Gestalt Therapy Theory Research Articles

Sospesi su ponteggi vacillanti, / ci sosteniamo con le nostre / fissazioni. Il disturbo ossessivo-compulsivo: una esplorazione fenomenologica e gestaltica

This article presents an approach to obsessive-compulsive disorder based on the Gestalt therapy theory, Gestalt psychology and psychiatric phenomenology. After establishing a diagnostic framework, the experiences of patients are explored, starting from the experience of space and time, of the relationship between details and the whole, of boundaries, and of materiality. In the light of the Gestalt theory of perception, the obsessive-compulsive symptom is framed as a creative adjustment protecting the patient from more severe suffering in a situation in which the bodily sensorial ground is permeated with terror. After describing how the obsessive-compulsive field is aesthetically actualized in therapy, a number of issues are highlighted that can help therapists in their journey with the sufferers.

Contact Interruptions (2003)

Contact Interruptions (2003)

"‘Suspended from shaky scaffolding, we secure ourselves with our fixations.’ A phenomenological and Gestalt exploration of obsessive-compulsive disorder "

"Abstract: This article presents an approach to obsessive–compulsive disorder based on Gestalt therapy theory, Gestalt psychology, and psychiatric phenomenology. After establishing a diagnostic framework, the experiences of clients are explored, starting from the experience of space and time, of the relationship between details and the whole, of boundaries, and of materiality. In the light of the Gestalt theory of perception, the obsessive– compulsive symptom is framed as a creative adjustment able to protect the client from much worse suffering, in a situation in which the bodily sensorial ground is permeated with terror. After describing how the obsessive–compulsive field is aesthetically actualised in therapy, a number of issues and passages are highlighted that can help therapists in their journey with the sufferers. Keywords: obsessive–compulsive disorder, Gestalt therapy, phenomenology, Gestalt psychology, perception, psychopathology, psychopathological field, language, aesthetics."

THE VIEWS OF PROFESSIONALS ON FAMILY PLAY THERAPY IN THE CONTEXT OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE IN SOUTH AFRICA

This article reports on the information gathering and synthesis phase of an intervention research process. The aim was to obtain the views of professionals working in the field of child sexual abuse (CSA) in South Africa on family play therapy. This article outlines the findings based on data gathered from focus groups with professionals. Data were analysed and four themes emerged. The first theme centred on the importance of moving increasingly to systemic approaches in the context of CSA. Theme 2 outlined the views of professionals on inadequate knowledge and skills to engage in family play therapy. The third theme expanded on a family play therapy framework with suggestions that gestalt therapy theory can be valuable. Theme 4 pointed to a structured an individualised approach with a helping process where there is a balance between process goals and problem goals.

Integrating Gestalt psychotherapy into social work practice with adult oncology patients

ABSTRACTThis article will provide an examination of Gestalt psychotherapy and its application to adult cancer patients. Gestalt psychotherapy can be utilized as a psychosocial intervention targeted to meet the needs of oncology patients. The following article will examine Gestalt therapy theory and review basic principles to utilize in clinical practice. The authors will highlight the populations to which Gestalt has been applied, and additional case vignettes will demonstrate concrete ways to incorporate this theory into practice with oncology patients.

Sustainability in a Fragile Ecological Era: A Gestalt Therapist's Response

This article provides a Gestalt therapist's perspective on the ways we can understand individuals' responses to the current ecological crisis and the challenge of sustainability. Some of the underlying assumptions that appear to shape our creative adjustments are insufficient in and of themselves. The author develops aspects of Gestalt therapy theory's radical epistemology, elicited by field theory and the wisdom of the body, as an alternative to the prevailing rationalised and reasoned view that has informed current responses. Hope is maintained that our Gestalt therapy practice may foster novel responses that sustain and nourish our planet and all who inhabit her by: (1) extending the field to include a wider ecology of relational interactions; (2) moving from configuring our ecological problem as a crisis to one of supporting creativity; (3) attending to our sensorial, animating intersubjective bodies rooted in a relational field; (4) fostering a practice of radical inclusion.

