Developed by Fritz and Laura Perls in the 1940s, Gestalt Therapy is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on an experiential and humanistic approach instead of an analysis of the unconscious.
This form of therapy helps clients focus on the present moment and understand what is really happening in their lives in the present rather than what they may think to be happening based on their past experiences. In other words, during the therapy sessions, clients are encouraged to experience past situations rather than simply talking about them. Moreover, this form of therapy stresses the idea that the clients must understand the context of their lives and take responsibility instead of placing blame.
Gestalt Therapy aims to help clients become aware of how their own negative thought patterns and behaviours are affecting their ability to be self-aware and happy.
What does Gestalt mean?
By definition, Gestalt refers to the form or shape of something, suggesting that the whole of that something is greater than the sum of its parts. That being said, gestalt therapy focuses on bringing attention to how clients place meaning and make sense of our life and our experiences.
Thus, during the Gestalt therapy sessions, the therapist encourages clients not merely to talk about their past experiences and feelings but instead bring them into the room. This way, the emotions and experiences can be experienced through re-enactment and processed in the present moment together with the therapist.
The purpose of Gestalt Therapy is to help clients achieve self-awareness so that they can better understand the problems they are dealing with. This form of psychotherapy can be used to treat a variety of conditions, including:
Gestalt therapy can also help those who want to achieve greater self-awareness and the ability to enjoy their lives by living in the present moment.
Moreover, Gestalt therapy can also help clients with various physical issues, such as:
Gestalt therapy has many benefits. Besides helping clients achieve greater self-awareness and the ability to live in the present moment, it can also treat all the conditions mentioned above.
However, thanks to its unique approach, Gestalt therapy has many other potential benefits, including helping clients with:
When in session, Gestalt therapists focus on what is happening and finding solutions for problems in the present moment.
Thus, during the session, you should expect your therapist to encourage you to re-enact a past moment rather than to discuss it. In other words, the therapist will ask you to experience the feelings your past experience makes you feel instead of simply discussing them.
During the session, you should expect questions like “What is going on at this moment?” or “How does this make you feel in the present moment?”.
You should also expect therapy techniques like guided fantasy, role-playing, or confrontation, plus any other technique that will help you bring your past experiences and current struggles into the room in the present moment.
The Gestalt therapist will also analyse your body language such as gestures like tapping your foot, wringing your hands, or making a particular facial expression. Based on your body language, the therapist will encourage you to analyse what is happening in the present moment that is making you feel anxious or nervous and express your emotions through your body language.
The goal of your Gestalt therapy sessions will be to help you become more aware of yourself and your senses. You’ll also be encouraged by the therapist to take more responsibility for yourself, including accepting the consequences of your behaviour. But, more importantly, the therapist will guide you through the process of learning how to become more aware of your needs and how to satisfy them while also respecting the needs of other people in your life.
The Gestalt therapy approach aims to help you achieve greater self-awareness. That is why, the therapist will encourage you during your sessions to focus on being more aware of yourself, stay in the present moment, and analyse and process things in the here and now, not in your past experiences.
The Gestalt therapy can help you remove blocks that you may have created to push painful experiences from your awareness. These blocks can stop the present you from being self-aware and grow. Therefore, Gestalt therapy also aims to remove these blocks by identifying them, appropriately challenging them, and removing them so that you can find healing and personal growth.
The Gestalt therapy sessions will also help you learn how to own and accept your experiences without blaming others. You’ll learn how to accept and embrace personal responsibility which will also improve your ability to regulate your emotions and mental states.
The Gestalt therapy approach is based on the idea that self-awareness means healing. During the process of therapy, you will be guided by the therapist to discover the parts of yourself that need healing. As the Gestalt approach will help you uncover and heal these parts, you can become a healthy and whole individual as you’ll have the ability to enjoy the present moment and be happy.
Beyond the therapy room, the Gestalt approach is frequently practiced by those whose profession relies on relationship building, particularly those in health, education, and social care. At times of personal difficulty, Gestalt provides a safe, encouraging space to explore difficult feelings and make changes.
If you’ve reached this article, it might mean that lately, you’ve been contemplating the idea of going to therapy.
Gestalt therapy is successfully used for treating depression, anxiety, and stress. It is for anybody hoping to solve a specific issue. Explore the one-of-a-kind power of Gestalt therapy. It is a truly incredible tool that helps you become more present.
Psychoanalysts Fritz and Laura Perls developed Gestalt therapy to help patients learn how their past influences the way they perceive the life around them. Now, this form of treatment helps thousands of people identify what was left unhealed and take responsibility for their past and present actions.
Gestalt counselling is an important therapeutic approach whose key concepts revolve around accepting personal responsibility, living in the moment, and boosting self-esteem. Read on to find out why Gestalt counselling may be right for you.
Gestalt therapy helps clients learn how to live in the present moment by re-experiencing their past struggles rather than talking about them. Gestalt therapy can help with various mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and poor self-esteem.
Through Gestalt therapy, clients are encouraged to re-live past experiences and understand how they affect their present journey towards self-awareness. By following the Gestalt principles, one can learn the true role they play in their own unhappiness.
The principles of Gestalt therapy are focused around the importance of living in the present and being self-aware. At the same time, Gestalt therapy also implies that context is very important and that our perception is influenced by past experiences.
If you find it hard to express your emotions and letting go of the past, Gestalt therapy can help you be more aware of your feelings and live in the moment. Gestalt therapy is also recommended for anxiety and depression, and focuses on developing a sense of responsibility.
If your counsellor thinks that you will be a good fit for Gestalt therapy, they will show you how to truly experience what is happening rather than relying upon your understanding of the event. During your sessions together, your thoughts, beliefs, feelings and way of behaving will all be examined in depth.
Gestalt therapy dates back to the 1940s and was developed by Fritz Perls. A type of psychotherapy, it works on the basis that everyone is a whole comprised of mind, body and soul, as described by the relational theory principle.
