Gestalt therapy

Fritz Perls (1893 – 1970), the American neuro-psychologist who first used Gestalt therapy as a title of his book, was very interested in drama plying when he was young. He studied and worked by Max Reinhardt the notorious director of Deutsches Theater. He learned about self-realization, creativity, spontaneity, motivation, vocation and verbal communication of thoughts from him. Later, he graduated and started his carrier as psycho analytics (Freud’s school) and learned psychodrama from Moreno. They were with Pető of the same age.

The legacy of Perls is the Gestalt Therapy what underlines the self-regulation and self-control of the organism. Its principle that the personality is coherent, organized and one entire, total organism is which also functions as a whole where body and mind are not separate, where parts working together in good coordination and the processes are integrated. The organism and environment is an integral whole, thus the person has a very close connection to the environment. Interactions are crucial in any function. The aim of Gestalt therapy is to start a developmental process where the person takes actively part in his own development. Practically, “self healing” should happen with particular emphasis upon of creation of self –knowledge. Opposite to psychoanalysis, in Gestalt therapy the client does not have to know why he can not do something. The question “why” is not important. The approach is very emotional, highlights the self responsibility, a lot of times nonverbal, it encourages clients to avoid the “I can’t do it” sentence. The therapy is carried out in group setting where interactions of participants are fundamental. The communication between clients called “encounter”, it is very important the self-expression where participants can speak only in “I “or “we” version about their experience, reaction and emotion. “Here and now”.
They write short novels, play roles in created situations as it were drama class, where is very important the self-realization, creativity, spontaneity, motivation, vocation and verbal communication of thoughts, self-expression. Everybody should do and say what they want.

Notes

http://www.psychotherapybristol.co.uk/

http://www.gestalt.org/

M Hári, Összehasonlító Konduktív Pedagógia, MPANNI Budapest,1998