In modern psychology, a direction such as Gestalt therapy is gaining popularity. She uses very gentle approaches to people. There is also a term called “unfinished gestalt” that can be closed. But what kind of words are these? What is it - to close the gestalt? Let's look at all the answers below, but first you need to understand what this word actually means.
What does Gestalt psychology mean?
In general, from the German gestalt is translated as “form”, “personality”, image” and “figure”. What is gestalt in simple words? It is a term and the basic unit of consciousness and psyche in Gestalt psychology, which originated at the beginning of the 20th century. The essence is that from these units of perception a whole is formed, irreducible to the sum of its parts. The founder of this direction (or, in other words, school) of psychology is considered to be Max Wertheimer. Gestalt psychology explains issues of perception and thinking.
Gestalt therapy
Above we talked about Gestalt psychology. But this direction should not be confused with Gestalt therapy, which appeared only in the 50s of the last century. Although she adopted a significant part of the ideas from Gestalt psychology, here she relates more to psychiatry. In Gestalt therapy, greater importance is placed on the practice of working with people. Typically this term is used to refer to a psychiatrist or psychologist who helps a client develop self-awareness, work through what is troubling them, and let go of a disturbing past. A very important concept in Gestalt therapy is the phrase “closed Gestalt”. What does it mean to close it? What does this term even mean?
Close gestalt - what does it mean?
Almost every person has events in his life that he mentally sometimes or often returns to, experiences again and again, or even thinks about how he could have done it differently. Cases vary in severity. For example, a woman experienced a sharp and painful breakup with the man she loved, and now constantly remembers this, reflects on how she should have done everything “right” in order to prevent it. This also includes, for example, the death of loved ones. And it is precisely this state of a person, when he mentally returns to something disturbing from the past, that is called an incomplete gestalt. It happens in love, in relationships with people, in self-realization and much more.
This concept even includes ordinary anxiety about unfinished business. This is not true of the past, but everyone feels a weight on their shoulders if they have some unfinished business. They are “hanging” on the list, but sometimes it is very difficult for people to take them on. And things continue to pile up. But what does it mean to close the gestalt? In simple words, this means letting go of all this burden that is pressing.
In such situations, a psychologist or psychotherapist specializing in Gestalt therapy can be very helpful. It helps you understand yourself and close the gestalt with an individual approach to a person.
Why are incomplete gestalts harmful?
Now let's move on to a more detailed consideration of the dangerous consequences. First of all, if a person has accumulated a lot of unfinished tasks, plans, projects, then sooner or later this will overload him and cause constant anxiety. Here you can draw a parallel with a brand new car or apartment. If you never take care of them after purchase, then everything will begin to get dirty over time, dirt, dust, possibly scratches, damage, breakages, cockroaches, etc. will appear.
When the gestalt in a relationship is unfinished or after a situation that caused psychological trauma, things are usually more complicated. Here, the help of a specialist is desirable, because it is difficult for the person himself to get rid of anxiety. In order to continue to live normally or even happily in society, it is worth closing the gestalt. What does it mean? This means that anyone can develop depression, apathy and other more serious problems. Health and sleep problems may also occur.
How to neutralize gestalt?
In general, in Gestalt therapy there are several steps to neutralize the feeling of incompleteness:
- Awareness of the true causes of your anxiety. Here you can try to make a list of things that you still can’t finish.
- Next, you need to pull yourself together, set aside some time and complete all projects, tasks, and more.
- Now the gestalt is closed. But for prevention, you should not allow yourself to be overloaded with unfinished tasks or worries.
In other words, you first need to understand your feelings, realize what is really important and why. You shouldn't keep your feelings to yourself. You can tell someone about this, experience the feelings, which will help you let them go later.
Then you need to “clean up” your life: get rid of unnecessary things, finish things, remove all the “stones” that get in the way. It happens that a person does not really understand what he needs to finish and what is bothering him. In such cases, it often happens that you literally need a general cleaning of your home, getting rid of trash and garbage, as well as “cleaning” your environment and streamlining your routine. For everyone, such big and small things accumulate throughout their lives. In order not to delay too much with them, it is advisable to clean them at least a couple of times a month.
In addition to small matters, the issue of unfinished gestalt often concerns more global things: dreams and life goals, for example. The problem is that our desires can be deceiving. Behind one dream lies a thirst for something completely different. And here self-analysis is important. Perhaps it is better to let go of an unfinished gestalt in some cases than to close it, to understand that it is not yours, than to worry about the lack of implementation.
But to achieve true goals you will need a push. For example, do you want to be a dancer all your life, but have you ever thought about it? You should get together and finally sign up for a dance course or take any other action that can begin the path to realizing your dream.
How to close the gestalt in a relationship
Whether it's a man or a woman, separation or severe loss can happen to anyone. Typically, female representatives worry about this more often. The main reason for the feeling of gestalt incompleteness in a relationship is reflection, an attempt to find the reason in oneself, even if the breakup was initiated by the partner. This also includes constant thoughts about what should have been done differently, behaved differently, been different, and this would not have happened.
If a situation arises when the past does not let go, then it is undesirable to keep everything to yourself. If you want to cry, then you should do it. After the emotions are released, you need to come to your senses and distract yourself with something else (a hobby, for example). This will help you analyze the situation and better understand yourself, and understand the reasons for the unclosed gestalt.
It makes sense to first “let off steam” and emotions after a past relationship, then forgive your ex-love and, finally, thank you for everything good and bright and let go.
But if it doesn’t work out, and it doesn’t go away over time, then it’s advisable to consult a psychotherapist.
Consequences of an incomplete gestalt in relationships
Feelings and signs of incompleteness may include anger, anger, and resentment towards a partner. This is usually felt along with a feeling of longing and a desire for your ex to return. Some of the main problems that can arise due to an incomplete gestalt in a relationship are:
- depression, apathy;
- fear and mistrust of the opposite sex;
- unpreparedness for a new relationship (it is difficult to fall in love again and open up to a person if there is still a feeling of incompleteness in a past relationship);
- pessimism, a formed negative scenario in thoughts regarding relationships;
- there are new relationships in which everything seems to be fine, but internal anxiety and thoughts about the past do not allow a person to completely relax;
- also, the unclosed gestalt of past relationships can spill over and manifest itself in new ones; for example, a person has been cheated on by a partner, and in his subsequent relationships he will expect betrayal, suspect, be jealous;
- a woman can become very dependent on her partner for fear of losing him again.
