FAQs | Anil Thomas Gestalt

Patients are the main focus in Gestalt therapy. The Gestalt differs from the traditional therapy as it is a horizontal relationship. Direct experiences and being in the present is the center, the language of present experience is spoken by both the participant and the therapist. Both, the therapist and the client need to show the presence in the moment. This allows the patient to act as an equal who has full access to the data of his own experience so that what the therapist has observed from outside the patient or client can experience from inside.

Following are the goals of I-Thou therapy:

Moving from Competition to Collaboration

The whole goal here is to create empowerment of the couple so that they feel capable of choosing direction in their life. Instead of viewing themselves as victims, they come with circular views.

Moving From Magic to Mystery

As the couple shifts to a collaborative mode, they reflect on the history of their relationship with the therapist. This is when old superficial feelings of love may resurface when everything was new and rosy. When two people confront each other in the I - thou mode, in their wholeness, it is then they drive out the ghosts of mutual projection.

Moving from Blame to Empathy

Partners often begin therapy in a blame mode. Each sees the other as responsible for the misery in the relationship. Each may see the self as a victim of the other. With this view, it is inevitable that partners deal with each other in the I-It mode. To help the couple move to a more mutually empathic position, it is important to first understand the dynamics of blame in the relationship. This shift will ultimately enable them to see each other more authentically and to relate in a dialogical mode.

Moving from a Hierarchical to a Generational View of the Family of Origin

A second level of work often emerges at this point - the multigenerational level. For the couple to move beyond blame, it may be necessary to work with each partner to resolve unfinished grievances with their family of origin. It is often the case that blame in the couple is a resonance of old blame toward parents from childhood. When one is stuck in blame with one‘s parents, it is difficult not to be stuck in blame with one‘s spouse or children as well. Accepting limitations of the parents is an important part of this work. This process often involves grieving and coming to terms with the fact that their parents will never be the parents they wanted or needed.

Moving Toward Mutual Empathy and Mutual Empowerment

In helping the couple to develop empathy for each other, this approach facilitates ‘mutuality of care and concern‘ and even mutual protection. Many partners, underneath the fighting and weariness, care deeply for each other and are quite protective of each other.

Following are some of the other types of mental disorders:

Somatic symptom and related disorders

In somatic symptom and related disorders, mental distortions are manifested in the form of physical symptoms. Now, it is normal to have physical reactions to mental problems, but people with this disorder are greatly disturbed by these symptoms, so much that it takes a toll on their wellbeing, and daily life. These disorders are categorised as:

Conversion disorder

In this disorder, physical symptoms that resemble those of a nervous system disorder are developed.

Factitious disorder

In this disorder, people pretend to have symptoms for no apparent external reason (such as to get time off from work).

Illness anxiety disorder

People with illness anxiety disorder are excessively preoccupied and worried about the possibility of having or getting a serious illness.

Psychological factors affecting other medical conditions

Sometimes attitudes or behaviors can have a negative effect on a medical disorder that a person has.

Somatic symptom disorder

In this disorder, people's symptoms concern and preoccupy them, worry them constantly, and/or drive them to see doctors very frequently.

Eating disorders

Eating disorders are psychological conditions that cause unhealthy eating habits to develop. They generally begin with an obsession with food, body weight, body shape, or body image. If left untreated, eating disorders can become severe and even life threatening. There are 6 common types of eating disorders:

Anorexia nervosa

People with anorexia tend to restrict their food intake in order to lose weight, but they are already underweight. They have a distorted body image, and also denial of being underweight.

Bulimia nervosa

People with bulimia tend to binge eat foods that they would normally avoid, to a point where they are painfully full. They seem to lose control of themselves while eating. This erratic episode is generally followed by forced vomiting, taking laxative, or fasting to relieve oneself of the guilt caused by binge eating.

Binge eating disorder

Binge eating disorder consists of uncontrollable consumption of food in a short period of time followed by excessive guilt, but no compensating behaviours unlike bulimia nervosa.

Pica

Individuals with pica feel an urge for consuming culturally and socially inedible substances, like chalk, dust, soil, paper, hair, cloth, etc. this disorder is usually seen in children, pregnant women, or mentally disturbed patients.

Rumination disorder

Rumination disorder can affect people of all ages. People with this condition generally regurgitate the food they’ve recently swallowed. Then, they chew it again and either swallow it or spit it out.

Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder

Individuals with this disorder experience disturbed eating either due to a lack of interest in eating or distaste for certain smells, tastes, colors, textures, or temperatures.

Psychosis

Psychosis is a mental disorder that may be a side effect of a psychiatric illness such as schizophrenia. In other cases, it may be caused by a health condition, medication or drug use.

Generally, symptoms of psychosis include delusions, hallucinations, talking incoherently and agitation. The person with the condition is usually unaware of his or her behaviour.

Common psychotic disorders

Some of the common psychotic disorders are: schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder, schizoaffective disorder, brief psychotic disorder, delusional disorder, etc.

PTSD

Post traumatic stress disorder is characterised by inability to recover after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. Intense emotional and physical reactions are noted after certain triggers that cause flashbacks.

Depression

Depression is a mental disorder categorised by persistent low mood, loss of interest in daily activities, resulting in impaired daily functioning.

Anxiety

Anxiety disorders are categorised by symptoms of strong feelings of worry, anxiousness or stress, that interferes with one’s day-to-day activities, about the future.

Substance use disorder

Substance use disorder occurs when a person’s consumption of alcohol or abuse of drugs leads to health problems and problems at school, home, and/or work.

Gestalt and abnormal psychology

Gestalt therapy understands individual symptoms and human suffering as phenomena emerging from a wider relational field and can offer an original key to understanding, staying with and supporting people who suffer.

Personality disorders are classified into three clusters: cluster A, cluster B, and cluster C based on the similarities between disorders.

