Gestalt therapy is a treatment method dealing with emotions of the people and their way of understanding the environment. Founded by Frederick Fritz and Laura Perls in 1940, it emerged as the most effective way of treatment adopted by psychologists in United States of America and also became popular in United Kingdoms as well. Therapists involve patients in their own healing process making them realize, understand and recognize their own feelings. Several complexities of life have made people loose interest in their real self.
They feel themselves split off between what is happening around them and what they intend to do. And here the role of therapists comes in. They make patients aware of their own activities which they often can’t realize themselves and can’t change themselves and thus increase their self-confidence. As said by Nancy A. Piotrowski, in her book Magill’s Encyclopedia of Social Science: Psychology, “Gestaltists believe that anxiety is the result of an excessive focus on the future.
The client is expected to attend to current feelings and experiences—to stay in the “here and now. ” (Piotrowski, 2003) Therapists make patients talk freely about their current experiences and feelings, without going into their past and neither they are allowed to come out with their future plans. In this way they make the patients enter into the realm of their current chores, their feelings and what are the experiences they are facing. There are no definite approaches of treatment for individuals, in-group counseling or in families.
While dealing with family, each individual is considered as disoriented or disintegrated part of the whole and the efforts are made to create a link between these parts. Joel Latner pinpoints that all of us in one or the other way are involved in relationship with each other and Gestalt therapy helps us to know ourselves in coordination and relation to others. To establish bonds with children and other family members is the main thurst of the Gestalt therapy.
In working with children, Therapists uses the Gestalt play therapy combining the rules of Gestalt theory in a playful manner to increase their self confidence and support. To bring the families closer generally, The empty chair technique is being commonly used by the Gestalt therapists. In this concept, a scene is created whereby a partner may address to an empty chair thinking him as his partner and thinking himself as a spouse carries on with a dialogue and expresses all his reprehensions and doubts and can come out with possible solutions.
In the same way this empty chair can also be considered as his own absent child or parent. For individuals, therapists have direct contact with patient by assessing and screening his or her behavior. Among groups some therapists follow what is known as Perls’ lead. In this process, therapists use hot seat system, whereby patient is made to disclose problems on individual level and then focus is directed towards forming an environment to bring about contact between patient and group leader (I and Thou).
(Yontef 1993) The time of these interactions go on in an average time between 20 minutes to forty minutes. In this meeting other members keep their silence. Gestalt therapy is all about interaction and practical application is same for all families, group or individual, only approaches are different depending to the nature of problem, number of family members and the emotional strain they are facing with each other. Gestalt technique is more useful in dealing with individuals. As the therapists can come more closer and can have interaction with individuals giving more fruitful results.
It is a natural tendency of human beings that they can get closer and intimate with the individual person whom he thinks cares for him. In many cases, patients cannot discuss problem with other people due to the social taboo attached with the problem and they want to cure themselves keeping their problem secret. In this case Gestalt therapy can prove very successful. Also while implying Gestalt therapy, the impact of social, cultural and political factors in individuals inner lives cannot be disregarded.
Citing the example of Brazil Selma Ciornai said, “Since Brazilians are very family-oriented, often a behavior considered “dependent” and therefore “not healthy” in the US, in Brazil is considered not only normal but quite healthy; what is considered “assertiveness” in the US, is often considered pure rudeness in Brazil; behaviors considered “invasive” in the US, many times are considered just friendly behaviors in Brazil. ” (Ciornai 1998) Information of background can help therapists to treat their patients more effectively and in a better way.
Thus the cultural differences need to be considered. Gestalt therapy is very useful to overcome the short term crisis and among the patients having visual problems, among mental health professionals, among children having behavior problems, for training of the staff of day care centers, dying persons and persons affecting with severe to moderate types of depressive, emotional problems owing to family crises and for a person for whom dealing with group is very difficult. He or she cannot associate himself or herself in a group.
In short, Gestalt therapy is about sharing and caring where an affected individual, group or family may feel motivated, feel themselves more associated and can attain a new lease of life.
REFERENCE LIST
Ciornai S. 1998. Gestalt Therapy in Brazil. Gestalt Review, 2(2), 108-119. NJ: The Analytic Press, Inc. Yontef G. 1993. Gestalt Therapy: An Introduction. Retrieved on February 21, 2008 from W. W. W: http://www. gestalt. org/yontef. htm Piotrowski, N. A. 2003. Magill’s Encyclopedia of Social Science: Psychology. CA: Salem Press, Inc.