Gestalt psychotherapy is one of the humanistic therapies that emphasizes the awareness of being here and now. The role of the therapist here is to help the patient discover himself. This trend has been used in the therapy of anxiety, eating disorders or addictions. It is also suitable for people interested in self-development.
What is Gestalt psychotherapy?
Gestalt humanistic psychotherapy focuses on the present, which distinguishes it from psychoanalysis or psychodynamic therapy. Instead of analyzing the past, the therapist helps the client get to know himself, his emotions and boundaries better.
The most important principles for patients were developed by Claudio Naranjo, one of the students of Fritz Perls, the creator of the Gestalt method. There are 9 of them:
- Live now. Deal with the present, not the past or the future.
- Live here. Deal with what is present, not what is not.
- Stop imagining something. Experience the real.
- Stop unnecessary thinking. Instead, taste, perceive, and experience your surroundings.
- Express yourself instead of manipulating, explaining, judging, or judging.
- Experience unpleasantness and pain as much as pleasure.
- Do not accept any “should” or “must” other than your own.
- Take full responsibility for your actions, feelings, and thoughts.
- Be yourself. Surrender to being who you are.
Techniques used in Gestalt therapy
Popular techniques of this trend are:
- empty chair technique – the patient conducts a dialogue with an important person (physically absent) in order to better understand their own emotions and conflicts,
- working with the body – the therapist helps the client to notice the body’s reactions that may reflect hidden emotions,
- role-playing – the client impersonates different people from their life to look at the problem from their perspective,
- Working with emotions “here and now” – the patient focuses on emotions and experiences that arise during the current conversation.
How long does Gestalt therapy last and who can participate in it?
Gestalt humanistic psychotherapy is usually a long-term therapy – it lasts from a few months to several years, depending on the patient’s individual situation. Meetings usually take place once a week.
This trend allows for effective work with adults, young people and children.
History of Gestalt Humanistic Therapy
Gestalt therapy is a current of psychotherapy that they began to develop in the 1930s. Frederick (Fritz) and Laura Perls. The couple decided to move away from Freud’s classical psychoanalysis and created their own approach based on the integration of psychology, philosophy and interpersonal experience. After emigrating from Germany, they developed their concept first in South Africa and then in New York.
An important moment in the history of this trend turned out to be the year 1951. It was then that the book “Gestalt Therapy: Stimulation and Development of the Human Personality” was published, written by Fritz Perls in collaboration with Paul Goodman and Ralph Hefferline. This publication has become the foundation of Gestalt therapy, which emphasizes the importance of awareness, experience, and personal development.
In Poland, psychologists and therapists began to be interested in this trend in the 1970s. In 1996. Zofia and Jacek Pierzchał founded the Gestalt Center at the Polish Psychological Association in Krakow. In 1993. the Association of the School of Psychotherapists and Trainers was established, i.e. a training program for future Gestalt therapists.
Other humanistic therapies
In addition to Gestalt therapy, we distinguish such humanistic therapies as:
- Person-centered psychotherapy (also called client-centered psychotherapy and Rogers therapy) – its creator was Carl Ransom Rogers. It assumed that every person has a natural tendency to development and self-realization. Mental problems arise when there is a lack of acceptance or a person has to live in accordance with the expectations of others instead of in harmony with himself.
- Focusing – this method was developed by Eugene Gendlin. It is a method based on listening to subtle signals coming from the body and emotions. It assumes that the body “knows” more than we can immediately put into words.
- Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) – the therapy has been developed m.in. by Leslie Greenberg. It assumes that emotions are the primary source of information about our needs, relationships, and experiences.
Summary – What is Gestalt Humanistic Therapy?
Gestalt humanistic psychotherapy is a therapeutic trend that does not deal with the analysis of the causes of problems, but with the support of self-development. The therapist helps the patient build self-awareness and teaches them how to focus their attention on what is happening in the here and now. The humanistic current also includes several other therapeutic methods. What they have in common is that they focus on human potential and a better understanding of themselves.