Cluster A

Cluster A disorders have symptoms that others see as bizarre. Sometimes, even strangers can notice these symptoms in people with Cluster A disorders. The disorders in this cluster are:

Paranoid

This disorder causes people to feel constantly suspicious of others for no apparent reason. They believe that the people around them are somehow working against them. Due to this paranoia, they may resist forming meaningful relationships, opening up to others, or forgiving perceived slights.

Schizoid

People with this disorder feel little to no desire to have relationships with others, including sexual relationships, friendships, or close relationships with family. These patients find it difficult to note social cues, express emotions, or find joy in activities that include socialising.

Schizotypal

People often notice that those with this disorder have strange ways of talking, acting, and emoting. They may hear voices, believe that everyday things leave hidden messages for them, and believe that their thoughts are magical. People with schizotypal personality disorder have trouble forming relationships as they are always suspicious of others.

Cluster B

Those who fall under this cluster of personality disorders are perceived to be dramatic, erratic, and unpredictable by others. The disorders in this cluster are:

Histrionic

This condition causes patients to have dramatic, unpredictable outbursts. However, the distinctive feature of histrionic personality disorder is that people have these episodes as a way to seek attention. People with this disorder may also feel like their relationships are intense, even when the other person believes the relationship is shallow. Their emotions shift rapidly and dramatically, and the people around them greatly influence their behaviors.

Narcissistic

This disorder makes people believe that they are more important than others. As such, they may think less of or even fail to notice the needs of others. People with narcissistic personality disorder expect constant praise from those around them and may exaggerate their credentials. They may fantasize about holding more power and envy those with higher statuses. People describe them as arrogant.

Borderline

People with borderline personality disorder are gripped by an overwhelming fear of being abandoned or left alone. This often leads to signs like impulse behaviors, including gambling, unsafe sex, and binge eating. They often have fragile self-worth and unstable relationships. When interpersonal conflict is high, people with borderline personality disorder have paranoia and outbursts of anger.

Anti-social

Media portrayals and casual conversations often use the term “sociopath,” to describe people with this condition. One of the hallmark symptoms of antisocial personality disorder is the inability to care about other people’s needs and feelings. This leads people with this disorder to violate people’s rights, steal, cheat, and con others. They often have trouble with the law and can act violently. People with this disorder feel little to no remorse for their actions because they cannot understand how they hurt someone else.

Cluster C

Cluster C personality disorders cause interpersonal friction due to the person’s inability to face certain fears. The conditions in this cluster are:

Dependent

They rely on others to make decisions for them and take care of all their needs. They are afraid to take care of themselves. As such, people with this disorder are at risk for being abused and staying in those situations, even when they have options for leaving.

Avoidant

People with this disorder are afraid of any criticism or rejection. In order to avoid these experiences, they may go through extreme measures to avoid contacting people at work or attending social events.

OCPD

People with this disorder fear that if they do not carry out certain tasks or stick to rigid rules, something horrific will happen. As such, they obsess over orderliness, rules, and cleanliness. This inflexibility can hurt their relationships.

The two major types of mood disorders are depressive disorders and bipolar disorders

Depressive disorders

Depressive disorders are characterised by periods of extreme sadness, hopelessness, despair, worthlessness, along with several physical and cognitive symptoms.

Bipolar disorders

Bipolar disorders are classified as:

Bipolar I

Previously known as “manic depressive” disorder, bipolar I involves alternating cycles of mania and depression. Mania is characterised by euphoric mood, hyper energy, and/or irritable moods and aggression.

Bipolar II

People with bipolar II disorder show signs of hypomania alternating with depression. Hypomania is simply a less severe form of mania.

The different types of dissociative disorders are Dissociative identity disorder, Dissociative amnesia, Depersonalization/derealization disorder.

Dissociative identity disorder.

Dissociative identity disorder is categorised by overwhelming experiences, traumatic events and/or abuse that faced in childhood. Dissociative identity disorder was previously referred to as multiple personality disorder.

Dissociative amnesia.

Dissociative amnesia involves not being able to recall information about oneself (not normal forgetting). This amnesia is usually related to a traumatic or stressful event

Depersonalization/derealization disorder.

Depersonalization/derealization disorder involves significant ongoing or recurring experience of one or both conditions:

Depersonalization – experiences of unreality or detachment from one’s mind, self or body. People may feel as if they are outside their bodies and watching events happening to them.

Derealization – experiences of unreality or detachment from one’s surroundings. People may feel as if things and people in the world around them are not real.

The 6 major types of anxiety disorders are: separation anxiety disorder, specific phobia, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia, generalised anxiety disorder.

Separation anxiety disorder

A person is said to have separation anxiety disorder when he/ she shows symptoms of excessive fear or anxiety concerning those to whom the individual is attached, especially excessive given their age and level of cognition.

Specific phobia

Anxiety of a particular stimulus or situation is known as a phobic stimulus. There is marked fear or anxiety about a specific object or situation and intensity varies depending on proximity with the object or situation.

Social anxiety disorder

Intense fear or anxiety of social situations in which individuals may be negatively evaluated by others. Social situations almost always evoke anxiety, hence these situations are actively avoided.

Panic disorder

A panic disorder is an abrupt surge of intense fear or discomfort that reaches its peak within minutes leading to physical or cognitive symptoms. Panic disorder is the fear of having these panic attacks.

Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia is the fear or extreme anxiety of being in crowded spaces with seemingly no escape.

Generalised anxiety disorder

Generalised anxiety disorder is characterised by excessive worry and anxiety about daily activities, with little to no control on the worry.

Following are the five core techniques used in psychodrama:

Soliloquy

Soliloquy is a technique brought by Moreno directly from the field of classic theatre. It is used because of its purpose to be cathartic and it results in knowing oneself. The aim of this technique is for the individual to externalise their hidden feelings, thoughts and reveal deeper levels of the interpersonal world. It allows correcting any misinterpretation of the scene and provides the therapist with insight to the patient's thoughts.