It is worth noting that incompleteness can arise even in a permanent relationship when there has been no breakup. This can happen if a woman is prone to dependence on her partner and invests much more in their relationship than a man.
How to prevent incomplete gestalts?
The best method of dealing with something is prevention. To prevent the appearance of unclosed gestalts, you should:
- do your best to avoid laziness and complete all tasks on time;
- 2-3 times a month devote time to unfinished gestalts;
- carry out general cleaning regularly;
- express feelings if it is difficult to keep them inside;
- regularly review your desires.
Visits to a psychologist are also suitable for prevention.
These are just the main points. Everything is different for each person. Nevertheless, we can definitely say that closing the gestalt on your own is more than possible.
Conclusion
Close Gestalt - what does it mean? In short, it means finishing things and all the unfinished things that bother us. It sounds simple, but it can cause a lot of difficulty for a person. Unfinished gestalts include many things, from accumulated projects to the unreleased past.
If a person has worked through all this, completed external affairs and got rid of the feeling of unfinished internal, then we can consider that the gestalt is closed. This means being freed: now you can live calmly and almost without worry.
Gestalt therapy is Psychotherapy method humanistic orientation (humane and respectful)
As an example, I will give other methods: psychoanalysis, existential therapy.
Duration of Gestalt therapy:
Gestalt therapy, among others, is a relatively short-term method. The course can last from 10-20 to 100-200 sessions. The duration of therapy depends on the complexity of the problem and on the client’s desire to solve it more deeply or more superficially, on the client’s readiness to move further or closer to a high quality of his life.
Who does a Gestalt therapist work with:
First of all, with mentally healthy people, although correction of people who are in borderline status is also possible.
What problems does a Gestalt therapist work with:
With the full range of psychological difficulties
- Problems of interpersonal relationships (child-parent, male-female, business and friendly: infidelity, loneliness, flirting, personal attractiveness, love triangles, etc.).
- Intrapersonal problems (difficulties in self-esteem, self-acceptance, emotional states, depression, addiction, psychosomatic disorders, panic attacks, physical illnesses of unknown origin)).
Goals and values of Gestalt therapy:
- achieving the client’s internal integrity (gestalt is integrity)
- healthy aggressiveness (activity) of the client
- awareness and overcoming by the client of self-interruptions in achieving the goal
- recognition and implementation by the client of his true needs
- developing the client’s abilities for effective contact and dialogue with others.
Theoretical foundations of Gestalt therapy (features of the method):
1.Figure and background
What do you see in the picture? This is a very famous gestalt picture that demonstrates the characteristics of our perception. It has been proven that a person can only see one thing at a time - a vase or 2 profiles, but not both at the same time!
Looking around, into the world, we see only one of our figures. The rest remains in the background, we just ignore it!
Example: people came to a party. An alcoholic sees first of all the bottle, a lover sees his girlfriend, and someone who wants to communicate sees potential interlocutors. While reading this text, you also hear your own, choose your own figure from the text.
Behind any figure there is always a need, but it is not obvious. One of the first tasks of the Gestalt therapist is to identify the client’s need figure with which he came, and the way in which the person’s fulfillment of the need is interrupted.
I want to clarify that there can be many desires, but people literally have three basic needs: security - trust, intimacy - autonomy and recognition.
2. The principle of unfinished situations
In the course of research and experiments, Gestalt psychologists noticed that people tend to form the same type of negative situations in their lives. The phenomenon was namedUnfinished Gestalt
Have you noticed that in the life of any person you can easily see the same type of unpleasant situations repeated many times? For example, a cheating or drinking husband, or everyone is on someone’s neck, and someone is chronically lonely, poor, abandoned, etc.
So, the principle of unfinished situations is that the psyche cannot calm down and maintains tension until the problem is resolved. That is, a person provokes the reproduction of unpleasant situations with the secret goal of finally resolving them.
An unfinished situation is a source of chronic tension that drains our vital energy. The best thing to do is to end/close/resolve the situation.
As in life, so in the process of psychotherapy, the client recreates his unfinished situation in the relationship with the psychotherapist. And this is very good, since the Gestalt therapist, in the process of work, helps to gain new positive experience within this painful scheme and successfully complete the Gestalt. The client transfers this new experience of completion into his normal life, solving a lot of problems.
3. The principle of “here and now”
In the theory of Gestalt therapy, it is believed that right here and now all unfinished situations appear, which means that here and now, at any moment in life, there is an opportunity to resolve them! There is no great need to remember childhood or past lives. Right here and now, by posture, gaze, voice, words, choice of topics of conversation - the emotional background created by the client, an experienced Gestalt therapist detects and goes to work with current traumas, internal conflicts, unfinished situations, bodily illnesses of the client.
4. The principle of dialogue
A conversation with a client in Gestalt therapy is based on the principle of dialogue, i.e. equal positions (not above, above or below). This is an honest conversation between two equal, unique people. It seems like nothing special, but according to research, such a conversation has very strong healing properties.
The client automatically transfers the mastered skill of dialogical conversation with a psychotherapist into his everyday life, and this helps to establish, establish dialogical, harmonious relationships there, and resolve a lot of difficulties.
5.Contact theory
Gestalt therapy is based on contact theory. This theory explains the interaction of a person with the environment in the process of realizing his needs. The so-called arc of contact has 4 stages:
Pre-contact. The person feels vague anxiety, agitation or discomfort. Having listened to his physical and emotional sensations, realizing what is currently attracting his interest in the world around him, he can, for example, realize that he is hungry, and he is attracted to the types of food and grocery stores.The essence of this phase is to, based on your feelings - physical, emotional, etc., identify the figure of your need, and answer the question: what do I want now? If this is successful, the energy in a person increases, and he moves on to the next phase, moving towards the realization of his need. If he doesn't answer the question, i.e. he does not have a clear experience of “Aha, that’s what I want!”, then he hangs in muddy discomfort.
Contacting. At this phase, a person contacts the environment, trying to choose what will most fully satisfy his need. In the case of food, he tries to choose what exactly he wants to eat now - fruit or sausage, perhaps he tries both, trying to decide. The successful completion of this phase is the selection of an object of need (for example, sausage). The choice should not be made arbitrarily, but on the basis of sensations, feelings, trials, experiments. If a person avoids choosing and trying, then he gets stuck in painful doubts at this phase.