Gestalt Couples Therapy in the Field of Trauma

The field of Gestalt therapy has long had a troubled relationship with mainstream psychotherapy. The decades long assent of cognitive-behavioral and other, more objectively oriented therapies moved Gestalt even further from common acceptance as a valid alternative for treatment. Couple’s therapy, in particular, has not commonly been seen as a natural “fit” for Gestalt practice. The author’s view is that the recent rise of integrated therapy and the need for Evidence-Based Treatment separate from issues of allegiance to a particular school of therapy has created a new opportunity to reconsider Gestalt therapy theory and practice in couple’s work. It is particularly relevant for work with couples in which one or both have been traumatized. Recent developments in Gestalt practice offers a fresh approach for such work, especially in regard to its focus on resolving underlying shame and the need for the couple to develop mutual acceptance at a deep level. Both these therapeutic tasks are vital in work with traumatized clients. These Gestalt tasks can easily be integrated with other, more mainstream models of working with trauma and working couples. An example of this integrated approach is offered to explore the ramifications of the theoretical assertion.

Gestalt therapy’s embodied styles

"Abstract: This paper describes and gives concrete examples of five styles of working with body experience in the practice of Gestalt therapy. I discuss how body experience has been an integrated part of Gestalt therapy theory and practice from its inception, and quote a number of Gestalt therapy’s senior thinkers and teachers who have written about their distinct ways of working with body in their practices. Key words: action therapy, retroflecting, introjecting, relational, intersubjective, encountering the novel, awareness, directed movement, expressive movement, metaphor, touch."

Large groups, collective gestalts and prejudices – autoethnographic reflections on attending large groups in training

"Abstract: This is a single case study on attending large groups in psychotherapy training using autoethnographic theory. Originating in a description of the personal experiences of the author attending large groups, this article presents an introduction to a wide range of large groups across different therapeutic modalities and examines an application of Gestalt therapy theory to understanding large group processes. A proposition is made to consider collective gestalts in working with large groups and to understand them as an ongoing dialogue among often opposing social forces. It is suggested that openness towards one’s own prejudices, and a rejection of finality create supportive conditions for attending to collective gestalts when participating and facilitating large groups. The article concludes with describing outcomes of large groups in three areas: diversity, learning therapeutic skills, and community building. Key words: large groups, autoethnography, prejudices, diversity, groups, psychotherapy training."

A Gestalt Approach to Social Work Practice

Although there is a body of literature that applies Gestalt therapy techniques to clinical practice, little has been written about the use of Gestalt therapy theory as a comprehensive framework for social work practice as a whole. Gestalt therapy theory unifies social work's ecological and strength perspectives and is highly consonant with the core values of the profession. Four major theoretical aspects of Gestalt therapy that are highly applicable to social work practice are described: field theory, “I-Thou” relationship, creative adjustment, and the phenomenological perspective. Case examples are provided to demonstrate a Gestalt approach to social work practice.

Contacting Gender

Abstract Gestalt therapists are uniquely positioned to address issues of gender and sexuality in authentic and empowering ways. However, gender has been a relatively neglected territory within Gestalt therapy theory and professional discourse. Drawing on social and somatic theories of gender, this article articulates how Gestalt therapists might harness existing skills and orientations to become significant contributors to the evolving debates on gender and sexuality in counseling and psychotherapy. The author describes a four-step approach to professional development on gender issues focused on application to Gestalt therapy practice.

Beyond words: the function and value of silence in therapy

"Abstract: In this article, I intend to create a deeper understanding of the functions and value of silence, as well as exploring how we might work with silence to better support and enhance the therapeutic ground. I shall explore the phenomenon of silence, by looking to Western society, the wider cultural field, and to Gestalt Therapy Theory (GTT). I argue that the phenomenon of silence travels along a continuum, and requires the same amount of investigation and understanding as its relational counterpart, dialogue. I go back to our basic Gestalt theoretical tenets to see how these can support us in investigating the structure of our client’s situation even further, in order to gain a deeper understanding of their unique silent phenomenology, as well as our own. Key words: Gestalt therapy, silence, interruptions to contact, fertile void, dialogue, phenomen- ology, inclusion, groups, culture, creativity, polarities, relationship."

Development of the Self: A Presentation of Kegan's Subject-Object Theory

AbstractThe concept of self presents a central, and yet thorny, issue for Gestalt therapy theory. The lack of a Gestalt developmental theory limits the elucidation of this vital concept. Kegan's theory of self-development provides one possibility to ground Gestalt therapy theory within a developmental framework. This article presents an overview of Kegan's theory, highlighting interesting points of connection between developmental theory and concepts from Gestalt therapy.