Mirror

The purpose of this technique is to promote awareness of the patient and their behaviour in different situations. It is used when the patient does not perceive their behaviour, and the image they transmit to others differs from the image they have for themselves.

Role reversal

Role reversal is one of the foundations of Moreno‘s therapy. The client is asked to portray another person while a second actor portrays the client in the particular scene. This not only prompts the client to think as the other person, but also has some of the benefits of mirroring, as the client sees him- or herself as portrayed by the second actor.

Resistance interpolation

The therapist asks the auxiliary ego to act in a completely different way than what the protagonist would expect.

Double

The job of the ‘double’ is to make conscious any thoughts or feelings that another person is unable to express whether it is because of shyness, guilt, inhibition, politeness, fear, anger, etc. In many cases the person is unaware of these thoughts or at least is unable to form the words to express how they are feeling. Therefore, the ‘double’ attempts to make conscious and give form to the unconscious and/or under expressed material. The person being doubled has the full right to disown any of the ‘double’s’ statements and to correct them as necessary. In this way, doubling itself can never be wrong.

Sydney Banks once stated: “If we can forgive everyone, regardless of what he or she may have done, we nourish the soul and allow our whole being to feel good. To hold a grudge against anyone is like carrying the devil on your shoulders. It is our willingness to forgive and forget that casts away such a burden and brings light into our hearts, freeing us from many ill feelings against our fellow human beings”

Words and feelings are the two dialogues in a communication:

Words

Merely expressing oneself through words does not include emotions, for e.g., saying “I’m fine” when asked “How are you?”. ‘Fine’ does not express your emotional state.

Feelings

Expressing oneself more deeply is possible by expressing one’s feelings, for e.g., to the above question, responding with “I’m so happy today!”, or “I feel lost right now”, or “I am not feeling great today”.

Low resolution/ limited discrimination, difficulty in processing fine detail; tendency to overgeneralize, especially in the early stages of learning; prone to inappropriate responses in certain situations; prone to ‘fixity’ in the form of set expectations or set responses in certain situation; tendency to respond in an ‘all or nothing’ manner; relatively slow learning (reactive and context dependent); unable to delay responses; limited to responding to immediate goals (as distinct from temporally remote goals); unable to deal with delayed error signals (delayed feedback/consequences); limited spontaneity (reactive to circumstances, reactive will rather than initiating-will) In principle, the weaknesses of the unconscious mind can be compensated for by the ‘strengths’ of the conscious mind, and in that sense the unconscious mind and the conscious mind can be regarded as fulfilling complementary roles.

The three levels of the awareness of mind, according to Sigmund Freud, are:

The preconscious

The preconscious consists of anything that could potentially be brought into the conscious mind.

The conscious

The conscious mind contains all of the thoughts, memories, feelings, and wishes of which we are aware at any given moment. This is the aspect of our mental processing that we can think and talk about rationally. This also includes our memory, which is not always part of consciousness but can be retrieved easily and brought into awareness.

The unconscious

The unconscious mind is a reservoir of feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories that are outside of our conscious awareness. Most of the contents of the unconscious are unacceptable or unpleasant, such as feelings of pain, anxiety, or conflict.

Fritz Perls viewed the unfolding of adult personality as the peeling of an onion. The layers of adult personality according to him are phony, phobic, impasse, implosive, and explosive.

Phony layer

As the name suggests, the phony layer is a construct built by others that we live in. we live up to other’s beliefs, standards, and understandings of the world and of us, thus straying far away from self actualisation. This layer of our personality is stereotypical and inauthentic.

Phobic layer

The phobic layer is made up of our immature beliefs about being rejected by society or our loved ones for leading an authentic life. This is the layer of our personality that prefers to run away from hurt and dissatisfaction about ourselves, which thus keeps us away from seeing our true selves.

Impasse layer

The impasse is a point where we realise that we are at a dead end, that there is no way forward, but we do not show it to the world. Instead, we continue to manipulate our surroundings which include the people in it as part of our game. We tend to give up our power at this stage.

Implosive layer

This is the layer where we have acknowledged the deadness of parts of our ‘self’. We develop a rigid system that keeps us going and makes us feel safe, but habitual parts of our ‘self’ are dead. We fully experience this deadness.

Explosive layer

This is the layer where we let go of our phony layers and fully embrace joy, sadness, and the maturity that comes along with everything. This is the part where we let go of our inauthentic self and accept a personality that is raw, real, and more human.

This personality inventory was developed by Goldberg in 1993 to measure the five dimensions of the Big Five personality framework.

Openness

Insight, imagination, dynamic personality, wide range of interests are a few traits that people who score high on Openness possess.

Conscientiousness

Important traits include goal oriented nature, organizational skills, mindfulness to detail, determined and careful.

Extraversion/ Introversion

Extroverts are highly energetic, enthusiastic and easily visible to people around them. Opposite to extraversion is introversion. Introverts like to keep to themselves. They do not like to be a part of the social world. They love solitude, tend to be low-key and get bored and exhausted whenever they have to socialize.

Agreeableness

Those who score high on agreeableness are affectionate, kind, full of empathy for others and extremely trustable, helpful, generous and considerate.

Neuroticism

The important characteristics of neuroticism are emotional instability, sulkiness, unhappiness, irritable mood and frequent bouts of anxiety, sadness and mood swings.

Psychologist Gordon Allport found that the english language dictionary alone holds more than 4000 words that describe different personality traits. He categorised these traits into 3 levels:

Cardinal

Cardinal traits usually develop later in life. They are rare and dominate most of the other traits. They tend to define a person, sometimes becoming synonymous with their names. For example, someone who is too self absorbed may be known as Mr. Narcissism.

