a humanistic process of psychotherapy and takes a holistic approach to assessing human experience. In the approach, individual awareness about differences, such as physical and psychological needs and responsibility, is stressed. It began in 1940. A German-born psychiatrist founded the theory. 

Main Goal of Therapy 

The therapy was developed in 1940 during the time of the Second World War. The climate was post-war. Therapy here aims to raise awareness about the individual himself, with flexibility in terms of giving a response. Through the lens of current experiences, the main emphasis of the therapy is to understand people. 

Four Pillars of Gestalt Therapy

In Gestalt therapy, these four pillars set the guidance. Therapists use them to decide what to do in each session, and they help clients discover their potential and truth. 

These are the four pillars of Gestalt Therapy 

1. Phenomenology

Gestalt therapy focuses on here and now. Phenomenology takes their presence into consideration. Their presence is more important. Questions are asked of them rather than interpreting their behaviour. This methodology is known as Phenomenology. Phenomenology helps to enhance awareness and rational depth. 

2. Dialogical relationship

The dialogical relationship is needed in the therapeutic relationship. The role of the Therapist must be present, validating, understanding and authentic. Contact with the client isn’t the whole task. Also, the Therapist must attend to their own internal process. 

3. Field theory

Field Theory explains the holistic view. There are three kinds of field: the wider field, the relational field and the experiential field. Each one must be closely analysed in order to understand how the client interprets their experiences. 

4. Experimentation

Not only through his words but also through his actions, the therapy explores the individual as people communicate in various ways, and most of the time, the communication is unconscious. Gestalt experimentation involves the client in certain action-based exercises. These exercises put them in the real environment, and they can increase awareness during their contact with the environment. 

Five Layers of Therapy 

Occurring in Gestalt therapy are five layers 

• Phony layer
• Phobic layer
• Impasse layer
• Implosive layer
• Explosive layer

Different techniques are used in each phase. They help the client and increase his Self- Awareness. 

Five Principles of Therapy

Here are the five common principles 

1. Figure-ground
2.  proximity
3. Similarity
4. Continuity
5.  Closure

How Therapy works 

Gestalt is a word in the German Language. It means “Whole’. According to the idea, the contextual meaning of the word is the whole form rather than a thing that’s divided into many parts, and the appreciation is for the whole. That idea is holistic and considers the person in the totality of mind, body, spirit, and emotions.

During the therapy, therapists focus on the self-awareness of the Client. Present-moment awareness is also part of the work. Trained to have a complete awareness of his feelings, emotions, behaviours, and immediate thought process, the patient is enabled to bring a transformation in his life and think from a positive perspective. 

For Therapist 

Gestalt therapy is a very lively and creative approach for the Practitioners. They work with the present time and moment. 

For Client

This approach is liberating for the Client. Providing holistic awareness and high insight into the individual, the approach helps to increase their confidence so they can live their life to their full capacity. 

What isTherapy used for? 

It’s been effectively used in treating various issues, such as 

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Tension
• Addiction 
• Stress

The Gestalt Therapy helps people to explore and understand their difficult feelings and behavioural patterns in a safe space and they make decisions to bring practical changes in their life. It is used to bring about change in people’s lives by working in groups and organisations

The therapy isn’t only used in therapy rooms but also health and education care. It’s being successfully employed in people-focused areas such as Organisational Development, coaching and HR, as it’s an area where change can be easily implemented.  

Duration of Therapy 

These sessions could be long-term, or problems can be addressed in a few sessions. 

Therapy Sessions

There’s no specific method of conducting a Gestalt Therapy session, though therapists have the liberty to use their own style. During the session, clients must be provided with a non-judgmental and supportive environment.  The therapy is interactive. It’s derived from feedback from clients, and therapists also use experiments.

Techniques Used in Gestalt Therapy

Some various techniques and exercises are used in Gestalt Therapy, including

• The Empty Chair
• The Exaggeration Exercise
• Internal Dialogue Exercises
• Rehearsal Exercises 
• Repetition Exercise

.The Empty Chair 

In therapy, the most common technique that’s commonly used is the empty chair, and it’s imagined that a person who is part of the Client is sitting on the chair. Here the Client is instructed to talk to the chair. He explains his feelings to it. Likewise, the Client moves to the chair con, considers himself the therapist and gives answers on behalf of another person. 

This activity helps the individual to vent the inner feelings and conflicts of the Client and leads to self awareness and resolution. 

. The Exaggeration Exercise

During the session, the therapist encourages their clients to exaggerate any action; some common examples of such behaviours are 

• Frowning
• Tapping of feet
• Voice tone
• Clenched Fists

The approach is designed to make the Client aware of his behaviour and actions. It further helps to analyse the underlying issues related to this action.

. Internal Dialogue Exercise

The internal dialogue helps the patient to have a conversation among the two opposing roles of their personality. These two sides could be the feminine and masculine sides, or the aggressive and passive ones.

. Rehearsal Exercise

In these exercises clients are encouraged to try to take up roles they want to take and which are opposite of what they actually are. This technique helps them to accept different parts of themselves in a safe environment. It increases acceptance of these unfamiliar roles. 

. Repetition Exercise

In the exercise, clients are told to repeat some words and phrases. The effect is like Exaggeration. It helps to intensify the feelings linked with the behaviour and assist the client in feeling it at the very moment. 

Two Major Influences of Gestalt Therapy

 In the history of Gestalt Psychology, there are two important developments. These developments are Köhler’s discussion of “physical Gestalten” (1920/1938) and Max Wertheimer’s proposal of “Gestalt laws of perceptual organisation. 

Criticism

As it’s considered a spontaneous approach, the method of treatment might not be suitable for everybody as it could be considered aggressive for some clients. Lack of monitoring during the sessions and overall interactions is also one major cause of criticism for the therapy.

Summary

Gestalt Psychology believes that the simplest forms of all the scenes and objects should be observed. It’s also referred to as the Law of Simplicity, and according to this theory, the whole of an object is more important than the parts of it.

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