In 1947 a psychoanalytically trained German psychiatrist working in South Africa wrote, “Ego, Hunger and Aggression.” It was Dr. Frederick (Fritz) Solomon Perls’ philosophical “maiden voyage," making a sharp departure from orthodox psychoanalysis to a never-before heard-of therapy in America called Gestalt. Dr. Perls dissatisfaction with Freud’s psychoanalytic system awakened after he studied the writings of pioneer German Gestalt founders Kohler, Wertheimer and Koffka. Said Perls, “While I was living entirely in the psychoanalytical atmosphere I could not appreciate that the great opposition to Freud’s theories might have some justification. We used to brush aside any doubt as “resistance.” But in his later years Freud himself became skeptical as to whether a psychoanalysis could ever be finished” (Perls, 1947, p.81). Perl’s first book disputed many classical psychoanalytic concepts such as the death instinct, while elaborating on others such as defense mechanisms. Perls' book introduced the concepts of the purpose of human aggression and the hunger instinct. However, it wasn’t until 1951 when Gestalt Therapy had its debut in America to an enthusiastic audience.
In 1951 Perls, Hefferline and Goodman published, “Gestalt Therapy: Excitement and Growth in the Human Personality.” Hefferline was a Harvard psychology professor, and Goodman was a talented psychology writer and social critic. During the 1960’s and 1970’s Gestalt caught on like wildfire, as Dr. Perls taught groups which flocked to his Esalan Institute in Big Sir, California. American audiences were hungry for a less formal and more egalitarian approach than psychoanalysis offered, and Perls’ commanding, direct style and showmanship became a sensation. What about Gestalt Therapy was so revolutionary, new and appealing?
As opposed to psychoanalysis where the therapist was out of the line of sight during therapy, Gestalt Therapists faced the client square-on. While psychoanalysis interpreted the symbolism of client’s dreams and defensive resistances, Gestalt asked the client to collaboratively investigate resistances, and be responsible for role-playing each dream character. Dr. Perls believed that to interpret for the patient was a therapeutic error; this philosophy was in sharp contrast to Freudian psychoanalysis, which interpreted everything for the client. What was the objective of Gestalt Therapy?
Dr. Perls believed that maturation was the goal of psychotherapeutics, and his definition of maturation was: “The transcendence from environmental support to self-support” (Perls, 1969, p. 28). Perls would purposefully frustrate the patient because, “Without frustration there is no need, no reason to mobilize your resources, to discover that you might be able to do something on your own, and in order not to be frustrated, which is a pretty painful experience, the child learns to manipulate the environment” (Perls, 1969, p. 32). Perls staunchly believed, “Every time you refuse to answer a question, you help the other person to develop his own resources” (Perls, 1969, p. 36). Even when patients insisted they did not have the strength or answers (what Perls called “the impasse”), Perls would insist, “…these fantasizes prevent us from taking the reasonable risks which are part and parcel of growing and living” (Perls, 1969, p. 39). Gestalt directly challenges the client to take responsibility for his behavior, which is why Gestalt is considered an Existentialist therapy. Gestalt is also a Humanistic therapy, because it believes in the individual’s power to self-actualize. Perls emphasized that human nature has an inherent wisdom; that of organismic self-regulation. “With full awareness you become aware of this organismic self-regulation, you can let the organism take over without interfering…and I believe this is the great thing to be understood-awareness by and of itself-can be curative” (Perls, 1969, p. 17). Gestalt strives to increase the client’s self-awareness, believing that self-insight is the key ingredient to change and growth in the personality. What does Gestalt Therapy consider to be pathological?
Freud labeled defense mechanisms as pathological, and Gestalt Therapy expounded on a few of Freud’s mechanisms, namely: neurosis, projection and transference. Dr. Perls introduced the emotional defense mechanisms of: avoidance, introjection and retroflexion, the polarities of aggression and self-expression, and how paranoia and projection are interwoven (Perls, 1947). Gestalt views psychopathology as a failure of the organism to be self-aware; that it may function, but with a scotoma, or blind spot (Perls, 1947, p. 236). How does the Gestalt Therapist enable the client to become more self-aware?
An adept Gestaltist is able to reflect the client’s attitudes and beliefs like a mirror. The client can then look and sees himself more clearly. A Gestalt Therapist extensively discusses the client’s contact boundary, and the subject of polarities, asking the client to consider: are his boundaries rigid or loose? Is he isolated or confluent? Does the client polarize issues by catastrophizing, or its opposite: avoiding, denying or ignoring the problems? Gestaltists will regularly utilize experiments, or Gestalt techniques during therapy, the most renown of these being the “Empty Chair Technique,” where two polarized opinions of the clients are each role played by the client in succession. Gestaltists will also carefully monitor the client for indirect body language which are unconscious expressions of emotion. They may direct the client to exaggerate or repeat body language to give the symbolic gesture a “voice.” They will ask clients to describe dreams, and to play all the parts in the dream, giving the dream characters and items a “voice.” Dr. Perls believed every character and item in the dream is a “part” of the client, and every dream has an existential message or meaning. Gestalt Therapists may ask clients to repeat phrases for emphasis during therapy which are meaningful, and are not afraid to lead the client to a catharsis point. What are the limitations of the theory?
