Gestalt psychology: in simple words about the complex

What is the meaning of Gestalt therapy?

The essence of Gestalt therapy can be described in simple words like this: unfinished things prevent
a person from living comfortably and being happy. The purpose of the technique is to help you understand your needs, teach you to listen to yourself, figure out what exactly is happening in your life and how you personally participate in this process. A Gestalt therapist helps to find factors that prevent a person from satisfying his needs, to discover situations from the past that to this day affect life in a far from good way. Even if the old story has been practically forgotten, unlived resentment and unexpressed anger can still remain, as it were, inside.

Psychotherapy in the Gestalt approach

Welcome to the website of the St. Petersburg Gestalt Community of the Moscow Gestalt Institute. Here you will find all the information you need if

you want to use the services of a psychologist
you want to learn a new profession and become a participant in one of the training programs for Gestalt therapists
you are a psychologist and want to improve your qualifications by participating in specialization programs and special courses.

As an introduction to the subject, we present a few introductory words about what psychotherapy is in the Gestalt approach.

The Gestalt approach is a direction in the field of practical psychology, which is based on:

theoretical works of domestic scientific psychology (schools of Vygotsky L.S., Leontiev A.N.)
European philosophy of Husserl, Binswanger, Heidegger, Sartre
practical developments of F. Perls, Goodman.

Gestalt therapy is a psychological service during which interaction between a psychologist and a client occurs. The Gestalt therapist accompanies the client in finding new possibilities for dealing with his or her life in a better and more satisfying way. As a result, the client can make his life more convenient for himself without disturbing others.

The Gestalt therapist respects the uniqueness of each person’s life and adheres to the following principles in therapy:

assists the client in creatively searching for solutions (as opposed to explaining reasons)
respects the client’s position and the client’s right to manage his own life without pretending to be an expert
helps the client restore the ability to experience emotions, feelings and, as a result, live their life more fully
helps develop the client's ability to take responsibility for his life
helps in developing a holistic self-perception in the client

You can use the services of a Gestalt therapist if

You are looking for your place in life and have encountered difficulties in this search.
Do you want to feel more free to make decisions?
You experience difficulties in relationships with people around you and want to make these relationships more acceptable.

There are several fundamental principles of Gestalt therapy. These are relevance (better known as “here and now”), awareness and responsibility. Following the “here and now” principle, we believe that site visitors will be interested in getting to know representatives of our community, their experiences, and their thoughts on the topic of Gestalt therapy:

Andrey Vershinin is the head of the St. Petersburg Gestalt community, leading MGI trainer, supervisor, presenter of 2nd and 3rd stage programs.
Sergey Chesnokov is a psychologist, Gestalt therapist, supervisor, leader of thematic and therapeutic groups.
Larisa Rumyantseva – Gestalt therapist, supervisor, associated trainer at MGI.

What is Gestalt?

Understanding what gestalt is is somewhat more difficult.
On the one hand, this is a holistic image that is assembled by the psyche from individual elements. To put it simply, gestalt is unfinished business. For example, a film that was once unable to be watched to the end will probably be remembered better than even the most outstanding masterpiece, the viewing of which was successfully completed. In general, it is human nature to strive for completion.

, this is how our subconscious operates. A problematic situation that has not been resolved will emerge in the memory over and over again, causing negative emotions and psychological discomfort. And most often the person simply does not realize the reason. This is exactly what Gestalt therapy is for.

Gestalt therapy: how does it work?

The main goal of therapy is to close the gestalt. But to do this you need to find it first. At the same time, the psychologist does not point out a specific problem, an unmet need, but teaches a person to independently find the relationship between
past events, grievances, feelings and his current state.

Of course, a specialist can advise what to do and how to change the situation. But this will not be a closed gestalt, so in the next similar situation the person will again be unable to solve the problem himself.

During the session, the Gestalt therapist tries to bring the patient back to the present.

. For example, he asks about his feelings and thoughts at the moment. If a person begins to talk about the past, the psychologist gradually brings him back to the present reality, for example, with the help of questions about his current state of health. This allows you to create the feeling that the problem can be dealt with here and now, even if it arose many years ago.

Why I love Gestalt therapy.

Author: Andrey Savchuk

Here is a speech at the conference “Practical Psychology - 2001” in Perm.

This is now Gestalt therapy - an honorable and respected force. And then she was just making herself known in the motley psychological space of our city. As far as possible in a popular short message, I have tried to convey the depth and beauty of Gestalt therapy through my personal attitude. I hope that today you may be interested in reading a shortened version of the article. Inspiration is never for sale!..

D. Leontyev.

So, why do I love Gestalt therapy? — Four answers came easily, as if we had been waiting for this question for a long time.

For creativity in work and creativity in life.

The Gestalt approach is always creativity. The goal of Gestalt therapy can be formulated: “Restoring the ability to creatively adapt at the border of contact.”

It is impossible to learn creative skills as “techniques for working” with people. In the Gestalt approach there is no programmed end result: it is impossible to plan freedom! Clients and “cases” are fundamentally unique. It is useless and even harmful to plan the course of therapeutic work not only for the next meeting, but also during a specific session: in fact, you never know what you and the client will do in five seconds. So you have to be prepared for any turn of events. There is definitely something creative in this!

In practice, the actions of a Gestalt therapist can look amazingly simple. The difficulty is that it is…impossible to copy and repeat these actions. What a damn difficult thing this is: creativity!

