Chapter 8

Our dependency makes slaves out of us, especially if this dependency is a dependency of our self-esteem. If you need encouragement, praise, pats on the back from everybody, then you make everybody your judge. Fritz Perls

The Gestalt Prayer. Fritz Perls

I do my thing

and you do your thing. I am not in this world to live up to your expectations And you are not in this world to live up to mine. You are you and I am I. And if by chance we find each other, it's beautiful, If not, it can't be helped.

GESTALT THERAPY HISTORY OF DEVELOPMENT

Founder: Fritz Perls (1893-1970) Therapy drawn from principles of Gestalt Psychology, Existentialism, Phenomenology.
An experiential (i.e., teaches client awareness rather than relying

on therapists interpretation of the unconscious) and holistic (i.e., no separation of body and mind) approach, based upon the assumption that people are self-regulating.

Two Basic Assumptions Of Gestalt Therapy

Field Theory the world is a systematic web of relationships, and cannot be studied as discrete particles; all is interrelated. Figure/Ground formation - (also known as Gestalt Formation) we may perceive a figure clearly, in contrast to an unclear background; if you relax and let it happen, then figure and ground may shift back and forth rapidly.

Theories of Personality Development

Holism and Field Theory revisited: self-awareness develops in early childhood via relationships with others. There is no self apart from ones various fields.
individuals develop in interrelated ways (affective,

sensory, cognitive, behavioural & interpersonal components interact), and all are important.

individuals and their functioning cannot be

understood separately from their environment.

Theories of Personality Development, contd

Formation of identity: concept of field boundaries/connections separation/autonomy versus diffusion Organismic self-regulation: individuals are capable of solving their own problems

Theories of Personality Development, contd

Figure/Ground Formations revisited: concepts of Awareness vs. Unawareness (similar to consciousness/unconsciousness).
constant fluidity between awareness and

unawareness, figure and ground.

 Mental Health consists of:

Awareness: full awareness of shifting need states

(holism; figure/ground)
Flexibility: ability to adjust to the needs of the

environment (field theory; organismic selfregulation)

Staying in the Moment: importance of the here and

now (the power is in the present)

 Mental Distress/Neuroticism consists of:

Lack of Awareness:

inability to form clear figures and respond appropriately according to current field tendency to keep aspects of figure out of awareness

Resistance

opposing the formation of a figure (a feeling, impulse, need, thought etc) in some or all contexts (fields) resistance to contact introjection, projection, retroflection, deflection, confluence, isolation (field boundaries)

Steps to Mental Health: Processes in Gestalt Therapy

Dealing with Unfinished business Peeling the onion to reach the authentic self the 5 levels

of neurosis: Phony the mask Phobic - conceal self-doubt Impasse - stuck Implosive mask self-destructs Explosive energy freed Defining & releasing energy blocks/tension (holism) Reducing anxiety by eliminating futurizing & staying in the moment

Processes of Gestalt Therapy, contd

Paradox of Change:
change only possible through awareness of what is, not

by attempting to change into what is not (Be what you are.)

Primary (only) goal is to increase awareness by staying in

the moment (phenomenology; holism; figure/ground)

Some Techniques of Gestalt Therapy

Various Experiments (purpose?) meatgrinder; cliff edge Specific strategies: (all in the here and now) empty chair
reversal of denied attributes

exaggeration
dream analysis/reliving

Critiquing the Gestalt Approach

Too confrontative? Bullying?
Can strip defences and leave clients vulnerable?

Peeling the Onion: The Case of Carl

Match each paragraph with Perls Stages of Therapy
Carls parents run a restaurant chain. He decides to take marketing in college, just like his girlfriend. He finds the work difficult, but puts on an air of self-confidence and brightness.
At midterms, his grades are low, but hides any self-doubts. He is tormented by fear of his parents reactions if he dropped out, and fear that his girlfriend would lose respect for him. After 3 bad semesters, he feels stuck and doesnt know what his next move should be. He cannot wear a mask of brightness any more, so sees no way backwards or forwards. He becomes depressed, and starts to realize he doesnt have the academic capacities he thought he did; he isnt as school-smart as his girlfriend. His depression worsens, and so does his anxiety.

Seeking therapy recommended by the career counselling office at college, he finally gives up his pretenses. After quitting college, he joins a restaurant and works his way up from the bottom. His energy is quickly freed and he is enthusiastic about his future.