What is Gestalt therapy and how does it differ from Gestalt psychology, the main goals, objectives and technologies, why and who needs it; specific ways of application in psychological practice. The main goals of gestalt therapy: treatment of mental disorders through emotions, the patient with the help of a doctor, analyzing his negative feelings, must find his inner support; gaining positive vital energy in order to live in harmony with your conscience and the world around you in the future.
Who is Gestalt Therapy suitable for?
Suitable for all who are at odds with themselves and have difficulties in communication, wants to change their life and position in society for the better. In a word, it is needed by those people who do not dwell on their problems and want to solve them. However, there are some nuances that you should be aware of.
Women are more likely to consult a gestalt therapist. They are more sensual, and therefore better make contact with a psychologist, more willingly participate in role-playing games. It is highly likely that they will heed the advice of a doctor and will be able to change their view of the problems that concern them.
Men, by virtue of their nature, are more secretive, they are not inclined to talk about their feelings in group sessions. Although everything largely depends on the personality of the gestalt therapist, if he manages to find an unobtrusive approach to his client, then people who are restrained in the manifestation of emotions will also go to him, who feel an urgent need to correct their emotional state for one reason or another.
The gestalt therapist has a special approach to children. A problem for him is a child who never takes offense at his parents. This means that he hides his real feelings, constantly lives in fear that if he shows them, the parents will be unhappy, relations with them will deteriorate.
For example, a mother who complains about her child that the girl does not always speak to her evenly may even be insolent, the psychologist can answer that this is good. You have a normal relationship, because the child does not hide his emotions, he is sure that you love him. But if she is constantly polite with her father, it means that the relationship with him is not sincere, and this causes concern, there is something to think about.
Basic techniques and techniques of gestalt therapy
The set of professional techniques are the techniques used in the gestalt therapy approach. They are used in games when the client has the opportunity to experiment with his feelings. These include the "hot stool" or "empty chair" Gestalt therapy technique.
Here the main goal is to achieve the required level of emotional "enlightenment", which leads to the integration of the personality, when the human body works harmoniously.
Let's give an illustrative example. Nice gait - good posture (body). Self-confidence is inner calmness (zero-state) or inner purposefulness (emotions), supported by knowledge (intellect). All this together constitutes the integration of the personality.
The main task of the therapist, both in group and individual work with a client, is to focus his attention on being aware of what is happening now, focusing his energy on this, developing a new model of his behavioral reactions and taking responsibility for their implementation.
There are many methods of concrete work, we will list only the main ones. These include:
- Awareness … John Enright in his book "Gestalt Leading to Enlightenment" said: "We do not so much transfer our feeling into the world as we peer or listen to what is already there, and we strengthen it in perception." However, it is necessary that the perception of the environment be fully conscious. The gestalt therapist sets up his clients for this.
- Energy concentration … To realize your problems, you need to focus all your energy on them, only then can you come to understand what is really happening to you.
- Decision-making … It logically follows from the previous one, when it is necessary to draw the necessary conclusions and take a decisive step towards new life attitudes.
- Working with polarities … This refers to the extremes in behavior, completely different lifestyles, between which the client's soul is bifurcated. Let's say rudeness and politeness, follow the established order once and for all or no regime when everything is permissible. And here it is important to understand that Gestalt therapy strives for the unity of all polarities of behavior, and not to abandon one in favor of the other. The search for the "golden mean" is also unacceptable, it is considered a cast, a kind of semblance of true feelings.
- Monodrama … The essence of the monodrama is that the client plays the role of all the characters related to his problem, from which he wants to get rid of.
- Working with dreams … Perls said that dreams reveal the deep essence of a person. Having deciphered a dream, you can learn a lot about a person.
- Using carry … When the client, with the help of the therapist, reproduces his past communication experience and relives the feelings that arose then.
What is gestalt therapy - see the video:
Gestalt therapy practice in the treatment of various mental disorders has become widespread. The main thing here is a holistic approach that takes into account the bodily, spiritual and mental state of health, the social significance of the individual. Turning to feelings and images (gestalts), the psychologist through games helps the client to realize what is really happening to him and make the right decision, which should radically change the inner state of a person and his contacts with the surrounding reality. This approach is the value of the Gestalt therapy method.