Central

These are the next traits in the hierarchy and are general characteristics found in varying degrees in every person (such as loyalty, kindness, agreeableness, friendliness, sneakiness, wildness, or grouchiness). These are the basic building blocks that shape most of our behavior.

Secondary

These traits exist at the bottom of the hierarchy and are not quite as obvious or consistent as central traits. They are plentiful but are only present under specific circumstances; they include things like preferences and attitudes. These traits explain why a person may at times exhibit behaviors that seem incongruent with their usual behaviors.

A trait is a genetically determined characteristic or a distinguishing quality of a person.the trait theory of personality suggests that human behaviour, cognition, and emotional pattern are determined by these characteristics unique to each individual.

Psychoanalytic or humanistic perspectives on personality focus on the similarities between individuals, whereas the trait theory argues that it is the differences between each individual that should be studied. Thus, trait theory focuses on identifying and measuring these individual personality characteristics.

Freud believed that, as a person grows from child to adult, the nature of the conflicts among the id, ego, and superego changes. According to him these conflicts progress through a series of five basic stages, namely: oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital. He called his idea the psychosexual theory of development, with each psychosexual stage directly related to a different physical center of pleasure

Therapists use guided imagery techniques (fantasy) to encourage clients to imagine situations such as what they would do in a certain situation or by projecting themselves into different roles. Fantasy is also a tool that can be used in experimenting with new behaviour, becoming more aware of the experience, and as a therapeutic technique. Fantasy provides a creative stage on which to explore unlimited potentials.

Transference describes a situation where the feelings, desires, and expectations of one person are redirected and applied to another person. In therapeutic settings, transference occurs when a person applies certain feelings or emotions toward the therapist. For example, the feelings a person may have for their loved ones, are unconsciously redirected or transferred onto the therapist. It usually concerns feelings from a primary relationship during childhood.

According to Webster’s dictionary, projection is the attribution of one's own ideas, feelings, or attitudes to other people or to objects; especially : the externalization of blame, guilt, or responsibility as a defense against anxiety.

Example of projection

Projection is a defense mechanism where an individual attributes their own unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or motives onto another person. For eg: when you hate someone and your superego tells you that such kind of hatred is unacceptable, you end up believing that they hate you.

Homeostasis is a self-regulatory process determined from within. This is the principle that is maintained by an individual‘s body for survival. Homeostasis is the state of steady internal conditions maintained by living things. This dynamic state of equilibrium is the condition of optimal functioning for the organism and includes many variables, such as body temperature and fluid balance, being kept within certain pre-set limits (homeostatic range).

A core concept in Wilber's philosophy is the concept of the holon, which he borrowed from Arthur Koestler. The idea is that everything is not only a whole, but also part of a larger whole, so a "part/whole" or "hol-on". That is true for atoms, molecules, organisms, human beings, but also for letters in a word, words in a sentence, sentences on a page, pages in a book, etc. -- as the familiar holistic sequence goes.

Following are the seven basic contacts:

Looking

Looking at something or someone allows you to build contact. For e.g., reading a book gets you in contact with its ideas.

Listening

An individual can listen to the sound of people, like listening to a podcast, and develop ideas accordingly. Chaos is not appreciated, which is why they usually prefer to speak without interrupting the speaker.

Different kinds of listening

Listening entails criticism, support, information, condescension, complexities, and/or simple facts.

Touching

Touch is the most basic, primitive way of forming contact with someone.

Talking

Talking helps us reach out to someone through voice modification. The tone, pace, intent, language, and volume of our speech indicates our different moods and emotions.

Moving

In movement, one can either see the unimpeded fluid action of an individual who supports the activity which they are engaged with or one sees the clumsy actions of someone caught between impulse and inhibition.

Smelling

Good or bad smells can have relative impacts on us and thus the contact that forms.

Tasting

Tasting is another way of forming contact by indulging in it physically.

Following are the contact boundary disturbances:

Confluence

Confluence refers to the reduction in size, extent, or importance of the ‘self’, along with diminished contact boundaries of the client.

Introjection

According to the psychoanalytic theory, introjection is a defense mechanism used to resolve an emotional conflict by placing a mental representation of an object inside the mind. If this leads to increased independence, this mechanism is said to be highly adaptive.

Projection

Projection is also a defense mechanism where one attributes one’s own undesirable thoughts/ impulses/ ideas on to another person as a way of conflict resolution.

Retroflection

Retroflection is a way of doing to oneself what one would like for others to do to him/her. For e.g., boasting about something that one wants to be praised for.

Deflection

Deflection is a situation where an individual either blocks an emotional trigger or turns themselves away from the situation to prevent causing emotional distress.

Following are the five types of contact boundaries:

Body

Body boundary is where the sensation is limited to individual experience.

Value

This is when the client is reluctant to or declines any modification in their boundary, for some people have rigid perceptions and morale.

Familiarities

An action an individual performs on a daily basis is not given much thought as they are not consciously aware of it. What happens is when something happens in the life of the person and there is a sudden change, they don't know how to deal with it as most of the action they were taking was without any awareness. We cling to what we know rather than to venture out into unfamiliar boundaries.

Expressive

Expressive boundaries, physical contact, verbal contact, emotion expression like crying or laughing, are the thoughts formed in childhood. These are all the range of things that are not allowed. The self is not a structure, it is a process, and whilst you do lose your identity to expand the I- Boundary, this allows the self to develop.

Exposure boundaries

When a person comes to accept all his variety of beings, then he can be exposed without a problem.

1) Phony - When an individual reacts in a ‘phony manner’.

2) Phobic - When an individual tries to avoid psychological pain.

3) Impasse - Is when a person is feeling stuck and is afraid to make a change.