Full contact. At this phase, a person comes into direct contact with the object of his need and satisfies it. For example, he enjoys eating sausage. The successful completion of this phase is a feeling of deep satisfaction and relaxation. In case of failure, dissatisfaction and tension remain.
Post contact. The stage of summing up, assimilating and digesting what happened, as well as moving away from the object of need. In the case of sausage, a person puts it aside with gratitude and digests it. Unsuccessful post-contact, when a person, for example, does not move away, but clings to an object, or devalues the contact that occurred.
Any psychological difficulty is associated with interrupting the contact cycle at one or several phases at once through the use of psychological defenses/interruptions.
Psychological defenses/mechanisms for interrupting the contact cycle:
We all use psychological defenses. In Gestalt therapy, they are also called contact interruption mechanisms, since, unfortunately, they not only protect us from unpleasant experiences, but also interrupt the fulfillment of our needs.
Basic psychological defenses/interruptions in Gestalt therapy:
merging - a person becomes weakly sensitive to what he now feels and wants, his psychological boundaries weaken, he poorly understands where his desires are and where others are, where his responsibility is and where it is no longer his. And often voluntarily become a toy in the hands of others.
introjection is swallowed beliefs, such as: “to succeed, you have to work hard”, “all men are...”. Any generalizations that begin with the words “should”, “always”, “never”, “everything” are introjected. These attitudes - introjects - come into conflict with each other and with reality itself, causing internal and external conflict.
projection - when a person fantasizes about what others think, feel, want and sincerely believes in his fantasies. As a rule, he avoids contact with reality, and attributes his own forbidden desires and feelings to others, projects his inner “film” onto their “white screen”. It turns out such a phenomenon as non-contact, communication with oneself.
deflection is a release of tension. The downside is that energy is not spent on achieving a goal, not on solving a problem, but is simply wasted
egotism - when a person, at the moment of a desired event, contact, holds himself back, does not fully surrender to this event, contact and his feelings. So he loses part of his satisfaction, giving rise to a feeling of incompleteness, incompleteness
retroflection is when a person turns to himself those feelings that are actually directed at another, to the world around him. An extreme example is suicide, when a person turns anger directed at another against himself. In the theory of Gestalt therapy, it is believed that any experiences are born in a person ONLY in contact with the environment and, accordingly, are directed only outward. That is, initially a person cannot be irritated or offended by himself, this is a psychological defense.
Noticing that the client is using psychological defense/interruption, the Gestalt therapist works with this interruption; there are certain methods and techniques for this, helping the client move towards realizing his need.
Gestalt therapist techniques:
The Gestalt therapist's arsenal of techniques is quite large. I will name the most common ones.
- Therapeutic dialogue. The purpose of the dialogue is to support experiences, recognize and identify the client’s needs and mechanisms for interrupting them.
- Experiment - here and now the therapist organizes a game situation in which the client’s painful situation is manifested. The Gestalt therapist invites the client to act in a new way, as a result of which the client experiences new positive experiences, which he then transfers into his life.
Experiment options:
- Projective techniques - art methods (drawings, crafts, etc.)
- Psychodrama - arrangements, theatrical scenes
- Bodily practices - work with voice, poses, bodily sculptures
- Empty chair (or hot chair) - the client imagines a significant person from his life, the hero of his dream or part of his own personality on an empty chair placed and addresses him in a new way. It may sound strange, but it works very well. When a client addresses an empty chair in the present tense, the client's typical behavior patterns always appear and strong current experiences arise that are not so easy to detect in “talking about...”.
The Gestalt therapist and the client, creatively using techniques, identify and work through the client’s repressed, unconscious material. As a result, the client achieves greater integrity, successfully going through the entire contact cycle here and now, without self-interruptions.
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Such an introjected (essentially programmed) person, if he says “I”, means “THEY”. Those. does not live his own life, and often this is the life of a loser.
Unfinished Gestalt and “Projection”
With projection, a person shifts responsibility for what is happening to the environment. Often, he attributes all his hidden, unconscious negative qualities to other people. Including life problems and misfortunes.
When such a person says “THEY”, one must understand - “I”.
With the help of the Gestalt approach, he can understand and solve his problems.
Incomplete Gestalt and “Merger”
When merging, a person’s contact boundaries are so blurred that he is unable to distinguish his thoughts, feelings and actions from the thoughts, feelings and actions of other people.
When such a person says “WE”, it can be “THEY” and “I”.
Unfinished Gestalt and “Retroflection”
With retroflexion (turning back), a person transfers to himself emotions and actions intended for others.
He draws a contact line in the middle of himself, as if dividing into two personalities.
Such a person uses pronouns: “himself”, “to himself”, as if we are talking about two different people.
Gestalt therapy: methods, techniques and exercises
Using the methods, techniques and exercises of Gestalt therapy, transference and countertransference, in incomplete situations, an emotional outburst and completion of the Gestalt (situation) is possible, i.e. restoration of the contact boundary and getting rid of neurotic mechanisms.Gestalt therapy method “Peeling the onion”
By using the “peeling the onion” method, a person is gradually freed from neurosis, psychological and emotional problems. With the help of the therapist’s questions and the client’s answers, the problem, one after another, appearing in the form of “Figures”, is gradually removed into the “Background”.
The ultimate goal of therapy is for the client to gain the ability to independently cope with his psychological problems, and not depend on the Gestalt therapist.
Gestalt therapy technique “Here and Now”
Psychotherapy “here and now” helps to free yourself from today's difficulties, regardless of when they arose.
The current solution to problems frees the future from these problems.
Gestalt therapy approach “Shuttle movement”
“Shuttle movement” consists of a stage-by-stage experience by the client of an event with a return (if necessary) from the next stage to the previous one.
The experience takes place in the style of “psychodrama”, i.e. the client visualizes the traumatic situation and experiences it, thereby completing the “unfinished situation.”
Gestalt therapy exercises for independent use
Gestalt prayer by Fritz Perls:
I am me.
And you are you.
I am not in this world to live up to your expectations.
And you are not there to live in accordance with mine.
I am who I am.
And you are you,
Amen.