Because Gestalt Therapy can be an intense and deeply cathartic experience, clients may experience abreactions in counseling. A strong reaction could cause some clients to withdraw prematurely from counseling. In order to mitigate this experience, I’ve learned it is important to allow time for the client to “debrief” after a particularly emotionally-charged session. Clients need an opportunity to share with the therapist what they experienced, how they intend to integrate what they learned into their lives, and to clarify unanswered questions. It is up to the counselor to provide a smooth transition from deconstruction to construction. Are there cultural limitations?
From a cultural perspective, Gestalt Therapy may not be the therapy of choice for individuals from collectivist societies who are more private and reflective in nature. Gestalt encourages free outward expression of thoughts and feelings; the client is encouraged to share fears, anger and insecurities. Members of collectivist cultures which might not be accustomed to expressing anger or fear openly could be misjudged by a Gestalt therapist as withholding or resistive, unless the counselor is culturally sensitive. If the counselor understands the client’s cultural perspective, she can adapt the therapeutic approach to the client, rather than demanding the client adapt to the approach. What is on the horizon for Gestalt Therapy?
Relational Gestalt Therapy is the most modern branch of Gestalt, and what I aim to practice. It has modified Dr. Perls’ abrasive style so that it is more “user-friendly” for people of all cultural backgrounds. Although Dr. Perls teachings did not focus as much on the client-counselor contact boundary as it might of, Perls admitted to its importance: “The We doesn’t exist, but consists of I and You, and is an ever-changing boundary where two people meet. And when we meet there, then I change and You change, through the process of encountering each other…” (Hycner, Jacobs, 1995, Introduction). Contemporary Relational Gestalt Therapy is dialogical and inter-relating, and what is hoped for is that it is more relational-focused than the technique-oriented Gestalt Therapy of the past. Co-founder of Gestalt Therapy, Dr. Laura Perls said about the development of Relational Gestalt, “With the gift of hindsight, Martin Buber’s philosophy of I-Thou seems the perfect antidote to the narcissistic flavor that infused Perls, Hoffman, and Goodman’s portrayal of the organism/environment field paradigm” (Hycner, Jacobs, 1995, Introduction). Based upon philosopher Martin Buber’s emphasis on the “I-Thou” relationship (Buber, M., 1958), a new generation of Gestalt Therapists are practicing warmly and sensitively, seeing dialogics as the ground upon which to find a cure rather than techniques. Why do I feel Gestalt is a good fit for me?
In the time I have practiced I have come to see one thing very clearly, and it is that the most dynamic force in therapy is not a set of techniques, or even a philosophy of practice. As Buber states: “In the beginning is relation” (Buber, 1958, p. 18). The dynamics of the therapist-client relationship, or "I-Thou" relationship is the primary defining element of success or failure. “The I-Thou experience is one of being fully present as one can to another with little self-centered purpose or goal in mind. It is an experience of appreciating the “otherness,” the uniqueness, and the wholeness of another, while at the same time this is reciprocated by the other person. It is a mutual experience” (Hycner, Jacobs, 1995, p. 8). However, I’ve also found that a set of time-tested techniques is helpful in the process of therapy, and having a clear philosophy of practice allows the therapist to structure the session cohesively. Relational Gestalt is a fascinating blend of dialogue and technique, and is well suited to my extroverted personality. I may not have the daring flair of Dr. Perls, but I do enjoy seeing what comes of a spontaneously created experiment, and the results of a technique like the “Empty Chair.” My personality is direct enough to confidently lead clients through an intervention, even if I may not know exactly what the outcome will be. Sometimes I’m unsure about where we will land…but I am working into being comfortable with the uncertainty which is Relational Gestalt Therapy. I’m no longer bound to a set of techniques, because I’m making it a priority to build a relationship with the client before me. I’m learning that the most powerful ingredient in the therapeutic relationship is what we create together, the therapeutic bond. The German world Gestalt is translated to mean, “An integrated whole.” With the emphasis being placed on relationship rather than techniques, I feel Relational Gestalt Therapy is becoming more of an integrated whole than ever before.
Perls, Frederick, S. (1947). Ego, Hunger and Aggression: The Beginning of Gestalt Therapy. Vintage Books, A Division of Random House, New York.
Perls, Frederick, S., Hefferline, Ralph., Goodman, Paul. (1951). Gestalt Therapy: Excitement and Growth in the Human Personality. The Gestalt Journal Press, Inc.
Perls, Frederick, S. (1969). Gestalt Therapy Verbatim. Real People Press, Lafayette, California.
Hypnotherapy can be used as an adjunct to almost any form of individual psychotherapy. Hypnotherapy simply refers to the use of hypnosis as part of the psychotherapy or medical process. Hypnotherapy is best administered by a licensed professional who also holds a special certification in hypnosis.
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Gestalt therapy is a psychotherapy. It helps the patient to understands new feelings through awareness, which the patient did not experience before due to preexisting conceptions and attitudes.In this there is learning consciousness.gestalt therapy helps people to do same things but with a new experience, new feelings, and new perspective.
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