4) Implosive- It is when the client develops feelings and is aware of their feeling themselves but are not yet ready to take actions related to those feeling layer when the client is authentic

5) Explosive - This is the point where the gestalt therapist wants the client to be there.

Following are the Gestalt principles of human perception:

Continuation

This principle is often used in typography based logos as a branding technique. Continuation occurs when the eye is compelled to move through one object and continue on to another object.

Similarity

Similarity refers to the tendency to perceive things that look similar as being part of one group. When members of a football team wear jerseys of the same colour, the audience can easily understand which player is representing which team even if they are all scattered on the field.

Closure

This phenomenon occurs when an image or element is incomplete or a space is not totally enclosed. If enough of a shape is hinted at, our brain will automatically fill in the information that is missing.

Proximity

This occurs when elements are placed close to each other. The positioning of the elements helps us understand the relationship between different parts.

Symmetry

Elements that are symmetrical to each other are perceived as a whole. A design can have one or more symmetries.

Figure-ground relationship

This principle suggests that the human eye separates an object from its surrounding area. A shape or form is understood as being the figure, and its surrounding area is perceived as the ground. You can choose to focus on the negative or positive space and the image might change accordingly for you.

There are three general rules of perception according to Gestalt theory:

Objects will be perceived in their simplest form:

Take the olympic logo as an example. When we look at that logo, we do not perceive it as a blue curved line intertwined by a yellow curved line intertwined by a black curved line, and so on. We perceive it as 5 different coloured rings intertwined with each other.

Humans naturally follow lines or curves:

On Indian roads, a broken white line signals that it is allowed to overtake another vehicle. We do not perceive the broken white line as many smaller lines one after the other. We still see and follow it along the road as one line despite the gaps in between.

The mind will attempt to fill in detail that isn’t actually there:

In the World Wildlife Fund for Nature logo, the panda’s head and back are technically incomplete as there are no lines finishing the graphic. But our brain uses previous knowledge (and common sense) to fill the unavailable detail.

In Gestalt therapy, diagnosis is rejected. Diagnosing a client with a problem is rigid and the Gestalt approach believes that the client is fluid. Assessment is done in real time as the contact is forming. The general assessment pattern is observe- bracket- describe. Observation is phenomenological hence it is flexible, and takes into consideration the field along with patterns of behaviour and body language. Interpretation is bracketed and is meant for the therapist only as they want to help the client form their own interpretations. Description of the visible behaviour is given from the therapist’s point of view. Overall this approach is a field approach, hence the person’s existence and interaction with the world is assessed.

Strengths

Gestalt therapy is said to help individuals gain a better understanding of how their emotional and physical needs are connected. People can learn that awareness of the present leads to an understanding of their behaviour and feelings.

Gestalt therapy can benefit those who find it difficult to express themselves fully. This therapy helps them process their emotions and express them well. It is good for those who need an introspective approach.

It has been found to be effective for managing stress, anxiety, addiction, PTSD, depression, and other psychological problems. Overall it helps people to be more confident and aware of themselves.

Weaknesses

Limitations of Gestalt therapy simply means that this kind of therapy is not suitable for certain individuals or certain problems.

For instance, even though this therapy is beneficial for a wide range of psychological problems, it is not best suited for those with major personality disorders, psychosis, or schizophrenia.

Another limitation is that the Gestalt approach does not have a clear definition of human development, as it is more concerned with ‘how’ than ‘why’. Hence problems that might be developmental in nature do not have a proper theoretical explanation in the Gestalt framework.

This therapy can also be seen as majorly self- centered, and challenging rather than supportive for the clients.

In Gestalt therapy, a group is viewed as an integrated psycho-social environment. Group therapy is practiced where there is a group leader, who is a part of the group as well as the captain of the ship. It is his/her job to lead the conversational flow, but the opinions and beliefs of the group members affect him/her as well. The point of group therapy is the development and healing of different individuals in a unified environment, keeping in mind the emotions, attitudes, and behaviours of the others and thus growing individually.

According to Gestalt, couples are perceived as one unit, not two individuals coming together. A couple is a whole which is made up of different family backgrounds, cultures, beliefs, and viewpoints.

In couples’ therapy, a therapist’s goal is to help the couple gain insight into their relationship, resolve conflicts, and maximize their satisfaction. Couples’ therapy can be for a variety of problems like opposing views, infidelity, misunderstanding, separation, etc. Some couples also go to therapy to hear a third person’s point of view on their conflicts, in hopes to find a middle ground.

Suppressive techniques are used on certain elements, like undesirable mood, which get minimized or eliminated through our conscious efforts. Suppression is essentially not engaging in counter- productive behaviours which include certain thinking patterns and emotions. This results in better regulation of our mood, reduction of distress, and feeling more in control of our emotions. Suppressive techniques can be applied in regular life by avoiding ‘aboutism’, ‘shouldism’, and ‘stale patterns’

Dream work or dream analysis is a therapy technique which aims at making people realise that they are 100% responsible for all their dream images. For e.g., if someone dreams about a big monster attacking a small child, then both the characters are manifestations of the dreamer. Dreams have a significance related directly to the dreamer. Not only every character, but also every object in the dream is a manifestation of some part of the dreamer.

Unfinished business refers to undone tasks or unresolved feelings over a long time, that hinders a person’s growth. People who have some unfinished business are often noticed to be dwelling on the past, and away from the ‘here and now’. One of the aims of Gestalt therapy is to help people get closure for their unfinished business. Resolving past conflicts helps relieve the person from pain and sorrow.

In this therapy technique, the client imagines someone or some part of themself, or a feeling/ emotion in the empty chair. The client then communicates to the imagined second party, as if they are present. At some point, the client goes and sits in that empty chair- occupying the new role. The conversation continues where the client is acting on behalf of the second party. The client can shift between the chairs as often as it is necessary.