Beginning in 1933, after the Nazis came to power in Germany, Perls, his wife and eldest daughter were forced to emigrate, first to Holland, then to South Africa. In South Africa, Perls works as a full-time army psychiatrist, and in 1946, with the rank of captain, he moves to the USA, New York.
In New York, he is actively developing his own direction of psychotherapy, calling it Gestalt therapy, probably due to the large contribution of his wife Laura to the development. Laura Perls studied Gestalt psychology, which studies issues of perception. Also, thanks to Laura, the path to existential trends was opened into Gestalt therapy, for example, the philosophy of Martin Buber or the existentialism of Paul Tillich.
This work leads to the fact that in 1951, with the active support of the New York group, which included Laura Perls, American psychotherapist and playwright Paul Goodman, Perls' student, Ralph Hefferlin, the theoretical foundations of the method were developed and laid on the basis of Gestalt psychology, psychoanalytic concepts , phenomenology and existential psychology. The culmination of their joint work was the fundamental work of Perls, Hefferlin and Goodman - “Gestalt Therapy, Arousal and Growth of the Human Personality,” which became fundamental in Gestalt therapy. In the same year, Isidore From joined them, and Perls created the Institute of Gestalt Therapy.
At the beginning of the Gestalt approach, the development of its theoretical and practical method was strongly influenced by Perls’s closest associates: the doctor Kurt Goldstein, who wrote the work “Structure of the Body,” known for his persistence and attention to the integrity of the body. Perls was his assistant for some time. Max Reingar, founder of the theater school where Perls studies. Karen Horney, Clara Gappel, Elena Deitch, Paul Schilder, psychoanalysts who were his analysts or supervisors. Wilhelm Reich, who, with his works, in particular on the “muscular shield” and characterological structures, introduced work with the body and physicality into Gestalt therapy. The philosopher J. Smut, who also contributed to the formation of a holistic view of man, is the creator of the term “holism.” Edmund Gustav Albrecht Husserl, German philosopher, founder of phenomenology. Although he was not a direct ally of Perls, his ideas about phenomenology were deeply and powerfully rooted in Gestalt therapy.
The further flourishing of Gestalt therapy was accompanied by ups and downs, and should be described in a separate material. It is worth saying that thanks to Perls’ incredible creative enthusiasm, Gestalt therapy was able to go through a sometimes difficult path, like the “68 period,” and become what it is now.
After Perls's death in 1970, many followers moved to other areas of psychotherapy, or began to look for scientific and theoretical justifications, considering those they already had insufficient. And only a few returned to the origins, and to those who continued to develop Gestalt therapy. Thanks to this, Laura Perls, Isidore Frome and other members of the group that founded Gestalt therapy gained great fame, which made it possible for the Gestalt community to once again find the meaning of the Gestalt approach around the theory of "self", developed by Perls and Goodman in 1951.
Gestalt therapy today
Now Gestalt therapy is one of the three main psychotherapeutic areas recognized and used throughout the world. Today in the world there are many institutes and communities of Gestaltists involved in the practice and teaching of Gestalt therapy. Most are united in large communities and global organizations. Here are some of them:FORGE (International Federation of Gestalt Training Organizations): holds Congresses to which the leading staff of Gestalt training institutes (rectors and vice-rectors, directors and their deputies) are invited. At the Congresses, topics related to theory, practice and research in the field of training Gestalt therapy, as well as inviting training Gestalt therapists to conduct workshops at the Institutes that are part of FORGE.
GATLA (Gestalt Therapists Association of Los Angeles): This is one of the oldest training programs in the world for Gestalt therapy, formed back in the early 60s of the twentieth century, when Fritz Perls, along with Jim Simkin, developed a training program in Los Angeles. And today GATLA unites therapists from more than 30 countries. Training programs have been running in Europe and America for almost 50 years.
EAGT (The European Association for Gestalt Therapy): an association of European Gestalt therapists, Gestalt training institutes and national Gestalt Associations to promote the spread of Gestalt therapy in Europe, exchange knowledge and resources, establish high professional standards in Gestalt therapy therapy and encourage research in this area.
ARGI (Association "Federation of Russian-speaking Gestalt Institutes"): the founders of ARGI were Nifont Dolgopolov (MIGiP), Daniil Khlomov (MGI), Oleg Nemirinsky (MIGTiK) and Natalya Lebedeva (SPIG). The main goal of ARGI is to maintain effective areas of activity of Gestalt institutions in Russia and to promote the improvement of the social status of the Gestalt approach.
There are many institutes in Russia where Gestalt students are trained, among them four leading ones: Moscow Institute of Gestalt and Psychodrama (MIGIP), Moscow Gestalt Institute (MGI), St. Petersburg Gestalt Institute (SPIG), East European Gestalt Institute (VEGI) ).
The number of practitioners is growing from year to year, their competence is deepening and expanding, and with the advent of the latest technologies for studying the human brain and psyche, advances in medicine and neuroscience, new research is being conducted confirming the effectiveness of Gestalt therapy.
At the same time, the 21st century, distinguished by its direction towards integration, brings its spirit into Gestalt therapy: now one can notice a gradual assimilation with other methods and approaches, psychoanalysis, from which Perls once distanced himself, psychodrama, art therapy and even, in some aspects, cognitive behavioral psychotherapy.
Gestalt therapy method
In Gestalt therapy, one of the most important principles of working with a client is awareness of what is happening at the current moment at different and inextricably linked levels: bodily, emotional and intellectual. This important experience of what is happening “here and now” affects the entire organism in all its manifestations, due to the fact that it contains memories, previous experiences, dreams, unfinished situations, foresights and intentions.This is the essence of Gestalt therapy: not to explain to the client, but to give him the opportunity to be holistic, inseparable, present here and now, to understand and respect himself. The first part of the name, the word Gestalt, comes from the German Gestalt, which means “whole image”.
What happens in the process of Gestalt therapy is an exploration of the client's experience of contact with himself, other people and the environment around him. The main psychotherapeutic process focuses on awareness of how a person interacts, how he can interrupt this experience, notice or ignore his needs and desires, regularly repeat past experiences and situations, and stop creative adaptation to the environment. Awareness makes it possible for a person to notice what is happening to him, what was not obvious before, to realize his needs, and regain the opportunity and ability to make choices.