Companion animals as assistant therapists: embodying our animal selves

"Abstract: This article introduces the concept of Gestalt Animal Assisted Psychotherapy (GAAP). Clinical vignettes are used to demonstrate how companion animals enhance the therapeutic encounter within a Gestalt framework. The authors highlight the here and now, embodied, experimental and relational aspects of Gestalt therapy theory through their work. Key words: Gestalt, Animal Assisted Psychotherapy, GAAP, embodied, experiment, rela- tional, companion animal, non-verbal, inter-species, co-created."

Commentary III. Finding the Line: Resolving Dialectical Tensions in Developmental and Gestalt Therapy Theory

Abstract In this response to Margherita Spagnuolo Lobb's article, I address three of the domains described and highlight them as dialectical tensions that must be resolved in an ongoing process of healthy development. I work to tie these dialectical domains from Gestalt theory into the larger theme from developmental theory, regarding the way in which we grow through such healthy resolution of the dialectical tensions we face.

Toward a Developmental Perspective in Gestalt Therapy Theory and Practice: The Polyphonic Development of Domains

AbstractTo answer the question, “What developmental theory is coherent for a Gestalt therapist?” the author states that, as clinicians, Gestalt therapists are not interested in a theory of development in itself, but in a “developmental mind” (a map to understand how the past reveals itself in the present) that can help them intuit both the evolution of contact modes in clients and their interrupted movement – the blocked intentionality for contact that calls to be freed in the present moment. She presents a model to observe how the resources of our clients have either kept their freshness or have become dormant.As a key theme in this work, the author proposes the concept of polyphonic development of domains, a suitable way of looking at the client's development in the here-and-now of the session, in order to support the excitement for contact which has lost its spontaneity in development. She describes Gestalt domains, with their characteristics and risks. Finally, she illustrates these concepts with a clinical example.

Calling for a Gestalt Developmental Perspective

AbstractThe aim of this paper is to address the need for a developmental theory in Gestalt therapy, and to discuss whether a Gestalt developmental perspective is possible (Part I). For this purpose, Gordon Wheeler's suggestion for a whole-field developmental model will be reviewed. In the second part of the paper, some basic concepts of Self psychology and Intersubjective systems theory (Intersubjectivity theory) will be presented to show how they bear similarity with Gestalt therapy theory. More specifically, the developmental ideas of these theories, and their possible contribution to the formation of a Gestalt developmental theory, will be presented. The third part will describe what a development-oriented Gestalt approach would entail.

Empathy and understanding: phenomenology and hermeneutics in relational Gestalt psychotherapy

"Abstract: Since the work of Martin Buber was absorbed into the theory and practice of Gestalt psychotherapy the subject of inclusion, or empathy, has featured prominently in its discourse. In contrast, the subject of understanding is noticeable by its absence. This paper sets out to examine and describe these two related, but distinct, phenomena in an effort to contribute to the increasing literature of Gestalt therapy theory and practice written from a relational perspective. The German hermeneutist Wilhelm Dilthey provides a valuable starting point for a discussion of how the terms understanding and empathy can be understood and utilised. Key words: phenomenology, hermeneutics, empathy, understanding, Wilhelm Dilthey, rela- tional."

The role of Gestalt group supervision in the education of psychology and counselling professionals

"Abstract: Clinical supervision is a requirement in the education of counselling and psycho- logy professionals. Using a supervision approach that combines concepts from Gestalt therapy theory and group process and development is recommended. Guidelines for Gestalt group supervision are outlined and discussed. Key words: Gestalt group supervision, group dynamics, group development, group process."

Developing the Concept of Organismic Need

Abstract The emergence and satisfaction of physiological needs such as hunger or thirst in the service of homeostasis has served as the paradigmatic example for organismic self-regulation within Gestalt therapy theory. It is argued that this metaphor is a poor model of organismic self-regulation; it obscures not only differences between separable processes of homeostatic and equilibrative regulation, but also differences between physiological and psychological needs. This, in turn, has led to the failure to recognize the developmental nature of psychological needs. Kegan's model of self-development is presented as an illustration of a developmentally sensitive approach.