Gestalt Theory

Fritz Perls

German born psychotherapist known for developing gestalt theory
-lived during ww1 and participated in the army
-practiced under freud but became dissatisfied

Main components

-Gestalt means whole in german
-based upon existential and humanistic
-here and now awareness
-power is in the present
-healthy boundaries
-resistance to contact

Introjection

A channel of resistance that says you uncritically accept others beliefs and standards without giving them thought

Projection

A channel of resistance that says you disown aspects of yourself and push them onto others

Retroflection

A channel of resistance that says you turn back on yourself

Deflection

A channel of resistance that says you avoid contact and mute your true impulses/feelings

Confluence

A channel of resistance that says you develop less differentiation between yourself and the environment

Goals of gestalt

-Increase awareness
-stay with the present
-integration of parts

Process of Therapy

-Warm and genuine relationship
-awareness of how clients do something
-experiementation

Role of counselor

-Increase clients awareness
-pay attention to present moment
-develop relationship

Empty chair technique

Client talks to empty chair
-used to increase awareness and finish unfinished buisness

staying with the feeling

-keeps clients from running away from uncomftorable feelings
-sustain the emotion

Exaggerate

exaggerate gestures of movement which intensify the feeling attached to the behavior and makes meaning clear

Dream work

Client acts out dreams
-royal road to integration