Basic concepts of Gestalt therapy
Field "organism - environment"Gestalt therapy implies that an organism cannot exist outside the environment and without an environment (an organism does not exist without an environment). Therefore, the organism and its environment are understood and considered as a single whole, inseparable from each other. This indivisibility of the field underlies the theory of the Gestalt therapy method. In the light of such a view, the environment appears not as a poorly defined space around the organism, but as a concrete world, and the world of a specific person.
Contact and contact boundary are the basic concepts of Gestalt therapy. Contact is both awareness of the field and the physical act of “contacting” it. And at the same time, it is also acceptance or rejection of what contact happens with, what the environment is filled with. And it is through contact that the body feels its difference, and thanks to the preservation of contact, it preserves its difference.
The contact boundary is the place, the point where the organism comes into contact with its surrounding environment. It always occurs from within, and continues in the world around us. “...A contact boundary, for example, sensitive skin, is not so much a part of the “organism” as an organ of special connection between the organism and the environment” (Perls).
Awareness
One of the most important terms that is constantly used in the therapeutic process is “awareness.” This awareness occurs immediately, here and now, and differs from reflection extended over time. In English, the word “awareness” is used, meaning immediate awareness of everything that happens in the moment - feelings, thoughts, actions, manifestations of physicality, other people, the environment. Such awareness has, among other things, an integrating function, as if collecting into one whole everything that happens at different levels of perception.
The Gestalt therapist helps the client learn to be aware, to do it consciously and at any time, to get out of the fixation, motionless state in order to achieve real contact with the environment.
Here and now
A principle that says that what is most relevant to the client occurs in the present, be it feelings, thoughts, actions, relationships, and so on. Thanks to the principle of here and now, or here and now, the process of awareness is more intense and pronounced.
Responsibility is a person’s ability to realize, accept the consequences of his own actions and choices, both positive and negative, and continue to live with these consequences. Responsibility is about awareness. The more a person is aware of reality, the more he is able to be responsible for his life - for his desires, actions, and to rely on himself.
Self-regulation
Perls (1973) puts it this way: “The organism strives to maintain a balance which is constantly disturbed by its needs and which is then restored when the needs are satisfied or eliminated.” Self-regulation does not guarantee good health, but it does provide confidence that the body is doing what it can with what it has at its disposal. If a person lacks something, then he tries to fill the gap; if there is a lot of something, the body gets rid of the excess.
Creative adaptation
It is a synthesis of adaptation and creativity. Adaptation in Gestalt refers to the interaction of the body's needs with the environment. Creativity is the ability to search and find new solutions, the most suitable, the best possible, based on what is “at hand” or by obtaining something new. Creative adaptation is the ability to connect one thing to another, and to establish a balance between the needs of the body and what the environment provides. Developing creative adaptation in the client is an important part of the Gestalt therapist's work.
Gestalt therapy techniques
It’s a little funny that quite a large part of psychologists, and not only, define Gestalt therapy according to various methods. For example, the technique of dialogue with an empty chair, metaphorically representing someone significant in the client’s life, probably known to most readers, was borrowed by Perls, at the end of his life, from Moreno’s psychodrama.It is important to understand that any techniques are just ways to realize the very essence of Gestalt therapy, its fundamental approach, and in general, with sufficient skill, a Gestalt therapist can use any technique from other approaches, as long as they are compatible with the method and relevant to what is happening here and now. Techniques in the Gestalt approach are not an end in themselves. The Gestalt approach is mainly focused on the work of awareness (“awareness”) of what is happening at the border of contact, and the possibility of implementing or restoring the ability to creatively adapt in contact with the environment.
Due to such high plasticity, the forms that therapy can take change with each new client, providing an individual approach, emphasizing the uniqueness of each person and his life experience. Also, the process and form of therapy may vary depending on the personality, individual experience, and sensibility of each individual therapist.
And yet, there are basic techniques that are constantly used in one way or another in the work of Gestalt therapists.
And the first of them is experimentation, the core of the method. In addition to high efficiency, it provides a unique uniqueness of Gestalt therapy. During therapy, the client is asked not just to talk about something, but to develop his story based on the “here and now” principle.
For example, a therapist might:
- Focus the client on awareness by asking, for example, to notice, feel, and become aware of some phenomenon occurring in the ongoing therapy process, such as breathing, emotions, or bodily manifestations.
- Offer to implement a metaphor that the client can use (“I feel under pressure!”, “I feel like I’m in a cage,” “I want to be treated like a child”).
Some forms of projection may be used to explore fantasies, catastrophic expectations, unfinished situations, or frozen situations that seem impossible to resolve. Experimentation provides ample opportunities for in-depth exploration of the boundaries of one’s own “I” and contact: limitations of self-expression, boundaries of self-expression, ways of interrupting contact, sensations, movements, values, etc.
Here and now
This principle has become a symbol and slogan of Gestalt therapy, by which it is clearly recognized among psychologists. However, there is some misunderstanding of this principle: there is an opinion that for Gestalt therapy with its “here and now” principle, the client’s past and future are not at all interesting. Of course, this is not true: the past is undoubtedly as important as the present and the future. Moreover, “here and now” is not a “mantra” that needs to be hammered into the client.
The principle of “here and now”, or “here and now”, is a therapist’s working tool necessary to draw the client’s attention to the fact that “now you remember” or that “now you anticipate events.” And if through experimentation the client can open up access to some solutions and to the implementation of creative adaptation, then only in the present this can happen.
Perls repeated many times that “nothing exists except the present”; meaning that the present contains the past and the future. That is why there is no constant need to return to the past, because it is already here, embodied in life experience, unfolding right here and now.
Working with dreams
Once upon a time, thanks to the approach to dreams, Perls had his hour of glory in his last years of life. He viewed a dream as a set of projections of individual parts of the dreamer’s personality, allowing one to detect a certain “existential message” with which the sleeper addresses himself. This work is a little theatrical, partly taken from psychodrama, which, however, only adds not only showiness, but also efficiency.
Body work
The Gestalt therapist takes a holistic approach to the client's experience. And this means that the therapist takes into account both bodily and emotional manifestations, along with the cognitive processes and other phenomena of the client with which the therapist is working, and can use this to be in contact with the client.
This also means that the therapist does not share what we are usually accustomed to share: that “body” is one thing and “mind” is another. “Corporeality” or “emotions” are particular manifestations of human experience. During pathological processes, these manifestations can be disrupted or closed and, of course, they cannot be considered separately if the goal of our work is to restore their integrity.
