The Gestalt Approach to Therapy
The Gestalt approach to therapy can be described as “phenomenological-existential.” The focus is on the present moment, moving away from concepts and towards pure awareness. The goal is to provide the client with insights into their situation by helping them become aware of their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. According to Yontef (1993), this insight is gained by studying the client’s phenomenological focusing, experimenting, reporting, and dialogue. The philosophy underlying the Gestalt approach is that people generally do not function in the world based on how the world is, including themselves, but rather, through a filter of self-deception, whereby one does not have a clear picture of oneself in relation to the world. This often leads to feelings of dread, guilt, and anxiety.
The historical antecedents of Gestalt therapy are the experiences of its co-founder, Fritz Perls. Trained as a psychoanalyst, Perls rebelled against the dogmatic style of Freud’s approach and incorporated aspects of holism into the belief that ultimately the individual is responsible for creating his or her existence. The early decades of the 20th century are notable for their refutation of Newtonian positivism and its replacement with phenomenology. These two themes were then combined within the scaffolding of Gestalt psychology to produce an approach centered on the individual’s relationship to their existence. According to Clarkson (1989), the structure offered by Gestalt psychology was that perception should be considered as the recognition of patterns and relationships between items in the perceptual world which fulfills the central human need of giving meaning to perceptions, experiences, and existence.
Gestalt therapy rejects the reductionist approach that fails to account for the richness of perception and its immediacy. This approach cannot take into account the importance of the observer. Recognition of this fundamental issue led Perls to conclude that the awareness of an individual is more trustworthy than any interpretation of data that a person might provide a therapist with. The figure-ground concept forms the backbone of Gestalt therapy. The figure is the item of attentional focus at any one time, and the ground is the remainder of perceptual awareness. These movements, or ‘cycles of experience,’ can become disrupted by being incomplete or unresolved, and it is this ‘unfinished business’ which Gestalt therapy attempts to address.
And while Gestalt therapy does not use any techniques exclusively, a number of techniques serve as the core of this therapeutic approach. In particular, the “empty chair” and “topdog/underdog” techniques have found widespread usage. The empty chair involves projecting a representation of a person or an object, or part of oneself into an empty chair, and a dialogue is then presented between the two. In comparison, the topdog/underdog technique involves a dialogue between two aspects of the client’s personality—the topdog represents the introjecting demander of perfection, expressed through the use of words such as “should” and “must,” while the underdog is a manifestation of resistance to external demands.
Gestalt therapy’s focus on awareness is not limited to cognitive processes but also extends to physiological processes through a process known as bodywork. This involves the client consciously noting where they experience tension in particular situations or how their pattern of breathing changes. Once aware, they can learn strategies to reduce these reactions, which have produced both physical and mental discomfort. The individual becomes aware of their internal battles that often lead to feelings of guilt, anxiety, and depression.
In conclusion, the Gestalt approach to therapy emphasizes an awareness of the present moment and attempts to help clients take responsibility for their lives by becoming more conscious of their thought processes and actions. It offers numerous techniques to aid clients in this journey of self-discovery by increasing perceptual awareness and cultivating a sense of balance, health, and growth. While technique in Gestalt therapy is considered secondary to the relationship between the client and therapist, the techniques discussed here provide an effective toolkit that can be incorporated into other therapies, including hypnotherapy.
Written by Simon Duff