For the freedom of the therapist, which is not comparable to freedom in other therapeutic approaches. There are fundamentally no dogmas or ready-made schemes for “influence,” not to mention “treatment.” Gestalt therapy abandoned directives both to the client and to the therapist.

I am fascinated that the pinnacle of professional excellence in the Gestalt approach is considered to be the therapist’s ability to be himself in the process of contact with the client. All that remains is to discover yourself!

The famous words of F. Perls about the “secret” of his skill: “I have eyes and ears and I am not afraid!” Well, how can you not love gestalt after this!

Gestalt therapy allows you to freely joke and humor yourself, whether you are a client or a therapist. It is here that the question: “And what do you want?” you can hear the answer: “I want you to understand that I’m not as stupid as I really am!”... And laugh at it together.

Jokes and humor are not only possible in Gestalt therapy, but also encouraged. They reduce stress levels and allow you to deal with the most painful, often untouchable experiences.

Here it is impossible to tell the therapist about his work: “Correct!”, or: “Wrong!” No one can indicate: “We must do this and that!” And if anyone undertakes to point out, it only means that he himself does not understand well where the Gestalt approach begins and ends.

Such freedom of the therapist conflicts with any hierarchy of professional relations and seriously complicates the ability of Gestalt therapy to live in a clinical setting. Personally, this makes me happy. The Gestalt approach is generally difficult to replicate, much less “implemented.”

Important: with unlimited professional freedom, the Gestalt therapist bears personal responsibility for what happens in therapy. And he will not be able to hide behind theory, rules or schemes. Also, he will not be able to hide behind a “correct diagnosis” or a “similar case.”

The therapist's freedom requires a mature, strong personality. Therefore, learning Gestalt therapy is precisely about cultivating one’s own personality, and not about memorizing theory and techniques. This is learning how to deal with your reactions, how to integrate them into the therapeutic process in an accessible form and for the benefit of the client. In particular, this means that the therapist does not so much use the notorious techniques as live in contact with the client. Including - he is afraid when he is scared; laughs if it's fun; cries when sad; gets offended if it hurts... For boundless faith in a person.

The Gestalt therapist does not consider his client sick, does not consider him a patient, or, in general, defective in any way. Does not classify symptoms, does not make a diagnosis in a static, fixed sense.

By the way, there may well be a diagnosis in the Gestalt approach, but it acts as a situational dynamic phenomenon. It exists only in the context of the client’s life and describes his manner of hiding from reality or his habitual way of interrupting contact with the environment.

The Gestalt therapist accepts the client as he is and does not necessarily strive to correct or improve him. Unconditionally recognizes the client’s right to change and the right not to change, to improve the quality of his own life, or not.

Customer experience is the most important value and absolute priority. It is important to distinguish between your own reality and the client’s reality. Do not replace one thing with another and do not impose anything on a person from the series: “he’s better off”!

The Gestalt approach objectively fosters in both the client and the therapist autonomy and independence, self-respect, calm faith in oneself and one’s capabilities.

The Gestalt therapist does not seek to improve the client, retrain, restrain from any action, reconcile or divorce. In general - “bring to perfection.” To change or not is the client's choice. The therapist’s task is to help a person make this choice as consciously and responsibly as possible. It's difficult... For being paradoxical.

For the opportunity to appeal to the polarities of consciousness to “connect” the client to his own resource.

For example, if a person wants, but for some reason cannot hug a significant other, cuddle him or cuddle him himself, it is not at all necessary to stubbornly find out what kind of malicious reason this is... Sometimes it is enough to ask the client to push this dear person away, or even completely - drive him away (oh horror!) from yourself.

After which, for the client, such desired and at the same time unattainable intimacy with another becomes really possible and accessible! Such is the paradox... By allowing himself to do what he forbade (not necessarily to push away a living person!) and what seemed unimaginable and blasphemous, the client gains freedom to deal with his experience, with a living person or his image.

In general, joining the resistance in order to neutralize it is a brilliant and beautiful therapeutic technique of the cunning F. Perls! The Gestalt approach in practice uses the charming concept of A. Beisser - the paradoxical theory of change. In short, it says: if you want to change something in yourself, you should not push at all and try to do it directly. For example, to grow personally with terrible force.

It's no use trying to become something you're not! And the more you want, the more useless it is... Changes will not happen, but disappointment is guaranteed! But as soon as you allow, you allow yourself to become who you actually are, the transformation begins immediately. You must first recognize yourself as that very specific and disgusting imperfection that you are trying in every possible way to disown. After which changes are inevitable! It is noteworthy that this idea is so consonant with Russian fairy tales about the sincere Ivan, the kind of fool who always achieves his goals. But in the end, nothing comes of the pretenders...

Four main reasons...

It turns out that Gestalt therapy is, first of all, specific life values... Obviously, they resonated with me, and therefore Gestalt has been an intimate part of my life for many years.

Dear reader! In order for the article to remain popular, the author left out the theoretical foundations of Gestalt therapy. Believe me, they are just as beautiful and elegant, just as deeply and value-based. I'm sure we will meet with them again.

Author: Andrey Savchuk

Who can benefit from Gestalt therapy?

Gestalt psychology is effective in many life situations. But it is most suitable in the following cases:

inability to adapt to a new team;
if you have problems communicating with children or parents, spouse or friends;
with frequent stressful or long-term depressive states;
with a periodic feeling of emptiness, sadness for no apparent reason;
inability to achieve set goals.

This direction is relevant for psychological assistance to people who have been subjected to physical or psychological violence, who have experienced severe loss, as well as those who cannot begin to live in the present day.