Practical training and education of Gestalt therapists
All Gestalt therapy training takes place in an atmosphere of care and safety created by the trainers. Thanks to an atmosphere of safety and unhurriedness, students have the opportunity not only to receive high-quality training in psychotherapy, but also to deeply know themselves, their own boundaries, capabilities, and work through the difficulties that prevent them from living comfortably and happily. The training of a Gestalt therapist takes place over two main and one additional cycle.The first cycle is a closed therapeutic group, where once a month, for six months, basic training in the basics of the method takes place, combined with group psychotherapy, which takes a large amount of time. This method of learning through immersion in the method is effective due to the fact that during the training in the group, each participant undergoes intensive therapy, working through their own internal difficulties, gaining valuable experience in contact with themselves and others, while at the same time learning the basic principles of Gestalt therapy and here and applying them in practice.
The second cycle takes from two to four years, depending on how the curriculum is designed, and includes 20 blocks of three days. In this cycle, the main training takes place in Gestalt therapy, methods, techniques, and the basics of psychological counseling. This stage simultaneously allows you to deepen the knowledge and skills already acquired, and also partially, but to a much lesser extent, continue to work on yourself with the help of Gestalt therapy in a group, and lay the practical and theoretical foundations of Gestalt therapy. Each phase of learning is a combination of teaching science, lived experience, and learning by doing.
At the end of the second cycle, students who decide to become Gestalt therapists undergo certification, which is a theoretical and practical exam. To be admitted to the exams, the student must regularly submit to one of the trainers the protocols of the exercises performed in special mini-groups, traditionally called triplets. Such groups are formed at the end of the first block of the second cycle, and students work in them until completion of their studies.
In addition, during the training it is also necessary to undergo about 80 hours of personal therapy and supervision, and attend a number (different, depending on the graduating organization) of intensive courses and conferences. These requirements must also be met in order to be eligible for certification.
The third, additional cycle, is open after completion of the two previous cycles and exams for those who want to deepen their professional education, gaining practical knowledge of working with a therapeutic group and various complex topics, specific requests that require additional knowledge and skills.
In Russia today there are many institutes and communities engaged in professional training or retraining of Gestalt therapists, differing both in their approach to training and in the quality of education. Among them all, four large institutes stand out:
1. is one of the leading Russian educational institutions responsible for educational programs in the Gestalt approach and psychodrama. Created in 1996 by Nifont Borisovich Dolgopolov, MIGiP is a co-founder of the Association of Russian-language Gestalt Institutes (ARGI), the Federation of Psychodramatic Training Institutes of Russia (FPTIR) and is one of the four basic Russian institutes in both the field of teaching the Gestalt method and psychodrama.
The Institute is a member of the main international professional associations of Gestalt therapy and psychodrama: FEPTO (Federation of European Psychodrama Training Organization) - Federation of European Psychodrama Training Organizations, FORGE (International Federation of Gestalt Training Organization) - Federation of Organizations Teaching Gestalt Therapy, AAGT (The Association for the Advancement of Gestalt Therapy) - Association for the Development of Gestalt Therapy, IAGP (International Association for Group Psychotherapy and Group Processes) - International Association of Group Psychotherapy, EAGT (European Association for Gestalt Therapy) - European Association of Gestalt Therapy. MIGIP has created its centers and representative offices of the institute in many cities of Russia and abroad.
2. Society of Practicing Psychologists "Gestalt Approach", founded in the early 90s by Daniil Khlomov, which aims to support and develop Gestalt therapy based on the Moscow Gestalt Institute program in accordance with the standards of MGI and EAGT; MHI also has a developed network of representative offices throughout Russia.
3. grew out of the St. Petersburg Center for Gestalt Therapy, founded in 1994. He trains specialists in the field of psychotherapy, organizational and psychological counseling, and is also a member of the main professional associations of Gestalt therapy and has representative offices in Russian cities.
4. . VEGI has existed since 1996. The Institute's programs are developed in accordance with the standards accepted in Russia for advanced training, retraining and specialization in the field of Gestalt therapy and Gestalt counseling. The Eastern European Gestalt Institute is embedded in the international system of organizations practicing Gestalt and teaching the Gestalt approach in consulting, business and organizational development.
Conclusion
Gestalt therapy is an amazing, deep psychotherapeutic approach that successfully combines the achievements of psychological science and practice, the therapeutic experience of the founders and modern practitioners. Thanks to the concept of integrity, in Gestalt therapy there is great respect for the person, for each of his manifestations, and through this the opportunity for acceptance and support opens up.Using a phenomenological approach, the “here and now” principle, allows the client to independently, without additional interpretations from the therapist, feel and understand what is happening to him and around him, noticing the features of his contact with the environment, building boundaries, feeling what is happening at the border of contact.
Gestalt therapy may not be developing as quickly as other approaches, but this type of therapy is widespread and is actively influencing other areas. Based on the totality of human experience in all its aspects: bodily, emotional, intellectual and spiritual, Gestalt therapy has enormous potential and remains a leading type of psychotherapy.
Bibliography:
1. “Ego, Hunger and Aggression” - Frederick Perls.
2. “Inside and Out of the Garbage Bin” - Frederick Perls.
3. “Gestalt therapy” – RobinJean-Marie.
4. “Construction and destruction of gestalts” - Robin Jean-Marie.
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GESTALT THERAPY
A method created by the American psychologist and psychotherapist Perls F. S. under the influence of the ideas of Gestalt psychology, existentialism, psychoanalysis and, in particular, the theory of Reich W. about the physiological manifestations of repressed psychological material. G.-t. arose in line with the phenomenological approach, emphasizing the need for the patient to be aware of the present and the importance of direct emotional experience. The information necessary for therapeutic change is obtained from the patient's immediate behavior. Phenomenological approach of G.-t. is opposed to the causal - traditional - approach, in which the psychotherapist’s efforts are aimed at finding the causes of the patient’s disorders in his past.