This technique helps the client to experience different roles of themselves and/ or others. One can get in touch with one’s own feelings. It is most beneficial for those people who have difficulty expressing their emotions.

Change, or alter, is defined as making a difference in the state or condition of a thing or substituting another state or condition.

Change according to Gestalt therapy.

During the course of therapy, clients may change their attitudes, values, or behaviours. But the therapist must remain unattached, unemotional, and non-objective towards this phenomena. According to The Bristol Therapist (2017); “The Gestalt approach to therapy understands genuine change to be a paradox. Simply put, the paradoxical theory of change states the more you try to be something you are not, the more you’ll stay right where you are. Change is an organic process that takes place as a side effect of organismic growth. Organismic growth is what happens when we make full contact with our experience”.

The Gestalt field theory states that “behaviour is a function of a person in an environment”. This means that a person’s behaviour can’t be viewed in isolation from the situation they are in. This theory views the client’s behaviour as something that can be changed irrespective of the situation. Field theory implies that the individual and their behaviour can be viewed and explored in their individual experience, or in the context of the environment.

Who developed gestalt field theory?

Gestalt field theory was developed by Kurt Lewin in the 1940s.

A gestalt therapist follows the following 5 principles:

Standing for particular values and skills

Nevis suggests that a Gestalt therapist will develop and employ these values and skills: staying in the present, trusting the process, tuning into your emotions, keeping a non-judgemental approach, awareness of intentions, seeing and accepting where the client is right now, facing emotional situations with minimum personal defensiveness, and making positive social contact.

Modelling a way of solving problems and of dealing with life in general

Nevis also insists, however, that "it is important to try to identify concrete, specific behaviours that form the basis for client and gestalt therapist effectiveness" (p. 90). For example, by listening without judgment to all aspects of the client's experience, the gestalt therapist models the notion of listening impartially to oneself. By being accepting and non-judgmental of the client's feelings, the gestalt therapist models non-judgmental self-acceptance in the client. By being real and congruent and genuine, the therapist models that kind of behaviour for the client (Baldwin, 2000, p. 31).

Helping to focus the client's energy on the problems, not on preferred solutions

The gestalt approach to consulting downplays problem-solving in favour of helping the client to conceptualize that problem in new ways. Information and expertise are not withheld from the client, of course, but the gestalt therapist tirelessly focuses on the what is the here and now, while descriptively assessing the problem and its context as these unfold. The descriptive assessment offers breadth and depth to a problem definition, with the anticipation that sheer awareness of this expanded and enhanced definition may lead to a solution that was not available until that moment of awareness. The goal is to foster an "'emergent reality' that unfolds from a conversation structured by . . . curiosity about the client's ideas, attitudes, and speculations about change" (Duncan & Miller, 2000, p. 182).

Teaching basic behavioural skills

Presence is not manufactured; it is something everyone displays at all times, whether one is aware of what others respond to or not. However, presence is most powerful when it embodies a compelling model or theory of learning. While some learning models are more useful than others in influencing adult behaviour change, the important point is that the gestalt therapist has internalized one that has proven useful over time. (Nevis, 1987, p. 75).

Evoking conditions that enable experimentation

The gestalt therapist's presence aims to evoke some form of change in the system by creating awareness. Such awareness is gained not only through experience, but can also "evolve out of . . . experimentation" (Goodman, 1999, p. 63), or in the more commonly used organizational terms, through creating a "pilot."

Psychosynthesis is based on several key assumptions: All people have incredible potential, most of which are never realized.

1) Humans have an innate tendency to synthesize or integrate all aspects of who they are, in order to reach their full potential.

2) Psychosynthesis strives to work in harmony with this natural tendency in order to help individuals attain a high level of self-actualization and self-realization – i.e. move towards their highest potential.

3) The challenges we face in life are opportunities for increased self-awareness, personal growth, and transformation. We always have a choice in terms of how we respond to life‘s challenges.

4) The role of the therapist isn‘t to give advice or offer interpretation; rather, it‘s to support and guide clients as they explore and discover their own solutions to whatever problems they‘re facing.

Awareness has 5 important qualities:

Contact

When you come in contact with or are exposed to the environment, you come in contact with your awareness. Example: When you lift a rose, you feel the petal and come in contact with the gentleness of the petal, and when you touch the thorn you feel the prick.

Sensing

You try to make sense of the environment by determining the nature of the environment, for example, when you suddenly feel a prick or when something is poking you, you try to make sense and try to understand whether it is a pin that is poking you or a thorn.

Excitement

The environment will trigger you to take some responsibility or express some emotion. Like if you feel the pain of the prick, you will wince audibly or if you find that the prick you are feeling is from some harmful weapon or animal, you will shout for help or run and save yourself.

Figure

Formation: Awareness is shaped by what is important to you and that is how your figure gets formed, the figure is formed by what is important for you at this particular moment. Again, to give an example, if you feel a prick due to a pin, as it is a minute prick, you tend to ignore it as your figure formation leans towards your goal: which is to get this article done. Whereas if the prick is felt by a rusted nail and you are bleeding badly, your figure is now to deal with the pain and see how you can prevent further damage and at this time, writing articles is no more your focus.

Wholeness

This is an optional step, as not all awareness will lead to closure (wholeness). Wholeness will depend on whether the task undertaken is completed or left in between.

In order to create awareness, a phenomenological and existential dialogue between the therapist and client is necessary. In Gestalt, change in the client is not brought about by the therapist, but rather by the contact that is formed between the two through honest dialogue. Thus, the therapist engages the client in dialogue instead of manipulating the client towards the therapeutic goals. Genuine contact is formed through honesty, awareness, acceptance, and empathy.

In therapy, self can be seen in three different ways:

The ‘self’ as a process

Some therapists view the ‘self’ as an attribute that is always continuing and always changing.

