Gestalt Therapy :

Gestalt therapy is a form of psychotherapy which emphasizes personal responsibility and focuses on the
individual’s experience in the present moment, the therapist–client relationship, the environmental and
social contexts of a person’s life, and the self-regulating adjustments people make as a result of their
overall situation. It was developed by Fritz Perls, Laura Perls and Paul Goodman in the 1940s and 1950s,
and was first described in the 1951 book Gestalt Therapy.

Key Concepts :

There are a number of principle ideas that come into play with gestalt therapy, from perception to self-
awareness.

1. Experience Influences Perception :

In this client-centered approach to therapy, the gestalt therapist understands that no one can be fully
objective and that we are influenced by our environment and our experiences. A therapist trained in
gestalt therapy holds space for their clients to share their truth, not imposing their judgment and
accepting the truth of their clients’ experiences.

2. Context Matters :

When in session, gestalt therapists want to learn about the experience of their clients. It is understood
that context matters and the therapists use techniques to help the client become more aware of their
experiences, their perceptions, and their responses to events in the here and now.

Rather than specifically targeting the past and asking clients to purposefully bring up old experiences,
gestalt therapists operate from a place of understanding that as clients become increasingly aware, they
will overcome existing roadblocks. There is no forced work or technique, just holding space for client
awareness is key in this approach.

3. The Present :

The main hallmark of gestalt therapy is the focus on the present. In the session, the client and therapist
rapport is critical in building trust and safety. As the client shares, a gestalt therapist will help bring the
client back to the present if there is a sense they are spending too much time in the past or if their
anxiety may be speeding them into the future.

An example of keeping a client present might include something like asking the client about their facial
expression or body language as they process a particular event or experience.

4. Working Through Pain :

We work very hard to survive painful experiences, and part of this survival may include shutting down
our emotional hurt or painful memory of the event. In gestalt therapy, you are offered a space where
you don’t have to do that hard work anymore.

5. Self-awareness :

During gestalt therapy, there may be some experiential exercises that you will do with your therapist.
Experiential exercise refers to therapeutic activities done in therapy that can help to increase awareness
and help with processing. At the heart of gestalt therapy is awareness. As Frederick Salomon Perls put it,
“Awareness in itself is healing.”

Techniques :
Some therapy approaches tend to focus on the therapist as an expert on distress and symptoms. The
client has more of a learning role, as the therapist shares their knowledge about what they are
experiencing and how to heal.

Within gestalt therapy, the client has space to safely explore their experiences without fear of judgment.
In fact, the client is encouraged to not simply talk about their emotions or experiences, but to bring
them into the room so they can be processed in real-time with the therapist

1. Words and Language :

Attention to language and tone is important in gestalt therapy. As clients learn to accept responsibility,
they learn to use language that reflects a sense of personal ownership rather than focusing on others.
For example, rather than saying, “If he didn’t do that I wouldn’t get so mad!” a client might be
encouraged to say, “I feel mad when he does that because it makes me feel insignificant and I don’t like
that.”

2. Empty Chair :

This is a role-playing exercise that allows a client to imagine and participate in a conversation with
another person or another part of themselves. Sitting across from the empty chair, the client enters into
a dialogue as if they were speaking with that other person or that other part of themselves.

3. Role Play :

Another example of role-playing might be what is referred to as “top dog and underdog.” In this, it is
recognized that a client has different parts of self. Similar to the empty chair, the client speaks as both
the top dog, which is the more demanding side of their personality and the underdog, which is the more
submissive and obedient side of their personality.

4. Body Language :

During a session, a gestalt therapist will observe the client’s body language and movement such as
tapping their foot, wringing their hands, or making a certain facial expression. The therapist is likely to
mention their observation of this and ask what is happening for the person at that moment.

Incorporating language, the gestalt therapist may even ask the client to give their foot, hands, or facial
expression a voice and speak from that place.

5. Exaggeration :

In addition to giving body language a voice, a gestalt therapist may inquire about the client’s body
language. If it is difficult for the client to find words to put to what is happening, they may be asked to
exaggerate that motion or repeat it several times in a row for a period of time during the session to
draw out some of their experience at that moment.

6. Locating Emotion :
During a session, it is common for people to talk about emotion. Talking about emotion is different than
experiencing an emotion. As a client talks about emotion, the therapist may ask them where they feel
that emotion in their body.

7. Creative Arts :

Additional activities such as painting, sculpting, and drawing can also be used to help people gain
awareness, stay present, and learn how to process the moment. It is generally noted in this style that
any technique that can be offered to the client, other than traditional sitting still and talking, can be
helpful in allowing them to become more aware of themselves, their experiences, and their process of
healing.