Perls transferred the patterns of figure formation established by Gestalt psychology in the sphere of perception to the field of motivation of human behavior. He viewed the emergence and satisfaction of needs as the rhythm of the formation and completion of gestalts. The functioning of the motivational sphere is carried out according to the principle of self-regulation of the body. A person is in balance with himself and the world around him. To maintain harmony, you just need to trust the “wisdom of the body”, listen to the needs of the body and not interfere with their implementation. To be yourself, to realize your “I”, to realize your needs, inclinations, abilities - this is the path of a harmonious, healthy personality. A patient with neurosis, according to existential-humanistic psychology, is a person who chronically prevents the satisfaction of his own needs, refuses to realize his “I”, directs all his efforts to the realization of the “I” concept created for him by other people - especially loved ones - and which Over time, he begins to accept this as his true self. Refusal of one's own needs and adherence to values imposed from the outside leads to disruption of the body's self-regulation process.
In G.-t. There are 5 mechanisms for disrupting the self-regulation process: introjection, projection, retroflection, deflection, confluence. With introjection, a person assimilates the feelings, views, beliefs, assessments, norms, and patterns of behavior of other people, which, however, conflict with his own experience, are not assimilated by his personality. This unassimilated experience - introject - is a part of his personality that is alien to a person. The earliest introjects are parental teachings, which are absorbed by the child without critical reflection. Over time, it becomes difficult to distinguish between introjects and one's own beliefs. Projection is the direct opposite of introjection, and, as a rule, these two mechanisms complement each other. In projection, a person alienates his inherent qualities because they do not correspond to his “I” concept. The “holes” formed as a result of projection are filled with introjects. Retroflection - “turning towards oneself” - is observed in cases where any needs cannot be satisfied due to their blocking by the social environment, and then the energy intended for manipulation in the external environment is directed towards oneself. These unmet needs, or unfinished gestalts, are often aggressive feelings. Retroflexion manifests itself in muscle tension. The initial conflict between self and others turns into intrapersonal conflict. An indicator of retroflexion is the use of reflexive pronouns and particles in speech, for example: “I have to force myself to do this.” Deflection is the avoidance of real contact. A person characterized by deflection avoids direct contact with other people, problems and situations. Deflection is expressed in the form of salon conversations, talkativeness, buffoonery, ritualistic and conventional behavior, a tendency to “smooth out” conflict situations, etc. Confluence, or fusion, is expressed in the blurring of the boundaries between the “I” and the environment. Such people have difficulty distinguishing their thoughts, feelings or desires from those of others. Merger is well identified in group psychotherapy sessions in patients who fully identify with the group; It is typical for them to use the pronoun “we” instead of “I” when describing their own behavior.
The described variants of violations of the self-regulation process represent neurotic defense mechanisms, resorting to which the individual abandons his true “I”. As a result of the action of the listed mechanisms, the integrity of the personality is violated, which turns out to be fragmented, divided into separate parts. Such fragments or parts are often dichotomies: male-female, active-passive, dependence-alienation, rationality-emotionality, selfishness-unselfishness. Great importance is attached in G.-t. the conflict described by Perls between the “attacker” (top-dog) and the “defender” (under-dog). “Attacker” is an introject of parental teachings and expectations that dictate to a person what and how he should do (“Parent” in the terminology of transactional analysis). The “defender” is a dependent, insecure part of the personality, fighting off with various tricks and delays such as “I’ll do it tomorrow,” “I promise,” “yes, but...”, “I’ll try” (“Child” in transactional analysis). The main goal of G.-t. consists of integrating fragmented parts of the personality.
In the process of G.-t. On the way to discovering his true personality, the patient passes through five levels, which Perls calls the levels of neurosis.
The first level is the level of false relationships, the level of games and roles. A neurotic personality refuses to realize his “I”. A person with neurosis lives according to the expectations of other people. As a result, a person’s own goals and needs are unsatisfied, he experiences frustration, disappointment and the meaninglessness of his existence. Perls owns the following aphorism: “A madman says: “I am Abraham Lincoln,” and a patient with neurosis: “I want to be Abraham Lincoln,” a healthy person says: “I am I, and you are you.” By denying himself, a patient with neurosis strives to be someone else.
The second level is phobic, associated with awareness of false behavior and manipulation. But when the patient imagines what consequences might arise if he begins to behave sincerely, he is overcome by a feeling of fear. A person is afraid to be who he is, afraid that society will ostracize him.
The third level is a dead end. It is characterized by the fact that a person does not know what to do, where to move. He is experiencing the loss of support from the outside, but is not yet ready or does not want to use his own resources and gain an internal foothold. As a result, a person sticks to the status quo, afraid to go through a dead end.
The fourth level is implosion. This is a state of internal confusion, despair, self-loathing, caused by full awareness of how a person has limited and suppressed himself. At this level, the individual may experience fear of death. These moments are associated with the involvement of a huge amount of energy in the clash of opposing forces within a person; the resulting pressure, it seems to him, threatens to destroy him.
The fifth level is explosion (explosion). Achieving this level means the formation of an authentic personality, which acquires the ability to experience and express one’s emotions. Explosion is a deep and intense emotional experience. Perls describes four types of explosion: grief, anger, joy, orgasm. The explosion of true grief is the result of dealing with the loss or death of a loved one. Orgasm is the result of working with sexually blocked individuals. Anger and joy are associated with the discovery of authentic personality and true individuality.
The main theoretical principle of G.-t. is the belief that the individual’s ability to self-regulate cannot be adequately replaced by anything. Therefore, special attention is paid to developing the patient’s readiness to make decisions and choices.
Since self-regulation is carried out in the present, gestalt arises in the “given moment,” then psychotherapeutic work is carried out purely in the “now” situation. The psychotherapist carefully monitors changes in the functioning of the patient’s body, encourages him to expand his awareness of what is happening to him at the moment, in order to notice how he interferes with the process of self-regulation of the body, what blocks he uses to avoid confrontation with his present, to “ escaping from the present." The psychotherapist pays great attention to “body language,” which is more informative than verbal language, which is often used to rationalize, self-justify, and avoid solving problems. The psychotherapist is interested in what the patient is doing at the moment and how he is doing it, for example, whether he clenches his fists, makes small stereotypical movements, looks away, holds his breath. Thus, in G.-t. The focus shifts from the question “why?” to the question “what and how?” Fragmentation of personality is often established by the discrepancy between verbal and nonverbal manifestations.
The phenomenological approach dictates the principles and technical procedures in G.-t.: both are related to the present. The basic principles are as follows.
1.
The "now" principle. “Now” is a functional concept of what and how an individual is doing at the moment. For example, the act of remembering the distant past is part of the “now,” but what happened a few minutes ago is not the “now.”