The ‘self’ as multi-dimensional

Some therapists view ‘self’ as something that consists of layers. These layers have to be harmoniously connected to each other and all of them should function well.

The ‘self’ as dialogical

‘Self’ can be seen as some psychological construct that describes the mind of the person and that is in some interaction with others.

In philosophical understanding, the ‘self’ is something that is a large part of a human being and that co-exists with the notion of ‘others’. So if there is ‘self’, then there are ‘others’. Therefore it means, ‘self’ cannot exist without ‘others’ and is connected to ‘others’ through relationships. When ‘self’ is explored through therapy, the person’s feelings and emotions in relation to ‘others’ are explored too.

The concept of self can also be compared to the Freudian concept of ‘ego’. In Greek, the personal pronoun used to designate the first person is ‘ego’, and the Gestalt approach also revolves around the ‘I’.

A positive therapeutic relationship is initially formed by being genuine and empathetic with a client. Having a non-judgemental and trusting approach towards the client and their capabilities, giving early evidence of being helpful, clear communication, and choosing the right language to bond are very important factors. Besides these, forming an emotional bond with the client by being intellectually, physically, and emotionally available for them as well as giving them undivided attention is necessary. Last but not the least, connecting and engaging with the client over their likes, dislikes, common interests, people in their lives, etc. adds a personal touch.

Therapy carried out over a phone is known as telephone based therapy. The major advantage of this therapy is its convenience. When it is physically not possible to go out and meet your therapist, it seems feasible to do so over the phone. However it also has downsides, the biggest one is not being able to see each other, which is a hindering factor for building a positive therapeutic relationship. It is difficult for the therapist to judge the client’s emotions as s/he cannot read their facial expressions or body language.

Online therapy can be as effective as face-to-face therapy. It can be done over email. This type of therapy is suitable for those who don’t have access to nearby facilities, are too embarrassed or anxious to talk about problems and hence prefer communicating via email, or if they live in another city or country.

Online Gestalt therapy is not suitable for those who are in the midst of a serious crisis, or are not comfortable using the internet, or simply cannot express their feelings through writing. It can also be a hindrance when people don’t realise that e-therapy is fairly new and does have its downsides.

The first similarity between Gestalt and Psycho-analysis is that both forms of therapy follow a directive approach. This means that the course of the therapy is directed by the counsellor or therapist as per the relevance and specific requirements.

The second similarity is that of wholeness and the self. Both therapies emphasise on a person’s id, ego, and superego and its relation with the self, society, and culture.

Another similarity is that Gestalt therapy and Psycho-analysis aim towards a person’s growth and development. This includes lesser regression and greater focus on the present.

Gestalt is ‘active’ whilst psychoanalysis is ‘quiet’. Gestalt therapists have to constantly be aware and present in the therapy, challenge the clients as well as encourage them to be mindful and present, and constantly demand feedback so as to keep the clients in the ‘here and now’. Psycho-analysis mainly involves listening, letting the client talk freely about things that come to their minds, and occasional interpretations.

Gestalt, once again, focuses on the present. Psycho-analysis delves into the past, unconscious memories, dreams, fantasies, etc.

Gestalt therapists generally engage in as few or as many sessions as required. The duration of this therapy is completely based on the situation and the rapport between the therapist and the client. Psycho-analysts tend to conduct therapy sessions over several weeks or even months.

In Gestalt, the emphasis is purely on accepting responsibility for one’s own life which is influenced by the environment. According to Psycho-analysis, the unconscious forces, such as our ego, are to blame for our problems.

The origin of psycho-analysis can be found in the works of Sigmund Freud. The aim of this therapy is to release repressed emotions, feelings, and experiences; or make the unconscious conscious.

According to Webster’s dictionary, psycho-analysis is a method of analyzing psychic phenomena and treating emotional disorders that involves treatment sessions during which the person is encouraged to talk freely about personal experiences and especially about early childhood and dreams.

Change, or alter, is defined as making a difference in the state or condition of a thing or substituting another state or condition. During the course of therapy, clients may change their attitudes, values, or behaviours. But the therapist must remain unattached, unemotional, and non-objective towards this phenomena. According to The Bristol Therapist (2017); “The Gestalt approach to therapy understands genuine change to be a paradox. Simply put, the paradoxical theory of change states the more you try to be something you are not, the more you’ll stay right where you are. Change is an organic process that takes place as a side effect of organismic growth. Organismic growth is what happens when we make full contact with our experience”.

Awareness is the primary goal of the Gestalt process. Being aware means being fully in touch with yourself and your surroundings, which include the people around you. Awareness includes all your senses, feelings, emotions, and thinking. Awareness also includes full acceptance of self and others, taking responsibility for your own emotions, behaviours, and actions. Gestalt aims for awareness to be a continuous process.

The second philosophy is that of ‘phenomenology’. Phenomenology is almost artistic in nature. A therapist creates meaning out of what s/he observes during the therapy, instead of relying on experience and expertise. The client is also encouraged to do the same. Both the therapist and the client are expected to bring all their emotions, feelings, senses to the table during therapy and construct an understanding of the current situation from a fresh perspective.

Gestalt therapy is based on three philosophies. The first is the ‘field theory’, which means that the therapist attends to the entire “field” of the client, including the background, subject matter, and the “here and now” process in the present. According to Gestalt therapists, no experience or emotion exists on its own. Each element in our field interacts with, and is dependent upon each other.

Counselling and psychotherapy are often used interchangeably even though there are a few differences between the two. The main similarity between the two would be that both are forms of talk therapy, or therapy through communication. The key point of difference between the two would be that counselling is a relatively brief treatment than psychotherapy, and it majorly revolves around dealing with behavioural patterns.

Counselling helps people in identifying and correcting maladaptive behaviours and taking positive steps towards healthy coping mechanisms. Counselling is helpful for people with a good insight about their presenting problems and have the ability to resolve their issues.

