What is Gestalt Therapy?

What is Gestalt Therapy?

Gestalt therapy is a type of psychological treatment that utilizes phenomenological awareness. It entails communication, dialogue and experimentation between therapists and patients who explore and communicate their perspectives to gain insight into their lives.

Gestalt therapy promotes a sense of responsibility (response-ability). Clients take responsibility for their own development and self-care, rather than being dictated to by past experiences or others’ interpretations of them.

The therapist establishes direct, caring and warm contact with their patient. By doing so, they showcase the true self of the individual and share phenomenological awareness – thus showing client integrity and responsibility.

Gestalt therapy involves the therapist bringing the patient back into the present moment, using a technique known as “hot seat.” This keeps their focus on what is happening right now instead of worrying about what happened or could happen in the past.

Working together, the therapist and patient develop greater capacity for sensing, feeling, and acting on impulses. With increased awareness and connection, their ego function improves, making it easier to resolve conflicts and find solutions to problems.

Gestalt therapy is not an empirically supported form of psychotherapy, but it does have several uses in mental health practice. It has been found to be successful at treating conditions like anxiety, phobias and depression; furthermore, people have used it to cope with grief and dealing with authority figures.