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Gestalt Therapy is based on the idea that perception, or awareness, is disjointed and incomplete in maladjusted people. The German word Gestalt means “entire” or “whole.”
Gestalt Therapy helps people rebuild thoughts, feelings and behaviors into connected wholes. This is achieved by expanding personal awareness to accept responsibility for one’s thoughts, feelings and actions, and by filling in gaps in experience (Joyce & Sills, 2001)
What Gaps?
Gestalt therapists believe we often avoid expressing or “owning” upsetting feelings. This creates a gap in self-awareness that may hinder personal growth. For example, a person who feels anger about the death of a parent might go years without expressing it. This may impair personal growth.
Client Centered Approach
The Gestalt approach is more direct than Client-centered or Existential Therapy, and emphasizes immediate experience. It encourages clients to be more aware of their moment-to-moment thoughts, perceptions and emotions. Rather than discussing why clients feel guilt, anger, fear or boredom, they are encouraged to have these feelings in the “here and now” and become fully aware of them. Gestalt Therapy promotes awareness by drawing attention to the client’s posture, voice, eye movements and hand gestures. Clients are asked to exaggerate vague feelings until they become clear. Expressing such feelings allows the client to take care of unfinished business and break through emotional barriers.
Know What You Want
Emotional health comes from knowing what you want to do instead of dwelling on what you should do, ought to do, or should want to do. Changing one’s feelings from “I can’t do this” to “I must do this” or “I choose to do this.”
Live in the Now
Gestalt Therapy emphasizes present experience. Stop intellectualizing and talking about feelings. Instead, learn to live now, live here. Stop imagining. Experience the real. Stop unnecessary thinking. Taste and see. Express instead of explaining, justifying or judging.
“The whole really is greater than the sum of its parts.”
Give in to unpleasantness and pain just as you do to pleasure, and surrender to being as you are.
This report is not a diagnosis. We hope this information can guide you toward improving your life.
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