The history of Gestalt therapy
The history of
Gestalt therapy starts with the professional development of Fritz Perls. After
acquiring the M.D. degree, Perls went to Frankfurt-am-Main in 1926 as an
assistant to Kurt Goldstein at the Institute for Brain Damaged Soldiers. Fritz
Perls became a psychoanalyst. He was influenced directly by Karen Horney and
Wilhelm Reich, and indirectly by Otto Rank and others. Perls was especially
influenced by Wilhelm Reich, who was Perls' analyst in the early 1930s, and
"who first directed my attention to a most important aspect of
psychosomatic medicine -- to the function of the motoric system as an armor".
Laura Posner Perls was a cofounder of Gestalt therapy. Her influence on Perls
was generally known, and she wrote a chapter in Ego, Hunger and Aggression. She
was a psychology student at the time she met Perls, receiving the D.Sc. degree
from the University of Frankfurt in 1932. Although Perls was a training
psychoanalyst, he was among those who chafed under the dogmatism of classical
Freudian psychoanalysis. The 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s were periods of great
ferment and rebellion against Newtonian positivism. This was true in science (,
theater and dance, philosophy, art, architecture and existentialism. Gestalt
psychology provided Perls with the organizing principle for Gestalt therapy as
an integrating framework. Gestalt refers to the configuration or pattern of a
set of elements. Gestalt psychologists believe that organisms instinctively
perceive whole patterns and not bits and pieces. Whole patterns have
characteristics that cannot be gleaned by analyzing parts. Perception is an
active process and not a result of passively received stimulation of sense
organs. All situations are believed to possess inherent organization. Organisms
have the capacity for accurate perception when they use their native ability of
immediate experience in the here and now. The task of phenomenological research
and therapy is to utilize this capacity to gain insight into the structure of
that which is being studied. Because people naturally perceive whole patterns
as they occur, actual awareness can be trusted more than interpretation and
dogma.
Key concepts of gestalt
therapy
·
Person-centered awareness - Focusing
on the future, and imagining it divorced from the present and past is
considered essential. The process follows an individual's experience in a way
that does not involve seeking out the unconscious, but staying with what is
present and aware.
·
Respect - Clients, whether an
individual, group or family, are treated with profound respect by a gestalt
therapist. Providing a balance of support and challenge is key to helping those
taking part to feel comfortable about opening up and acknowledging areas of
resistance.
·
Emphasis on experience - The
gestalt approach focuses on experience in terms of an individual's emotions,
perceptions, behaviors, body sensations, ideas and memories. A therapist
encourages the client to 'experience' in all of these ways, vividly in the here
and now.
·
Creative experiment and discovery - There is a
range of experimental methodology used by therapists to test their client's
experience. These involve highly creative and flexible techniques to help them
open up and acknowledge hidden feelings.
·
Social responsibility - The
gestalt approach recognizes that humans have a social responsibility for self
and for others. It demands respect for all people and acknowledges that
everyone is different. Ultimately it encourages individuals to adopt an
egalitarian approach to social life.
·
Relationship - Relating
is considered central to human experience and gestalt therapy considers
individuals as 'whole' when they have a good relationship with themselves and
others around them. The interpersonal relationship between the individual and
therapist that is developed and nurtured in sessions is a key guiding process
if therapy.
·
Here and Now
Gestalt therapy proposes that we stay grounded in the present and what is real. Instead
of assuming or imagining the unknown, we must concentrate on facts, emotions,
and feelings as they really are. By separating fact from interpretation, the
client can pinpoint the underlying patterns and issues. This is the impetus for
positive change.
·
Wholeness and Integration
"Wholeness"
is the state of bridging the mind and body, viewing them as a harmonious whole.
"Integration" is how the mind and body combine and how the individual
fits in to the surrounding environment. A lack of wholeness and integration is
a common issue in patients seeking therapy. Gestalt therapy helps them to approach themselves as whole people who are well
integrated into their surroundings.
Defense mechanisms in
Gestalt psychology
Like in Freudian
psychoanalytical approach, Gestalt therapy also turns to the concept of
ego-defense mechanisms. According to Perls' theory, defense mechanisms are not
actually contact disturbances they are patterns of action that the subject uses
to cope with his surroundings, when feeling stressed or anxious. Perls has
described the following defense mechanisms:
Introjection -“Swallowing whole”. One
important process of Gestalt Therapy is to help clients constructively learn to
assimilate and reject new ideas and novelties in his experiences, as he is in
permanent contact with his changing surroundings. Introjection is a process of
total assimilation and absorption of everything without any filtration.
Introjection may include the way one takes cultural values and norms when he is
young.
Confluence – Consciously: Absence of
boundary in sensation of singularity or uniqueness and limitless connection to
surroundings, God, etc. Confluence is the loss of distinction of ‘’Self’’ and
others, loss of awareness about contact boundary, the boundary between “You”
and “I”. Confluence is the unconscious loss of self in the surroundings.
Projection – Is the process of
transferring something inherent to ''Self'' into the surrounding or to the
"Other'', placing feelings onto “Other” instead of the “Self”. For
example, someone who had a bad day and is angry with themselves, may shift
blame to another, or project their anger onto someone or something else.
Retroflection – Is the process of holding
back responses or emotions intended for the “Other” or surrounding. For example
if one becomes angry with the boss and holds his anger back at work,
retroflection may be a good thing, in this case.
Egotism - Is a process between the
two sides, where there is no interaction. There is only an exchange that goes
one way. For example, during a meeting one may be contemplating about only
himself and not listen or notice anyone else.
Deflection is moving the contact
boundary or changing the subject in a conversation.
