Gestalt Therapy

When I first discovered Gestalt therapy, I arrived at my therapist’s office feeling certain that I knew exactly what I was going to say and what I needed.

I had prepared my story. Everything was organised, carefully thought through, almost rehearsed in advance.

After listening to me, he simply said, “You sound as though you’ve rehearsed this.”

This made me laugh, and I replied that the description felt rather accurate. He laughed with me. Then, a little later, as I was searching for my words, he added, “It’s as if you’re doing this all on your own.”

That sentence moved me deeply.

Something was becoming clearer. A way of being that I had known for a long time without truly recognising it. I knew how to tell my story without always letting another person share in what I was experiencing.

It was through this experience that Gestalt therapy truly began to make sense to me.

Developed in the 1950s by Fritz Perls and Laura Perls, together with Paul Goodman and Ralph Hefferline, Gestalt therapy is now practised throughout the world. The German word Gestalt means “form” or “shape.” It focuses on what happens within us and between us, in the ongoing interaction between the person and their environment.

In practical terms, many of the patterns that shape our lives reappear within the therapeutic relationship itself. The way we relate to ourselves, to others, and to the world often becomes more clearly visible in the therapy room. Here are two examples.

A woman tells me about her deep sense of loneliness. One day, while rummaging through her handbag, she notices a box of tissues within easy reach. Yet she neither asks for one nor helps herself to it. This small moment becomes an opportunity to explore her difficulty in reaching out to others and expressing her needs.

Another person tells me about her difficulty trusting others. During our first meeting, the image of a cat advancing with its claws out comes spontaneously to mind. I also sense that she is keeping me at arm’s length. A few sessions later, I share this impression with her. It opens the door to exploring the ways she has learned to protect herself and to discovering that she no longer needs to remain quite so guarded, and that new ways of relating may be possible.

In therapy, part of my role is to gently bring these patterns into awareness so that they can be recognised and, over time, transformed.

These moments illustrate one of the central principles of Gestalt therapy: the difficulties that cause us suffering often have their roots in our past, yet continue to shape our present relationships. Therapy becomes a place of exploration where these patterns can emerge, be recognised, and gradually give way to new possibilities.

Gestalt therapy is particularly interested in recurring patterns. What is their purpose? How have they helped us adapt? Are they still useful today?

Particular attention is given to feelings and emotions. Analysis and intellectual understanding are very important, but they are not always enough to bring about change. We may understand our difficulties very well, even know where they come from, yet still find ourselves unable to transform them.

Gestalt therapy often helps us move from “I understand” to “I feel”, where something new can begin to unfold.

Therapy offers a place where each person can be welcomed in their uniqueness and come to see themselves differently. It is often through this process that difficulties begin to loosen their grip and new possibilities emerge.

Gestalt therapy invites us to cultivate a more vibrant awareness of ourselves, our relationships, and the world around us, so that we may rediscover greater freedom, creativity, and the ability to choose how we wish to inhabit our lives.