Gestalt Therapy

Gestalt therapy is a form of psychotherapy that relates to the process of human perception and works on a basic concept of the Gestalt approach «The whole is different from the sum of its parts.» This approach in Gestalt psychotherapy describes the process of perception in addition to the psychic equipment in general.

The Gestalt approach originated from research that was initiated by psychologists specializing in human perception which demonstrated that humans do not recognize objects as separate elements and instead organize the objects into significant totalities via the process of perception. The concept of Gestalt psychotherapy was then formally developed by Fritz Perls during the 1950s, a well known psychiatrist and psychotherapist that initiated an entirely new approach to psychotherapy. The name «Gestalt» means «form» and is derived from Hans-Jurgen Walter's «Gestalt Theory Psychotherapy» which is based on Gestalt psychology.

Gestalt psychology relates to the interconnection of the individual and the increase in awareness where the individual's senses and behaviors merge together. Gestalt therapy was created to help individuals with problem solving. Fritz Perl noticed that the concept of individualism was a positive one but there was also a reverse side to this theory. The people who were looking for the answer to their hopes and dreams looked to Gestalt therapy as the answer which eventually became a weak point in the methodology. He added that for a person to reach their full potential they must build relationships and collaborate with others to reach a common goal and so he created Gestalt psychotherapy.

An example that relates to Gestalt psychotherapy is when you look at an object that has a geometric shape. Human perception views it as a single object as opposed to four lines and four angles which are perceived as the whole in which the final outcome differs from the sum of all the parts. Consequently, this means that the properties of a system must be analyzed in its entirety rather than being described solely on its components.

When Gestalt psychotherapy is applied to human beings it creates a vision of each individual as a whole being that is much greater than the parts that make up the individual. The parts include the individual's body, mind, thoughts, imagination, and movement that are viewed as the entire human being. When looked at from this point of view, you cannot treat one aspect of the individual as the cause of a problem because this means that you would be creating a synthetic fragment of something that in reality, works as a whole.

Gestalt psychotherapy is specifically focused on the process of homeostasis which refers to the individual's ability to control their internal environment to ensure stability when responding to changes in the external environment. The process of homeostasis oversees the basic functions of life while maintaining the internal equilibrium to ensure the health of the individual and their ability to function in varying conditions.

The consequence of the process of homeostasis is coherent and sufficient behavior that is focused on the satisfaction of multiple needs. The individual must cope with various needs which are often exhibited simultaneously which mean under normal circumstances the individual is required to prioritize the needs into a hierarchy which addresses the most urgent need while temporarily transporting other needs to the background.

The advantage of Gestalt psychotherapy is it views the functioning of the individual as a reflection of the background dynamic. If the process of homeostasis fails as the result of the individual being unable to identify their most important needs due to lack of sufficient contact with the environment the Gestalt remains unfinished. As a result of this incompleteness, the Gestalt will interrupt the flow of exchange between the individual and the environment. This creates inflexibility in the way the individual interacts with the environment. This is the key element that exemplifies the difference between a healthy well-adjusted individual from one that is in conflict with their environment.

According to this theory, one of the primary objectives of Gestalt therapy is the ability to restore the self-awareness which is lost when a psychological disorder becomes evident. This is accomplished by restoring the individual's ability to differentiate, which helps the individual to identify what is and what is not a true part of the self, what provides the individual with a sense of self-realization and achievement and what leads to frustration. The person is guided towards a sense of integration, in the search for an appropriate balance in terms of the limit between the self and the rest of the world.

The process of awareness is one of the primary methods used in this approach which focuses on extending the individual's knowledge of self and their understanding of the external environment in every aspect. When this method is applied during Gestalt therapy, awareness is created by the implementation of five principle questions: 1) What do you do? 2) What do you feel? 3) What do you want? 4) What do you avoid? And, 5) What do you expect?

During Gestalt therapy the individual's awareness starts with multiple levels of examination which begins at the surface and then works through layers to reach the emotions and eventually the cognitive and unstable processes. This is accomplished through the five principle questions as well as non-verbal responses or body language of the individual.