Since many people have little idea of Gestalt therapy or think it is an art therapy approach, I will briefly tell you something about the basis of my work.
Gestalt therapy (GT) was founded around 1951 by Laura and Fritz Perls. Fritz is often considered the creator of this form of therapy. However, most Gestaltists today work according to Laura Perls, myself included.
GT has been significantly influenced by different philosophical directions such as various Buddhist schools, existentialism, or Martin Buber's existential philosophy of relationships.
The name is derived from the psychological concept of Gestalt. This describes above all the property of our brain to always recognize the big picture behind the individual parts. Visually, we see animals in cloud formations or the star made of colored dots in the red/green test. This happens not only visually, but also emotionally. For example, when I say "chistmas" then some probably think of beautiful family celebrations with candlelight and fragrant cookies, others perhaps of quarrelsome evenings and stressful preparations. We immediately fill the word with our own meaning, with our own "Christmas -Gestalt" In fact, every experience we have, every encounter we have is its own Gestalt. These shapes can become an "open Gestalt" when they contain unfinished issues. If the family had reconciled at the end of the stressful Christmas celebration, the figure closes. If the conflicts remain unresolved, the figure remains open. Accordingly, traumas are also to be understood as open figures, because here, too, a past situation did not have a good conclusion (which, in the case of traumas, would have consisted of a successful fight or successful escape). Thus, one of the main concerns of Gestalt therapy is to close these open gestalt.
Gestalt is special in that it is not method-bound. This means that there is not only one method according to which work is done and also the Gestalt itself is not a method, but it defines the basis, in the sense of eye level, contact and healing mechanisms, on the basis of which a healing work can arise.
One of the most important basic assumptions of Gestalt is that change happens largely through experience. Understanding circumstances or reasons can be helpful and relieving, but often does not bring about great change. In Gestalt we therefore try to bring things into experience and make them tangible with all the possibilities available to us. For this purpose, methods are individually adapted to the needs of the clients or developed especially for them. In this way, each person receives the support that best suits him or her.