2.
The "I - you" principle. Expresses a desire for open and direct contact between people. Often members of a psychotherapeutic group direct their statements not to a specific participant, but to the side or into the air, which reveals their fears and reluctance to speak directly and unambiguously. The psychotherapist encourages group members to communicate directly and asks them to address specific statements to specific individuals. Direct confrontation mobilizes affect and vividness of experience.
3.
The principle of subjectivization of statements. Related to the semantic aspects of patient responsibility. The psychotherapist suggests that the patient replace objectified forms (such as “something is pressing in my chest”) with subjectivized ones (“I suppress myself”). This helps the patient to see himself as an active subject, rather than as a passive object to whom things are “done.”
4.
Continuum of consciousness. It is an integral part of all technical procedures, but can also be used as a separate method. This is a concentration on the spontaneous flow of the content of experiences, a method of leading the individual to direct experience and the rejection of verbalizations and interpretations, one of the central concepts of G.-t. The patient must constantly be aware or aware of what is happening to him at the moment; he must notice the slightest changes in the functioning of the body. Awareness of feelings, bodily sensations and observation of body movements (understanding of “body language”) contribute to a person’s orientation in himself and in his connections with the environment.
Technical procedures in G.-t. are called games. These are a variety of activities performed by patients at the suggestion of a psychotherapist that promote more direct confrontation with significant content and experiences. These games provide an opportunity to experiment with yourself and other group members. During the games, patients “try on” different roles, enter into different images, identify with significant feelings and experiences, alienated parts of the personality and introjects. The purpose of experimental games is to achieve emotional and intellectual clarification, leading to personality integration. Emotional awareness (“aha experience”) is a moment of self-awareness when a person says: “Aha!” According to Perls, "aha" is what happens when something snaps into place; Every time the gestalt “closes,” this click “sounds.” As facts of emotional clarification accumulate, intellectual clarification comes. The number of games is not limited, since each psychotherapist, using the principles of G-t., can create new games or modify already known ones. The most famous are the following games.
1.
Dialogue between parts of one's personality. When a patient experiences fragmentation of personality, the psychotherapist suggests an experiment: conducting a dialogue between significant fragments of personality - between aggressive and passive, “attacker” and “defender”. This can be a dialogue with one’s own feelings (for example, with anxiety, fear), and with individual parts or organs of one’s own body, and with an imaginary person significant to the patient. The technique of the game is as follows: opposite the chair occupied by the patient (“hot chair”), there is an empty chair on which an imaginary “interlocutor” is “seated.” The patient alternates chairs, playing out the dialogue, trying to identify as much as possible with different parts of his personality.
2.
Making circles. The patient is asked to go around the circle and address each participant with a question that concerns him, for example, to find out how others evaluate him, what they think of him, or to express his own feelings towards group members.
3.
Unfinished business. Any unfinished gestalt is unfinished business that requires completion. Essentially, all G.-t. comes down to completing unfinished business. Most people have many unresolved issues related to their relatives, parents, etc. Most often these are unspoken complaints and claims. The patient is invited, using the empty chair technique, to express his feelings to an imaginary interlocutor or to contact directly the member of the psychotherapeutic group who is related to the unfinished business. Gestalt psychotherapists have noticed that the most common and significant unexpressed feeling is resentment. It is with this feeling that they work in the game, which begins with the words: “I am offended...”
4.
Projective game. When the patient states that another person has a certain feeling or character trait, he is asked to check whether this is a projection of himself. The patient is asked to “act out the projection,” that is, to try on this feeling or trait on himself. Thus, a patient who states, “I feel pity for you,” is asked to act out the role of the person causing pity by approaching each group member and interacting with him. Gradually entering the role, a person reveals himself, and integration of previously rejected aspects of the personality can occur.
5.
Revealing the opposite (reversion). The patient's overt behavior is often defensive, hiding opposing tendencies. To make the patient aware of hidden desires and conflicting needs, he is asked to play a role opposite to the one he demonstrates in the group. For example, a patient with “darling” manners is asked to play the role of an aggressive, arrogant woman who hurts others. This technique allows you to achieve more complete contact with those sides of your personality that were previously hidden.
6.
Imagination exercises. Illustrate the process of projection and help group members identify with rejected aspects of personality. Among such exercises, the most popular game is “Old, Abandoned Store.” The patient is asked to close his eyes, relax, then imagine that late at night he is walking along a small street past an old, abandoned store. Its windows are dirty, but if you look in, you can see an object. The patient is asked to examine it carefully, then move away from the abandoned store and describe the object found outside the window. Next, he is asked to imagine himself as this object and, speaking in the first person, describe his feelings, answer the question of why it was left in the store, what its existence as this object is like. By identifying with objects, patients project some of their personal aspects onto them.
Much attention is paid in G.-t. working with patients' dreams. Paraphrasing Freud S., Perls said that “sleep is the royal road to personality integration.” Unlike psychoanalysis, in G.-t. dreams are not interpreted, they are used to integrate the personality. The author believed that various parts of a dream are fragments of our personality. In order to achieve integration, it is necessary to combine them, to again recognize as our own these projected, alienated parts of our personality and to recognize as our own the hidden tendencies that manifest themselves in sleep. By playing back dream objects and individual fragments, the hidden content of a dream can be discovered through its experience, and not through its analysis.
Perls first used his method in the form of individual psychotherapy, but subsequently switched completely to the group form, finding it more effective and economical. Group psychotherapy is carried out as patient-centered, while the group is used only instrumentally, like a chorus, which, like the Greek, in the background proclaims its opinion about the actions of the protagonist. While one of the group members is working, who occupies the “hot chair” next to the therapist’s chair, other group members identify with him and do a lot of silent autotherapy, becoming aware of the fragmented parts of their “I” and completing unfinished situations.
In recent years, there has been a clear tendency to move away from the orthodox model of G.-t. with its irreconcilability to causality, a complete rejection of analysis and interpretation to the use of Gestalt experiments in combination with causal methods of psychotherapy, more often with transactional analysis. G.-t. most effective in the treatment of neuroses. When working with psychotic patients, it is recommended that it be carried out for a sufficiently long time and carefully.
Psychotherapeutic encyclopedia. - St. Petersburg: Peter. B. D. Karvasarsky. 2000 .