Gestalt Therapy - Research Paper Example

Gestalt Therapy Introduction There are various therapies that are provided to people with different problems. The theory of Gestalt therapy is an existential type of psychotherapy that puts emphasis on personal responsibility, and focuses on the client-therapist relationship, the person’s experience in the present moment, the social and environmental contexts of an individual’s life, and the self-regulating adjustments which people make due to their general situation. The Gestalt therapy was developed by Paul Goodman, Laura Perls, and Fritz Perls. The initial objective of Gestalt therapy is for the clients to gain awareness of what they are experiencing and doing at that moment. In general, people who participate in gestalt therapy have a tendency of feeling calmer, more self-confident, at peace with themselves. In this perspective, the paper will discuss gestalt therapy. Discussion Gestalt therapy, as cited by Staemmler (2009), focuses on the experiential present moment and every individual is caught in a network of relationships. This implies that Gestalt experiments focus on what is happening over what is being talked about. The emphasis is on the phenomenality of both the client and therapist. Burley (1998) asserts that gestalt therapists attempt to increase the client’s awareness while the clients are expected to do their own feeling, sensing, and interpreting. As noted by Brownell (2008), Gestalt therapy is a technique of practicing awareness by means of feeling, perceiving, and acting. The clients learn to be aware of what is being done to him or her and initiates the ability to risk a change. Therefore, the therapy’s objective is to enable the client to be fully and creatively, and free him- or herself from the blocks and unfinished business that might reduce satisfaction, growth, and fulfillment, as well as experiment with ways of being. Gestalt depends on the contact between the client and therapist. Contact is the interaction with nature and other people exclusive of losing one’s individuality. The relationship between the therapist and the client is considered to be contact over time. The boundary between self and environment needs to be kept permeable to permit exchanges. If it is lost, it results in a disturbance between the awareness and self. There are various types of contact boundary disturbances associated with Gestalt therapy. In the first place, introjections refer to a situation whereby foreign materials are absorbed without assimilating thus passively incorporating what the environment offers. Second, projection is the confusion of self and other from an outside something. We disown particular aspects of ourselves and assign them to the environment. Next, retroflection is a split within self, whereby there is a resistance of aspects of the self by self. Fourth, deflection is the avoidance of contact by turning aside when one is polite. This makes it hard to maintain a sustained sense of contact. Lastly, in confluence, the distinction between the self and other is so unclear to the extent that the boundary is lost (Wagner-Moore, 2004). There are various components of Gestalt therapy methodology. First, in the continuum of experience, the patient is asked to express what he or she is experiencing. Both the experience of the client and therapist is part of the therapy. The Gestalt approach focuses on a person’s behaviors, emotions, memories, body sensations, and perceptions. Considering that we co-create our other self-experiences, therefore, the manner in which a therapist experiences being with a client is crucial information with regard to the manner in which the client experiences themselves. Second is the experiment. There are various experimental methodologies that are used by therapists to test the experiences of the client. They involve highly flexible and creative methods to assist them open up and recognize their hidden feelings. The experiments are aimed at enhancing the client’s awareness. Third is the paradoxical theory of change. The paradox is that one remains the same the more he or she tries to become who is not. However, when individuals identify with their present experience the holistic conditions and growth support change. In other words, change is realized due to the full acceptance of what it is other than trying to be different (Bloom & Brownell, 2011). The next component is authentic encounter. The meeting between the patient and therapist results in an authentic bond. Relating is key to developing human experience and gestalt therapy because it views a person as a whole when they have a good relationship with themselves and those who are around them. Lastly, it is the process-oriented diagnosis. The gestalt therapists ensure that they push the person to a higher level of awareness. The contact cycle entails the promotion of awareness that results in excitement, to contact, and finally, action. The therapeutic techniques in gestalt therapy are (Amendt-Lyon, 2001): (1) The experiment where all techniques are focused on ‘what are you experiencing now,’ with an aim of increasing awareness. Experiments are regarded as the cornerstone of experiential learning. Experiments grow out of interaction between the therapist and client. (2) Exaggeration exercise is where a person is asked to exaggerate some movement, thought, or feeling. (3) In internal dialogue exercise, the gestalt therapist is supposed to engage the client in meaningful dialogue to guide them into a certain way of thinking or behaving. (4) By staying with the feeling, it ensures that one works through the fears. (5) Rehearsal exercise entails the therapist asking the patient to do the opposite of their behaviors. (6) As for empty chair technique, the client speaks to an empty chair as if it were another person. It is used to aid the client get in touch with other views. (7) Guided fantasy is where the therapist encourages the client to visualize ‘here and now’ experiences.’ (8) Playing with projection involves the gestalt therapists asking the clients to role play an individual who they are not connecting with. (9) In making the rounds, the therapist goes to every person in the group and talking to them. (10) Reversal technique is where the patient rehearses with the therapist aloud. (11) In gestalt therapy, dreams play a very crucial role. It may assist individuals comprehend spontaneous aspects of themselves. (12) As for the body language, the gestalt therapist will concentrate on the body language because it is considered as the pointer of intense emotions. If a particular body language is noticed, the therapist can ask the client to exaggerate the behaviors or movement. According to Houston (2003), this is perceived to intensify the motion attached to the behavior in addition highlighting the inner meaning.   In relation to the relationship between the client and therapist, the therapists should: allow themselves to be affected by their clients, share experiences in the ‘here and now’, not manipulate clients, give feedback, and create a dialog relationship (Burley, 1998). Besides that, gestalt therapy can also be done in groups and the gestalt therapists often experience maximal involvement with diverse groups. The strengths of Gestalt therapy from a diversity perspective is that the Gestalt experiments can be formulated to fit the inimitable ways in which clients view and understand their culture. Gestalt therapy is effective in assisting individuals amalgamate the polarities within themselves that help bicultural clients in merging various aspects of their cultures. Creative Gestalt experiments may be formulated in a way that it puts emphasis on non-verbal behaviors (Oaklander, 1997). However, they are also limitations that are associated with Gestalt experiments from a diversity perspective. First, the clients who are culturally conditioned to be emotionally reserved can find the emphasis put on feelings to be unwelcoming. Second, the inexperienced therapist who utilizes Gestalt techniques in a mechanical manner to bring out particular effects such as intense emotions may result in clients to terminate from the therapy prematurely. Gestalt therapy has numerous benefits. It aids people to gain a better understanding of how their physical and emotional needs are connected. One is able to understand why he or she reacts and behaves in a particular way. It also offers support for persons who are undergoing difficult personal times. It is a holistic approach which values every aspect of an individual’s experience. It is also a more lively and creative approach that utilizes experiments to move clients from talk, to action, and experience. The clients are offered with an array of tools to find out new facets of themselves and make decisions with regard to altering their lives. Moreover, the Gestalt approach to working with dreams is an exclusive pathway for persons to enhance their awareness (Bar & Levine, 2010). In spite of all the advantages, Gestalt therapy has also its weaknesses. In the first place, the approach has the probability of the therapist abusing power by using powerful techniques devoid of proper training. Next, this approach may not be helpful to clients who have problems in imagining as well as abstracting. The other limitation is that the emphasis on self-disclosure and therapist authenticity may be overpowering for certain clients. Conclusion The Gestalt therapy is existential and phenomenological, which means that it is grounded in the ‘here and now.’ In gestalt therapy, the immediate goal is to create or restore awareness. It also enhances direct experiencing. The goal of a gestalt therapist is to develop a non-judgmental self-awareness, thus enabling the clients to develop a unique standpoint to life. The gestalt therapy offers insight into ways in which one can eradicate their existing issues and distress so as to aspire to their maximum potential.The therapeutic techniques in Gestalt therapy include the experiment, exaggeration exercise, internal dialogue exercise, staying with the feeling, rehearsal exercise, making the rounds, reversal technique, and dream work among others. Gestalt therapy has also limitations in its applicability such as abuse of power by the therapist, to useful to clients with abstract problems, and it may be also overpowering to some customers. However, the major objective of gestalt therapy is to increase awareness. References Amendt-Lyon, N. (2001). “Art and Creativity in Gestalt Therapy,” Gestalt Review , 5 (4), 225-248. Bar, T., & Levine, Y. (2010). Gestalt Therapy: Advances in Theory and Practice. New York: Routledge. Bloom, D. & Brownell, P. (2011). Continuity and Change: Gestalt Therapy Now. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. Burley, T. (1998). “Minds and Brains for Gestalt Therapists,” Gestalt Review, 2 (2), 131-142. Brownell, P. (2008). Handbook for Theory, Research, and Practice in Gestalt Therapy. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. Houston, G. (2003) Brief Gestalt Therapy. London, UK: Sage Publications. Oaklander, V. (1997). “The Therapeutic Process With Children and Adolescents.” The Gestalt Review, 1 (4), 292-317. Staemmler, M. (2009) Aggression, Time, and Understanding: Contributions to the Evolution of Gestalt Therapy. New York: Routledge. Wagner-Moore, L. (2004). “Gestalt Therapy: Past, Present, Theory, and Research,” Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 41 (2), 180-189. Read More