Today We Will Discuss Gestalt Therapy … What it is Why it is effective The here & now legacy Healing through meeting A paradoxical theory of change Some things you can take away Read slide

Introduction & Support Creating The Right Conditions For Contact: Open Confidential Mutual Direct Non-shaming Reciprocal

What Exactly IS Gestalt Therapy? “Gestalt therapy is a process psychotherapy with the goal of improving one’s contact in community and with the environment in general. This is accomplished through aware, spontaneous, and authentic dialogue between client and therapist. Awareness of differences and similarities is encouraged while interruptions to contact are explored in the present therapeutic relationship.” - Bowman, 2002

Common factors in effective psychotherapy: A warm, positive relationship A rationale providing a plausible explanation for symptoms A set of procedures to produce positive change Positive expectancies for beneficial change -Handbook of Psychotherapy Integration, 1992

The Roots of Counseling & Therapy MEDICINE PHILOSOPHY SCIENCE Phenomenology Existentialism Observation Experiment Psychoanalysis Client-Centered Present-Centered Psychotherapy Cognitive-Behavioral Evidenced Based Practice Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Archeological Gestalt Formation Pragmatics Past Intrapsychic Relationship To The Present -A recollection of the past Holistic Relationship To The Field -An impressionist painting Inner Relationship To Outer World -A photograph The subjective story of why I am the way I am. How I tell the story of why I am the way I am to you. The objective story of why I am the way I am.

Orientation Of The Field CLIENT HOW DOES YOUR ORIENTATION SHAPE THE CLIENT’S EXPERIENTIAL FIELD? THERAPIST For example, in Gestalt terms you can think of transference as the way that individuals inevitably shape their perception of current reality through the lens of their history, their unfinished business, their fixed gestalts, rather than merely according to the properties of the current situation. It is the process by which people assimilate their present life experience (including the experience of psychotherapy) into their established patterns of organizing and making meaning of their experiential field.

“History is more or less bunk. It’s tradition. We don’t want tradition “History is more or less bunk. It’s tradition. We don’t want tradition. We want to live in the present and the only history that is worth a tinker’s damn is the history we make today.” -Henry Ford

Gestalt Therapy: Healing Through Meeting Healing is a series of progressively deepening steps as the therapy develops. Therapist and client engage in a “parallel-spiraling-down” and contacting each other at deeper and deeper levels of being. This fosters an intimacy that we rarely allow to develop in our daily lives. -captured from M. Buber This slide represents a summation of Martin Buber's beliefs about healing through meeting. o As a relational therapists we believe that affect always requires interaction for completion. o A dialogical approach assumes that neurotic blocks, interferences, or interruptions to contact occur because other people have not been able to understand and value the client's experience. o The risk involved in relational psychotherapy: As the therapist, there is this rhythm that occurs. It is a tension between being centered in myself and a frightening moment where I just might lose some of my own signposts -- where I might really be effected by the contact. TO DO REALLY EFFECTIVE CLINICAL WORK, THIS IS A RISK THAT HAS TO BE TAKEN!

Ways to Increase Contactful Experiences Make "I" Statements Make statements -- avoid questions Use short sentences Look directly at the person Share feelings and fantasies Touch the person Use vivid language (no “it” language, change nouns to verbs) Speak directly to the person (no speeches into the air) Use the person's name Stay in the here and now of experience Make statements of acceptance and recognition

…change occurs when one becomes what he is, not when he tries to become what he is not … -Arnie Beisser, 1970 Change doesn’t occur by trying, persuasion, insight, etc. Change occurs only after we accept fully where we are and what we are. By not knowing, not hoping to know, and not acting like we know what’s happening, we begin to access our inner strength. But this does not happen in isolation. We didn’t get here by ourselves and we aren’t going to get out by ourselves (at least not in THIS workshop!!) Concept “negative capability” – D. Stern EXPERIMENT – Buddies Have the group pair off or go in groups of three to be buddies for each other for the weekend. They are to discuss what they EACH would need to enter into the fertile void and how the OTHERS WILL SUPPORT them to do this. Throughout the weekend, we will take breaks and have them rejoin their small groups to see how they are doing and what they need.

Buber, M. I and Thou. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1970. Suggested Reading: Buber, M. I and Thou. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1970. Crocker, S. F. A Well Lived Life: Essays in Gestalt Therapy. NY: Gestalt Journal Press, 1999. Joyce, P. & Sills, C. Skills in Gestalt Counseling & Psychotherapy. NY: Sage, 2001. Phillipson, P. Self in Relation. NY: Gestalt Journal Press, 2005 Woldt, A. & Tomin, S. Gestalt Therapy: History, Theory & Practice. NY: Sage, 2005. Here are some suggested readings. Read them and comment in closing.