Psychotherapy on the other hand aims to aid people with psychological problems that have developed over the course of several years. It helps people identify the reasoning and background behind their issues, and helps them gain insight.

Psychotherapy, also known as talk therapy, is a way to eliminate or control distressing symptoms of various mental illnesses or disorders, or emotional problems. Psychotherapy is useful for a wide variety of issues ranging from depression, anxiety, trauma to impact of financial, socio-economic, political unrest, losing a loved one, losing a job, relationship problems, and so on. Psychotherapy may be coupled with medication or other forms of therapy for optimum outcomes.

Following are some other forms of therapy:

CBT

Cognitive behavioural therapy is a psychological intervention technique which aims to improve mental health. It primarily focuses on challenging unhealthy coping mechanisms and thought patterns, improving emotional regulation and developing personal coping techniques to overcome problems.

REBT

Rational emotive behaviour therapy is a kind of behavioural therapy devised by Albert Ellis. It's an approach that helps you identify irrational beliefs and negative thought patterns that may lead to emotional or behavioral issues.

3 main beliefs of REBT

REBT therapists strive to help their clients develop three types of acceptance:

(1) unconditional self-acceptance,

(2) unconditional other-acceptance, and

(3) unconditional life-acceptance.

DBT

Dialectic behavioural therapy is a kind of CBT that was developed to treat borderline personality disorder. It may be useful in dealing with suicidal ideation, substance abuse, self harm, and mood disorders.

Fritz Perls founded Gestalt therapy in Germany along with his wife Laura in the 1940s. He was trained in psychiatry and psychoanalysis, but he found himself disagreeing with certain Freudian theories, which led him to develop his own form of therapy. He fled Nazi Germany with his wife and moved to the Netherlands, then South Africa, before finally settling in New York City, where he worked on his books.

Gestalt therapy is a person-centered form of psychotherapy that focuses on the client’s present life and challenges rather than looking into past experiences. An important part of therapy is an individual’s past life, but Gestalt therapy places greater importance on the ‘here and now’ experience of the client. Understanding the context of a person’s current experiences is vital according to Gestalt therapists. The reason behind such an approach is for the clients to take responsibility rather than placing blame.

Gestalt psychology originates in the works of Max Wertheimer, Kurt Koffka and Wolfgang Köhler as a response to Titchener’s structuralism. Structuralists believed that all experiences can be broken down into individual sensations and emotions. Propagators of Gestalt school of thought psychological events cannot be broken down into smaller parts. The famous saying ‘whole is greater than the sum of its parts’ was born out of their work.

“Gestalt” as a concept was introduced by German philosopher Christian Von Ehrenfels in 1890. The term “gestalt” is abstracted from “ungestalt” (German word for ‘deformity’), which is why there is still no exact translation for “gestalt”. According to Webster’s dictionary, gestalt means “something that is made of many parts and yet is somehow more than or different from the combination of its parts”. It is commonly defined as a ‘form, or ‘shape’, a ‘unified whole’ or ‘configuration’. It was later founded as a school of psychology by Max Wertheimer, Kurt Koffka, and Wolfgang Köhler in 1912.

Gestalt Psychology is a school of thought which speculates that the human brain tends to organise visual elements as a ‘unified whole’ rather than merely a gathering of individual components. When we try to make sense of the world, we do not simply focus on each small element; instead we tend to look at those as a part of a bigger, more complex system. ‘Gestalt’ is a word of German origin which roughly translates to ‘an organised whole’ or a ‘configuration’.

International Center for Training and Research in Gestalt Psychology

Frequently asked questions

Gestalt approach on I-Thou relationship

What is the I-It mode?

What is the significance of an I-thou mode of therapy?

What are the goals of I-Thou therapy?

How does one function in I-thou mode?

What is an I-Thou relationship?

What is spirituality?

What are some other types of mental disorders?

What are the 3 clusters of personality disorders?

Personality disorders

Schizophrenia

What are the two major types of mood disorders?

Mood disorders

What are the different types of dissociative disorders?

Dissociative disorders

What are the different types of anxiety disorders?

Anxiety disorders

5 categories of abnormal psychology

What is psychopathology?

What is abnormal behaviour?

What is abnormal psychology?

What are the 5 core techniques?

Who developed the technique of psychodrama?

What is psychodrama?

Is forgiveness a skill?

How does a person forgive?

Does forgiveness lead to healing?

How does forgiveness affect the forgiver?

Who should be forgiven?

What is forgiveness?

What are the two dialogues in a communication?

How does communication occur?

What is communication?

Weaknesses of the unconscious

Strengths of the unconscious

What are the components of the unconscious mind?

3 levels of mind according to Freud.

What are the five layers of adult personality?

Gestalt theory of personality

Who developed the OCEAN model of personality?

OCEAN model of personality

Eysenck’s 3 dimensions of personality

Cattell’s 16 personality factor questionnaire

Allport’s trait theory

Trait approach to personality

Genital stage (puberty to death)

Latency stage (6 years of age to puberty)

Electra complex

Oedipus complex

Phallic stage (3-6 years of age)

Anal stage (1-3 years of age)

Oral stage (birth to 1 year of age)

Psychosexual stages of development

What is superego?

What is ego?

What is id?

Freudian theory of personality

What is the definition of personality?

Fantasies and gestalt therapy

What are fantasies?

Difference between shame and guilt

What is guilt?

What is shame?

According to Brown, what is vulnerability the birthplace of?

Are vulnerability and shame related?

Who is Brené Brown?

What, according to Brené Brown, is the definition of vulnerability?

What is vulnerability?

Examples of negative emotions

Examples of positive emotions

What are some common emotions?

What are emotions?

How to work with client’s impasse?

What is an impasse?

Transference in Gestalt therapy.

Origin of the term ‘transference’.

What is transference?

What is projection?