Gestalt Therapy

“It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before….to test your limits…..to break through barriers.
And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom”.

(Anais Nin)

What is Gestalt Therapy?

Gestalt therapy is a practical, creative and experimental form of psychotherapy. We pay attention to how you connect (or disconnect) to yourself and to people in your life, including me. In Gestalt terms, this is called ‘contact’ and is actually one of the most important aspects of the therapy. We all need contact in order to grow and survive. Relationship grows out of contact. In practice, this means we explore your experiences in the moment, what you’re thinking, feeling and sensing in your body….and also what you (unconsciously) avoid. Gestalt therapy focuses on developing awareness of yourself, your situation and how you function in your situation(s).

In Gestalt therapy, we explore who you are, what you feel and what you want. We do this by taking time to see what’s on your mind, the issues you’re facing right now in your life, your thoughts, feelings, wishes and needs. You’ll connect more deeply with personal and external barriers that prevent you from fulfilling your goals and stop you from growing further. These barriers get in your way but you just can’t seem to ‘get rid’ of them. We attend to your patterns of behaving, the survival mechanisms that have helped you be successful and yet now seem to inhibit your growth. There is space to discover and experiment with new possibilities and new ways of behaving in a safe environment that we create together.

Gestalt therapy is an experiential form of psychotherapy. This means that we pay attention to how you connect to yourself and also how you connect (or disconnect) to people in your life, including me. In Gestalt terms, this is called ‘contact’ and is actually one of the most important aspects of the therapy. We all need contact in order to grow and survive. Relationship grows out of contact. In practice, this means we explore your experiences in the moment, what you’re thinking, feeling and sensing in your body….and also what you (unconsciously) avoid. Gestalt therapy focuses on developing awareness of yourself, your situation and how you function in your situation(s).

Basic principles

  • Gestalt therapy focuses on what happens between you and me and on your ongoing experience in the present moment (here-and-now).
  • In therapy, I look at how you communicate: how your body moves, the sound of your voice, how you think and feel and how you give meaning to your own experiences.
  • Gestalt therapy works from ‘the paradox of change’ principle. The paradox is that the more you try to be who you’re not, the more you stay the same. Many people focus on what they should be rather than who they (already) are. This means I work with your qualities and your shortcomings. The more you learn to accept who you are, the more changes you’ll discover, big and small.
  • Gestalt therapy is an exploration rather than a direct modification of behavior. The goal is growth and autonomy through increased awareness and the ability to be aware. What leads to change in not so much increased awareness as the increased ability to be aware.
  • Gestalt therapy has a creative, experimental approach to life and also to the therapy process.
  • Gestalt therapy is a surprising and dynamic process, focused on helping you (re)connect to both yourself and other people.
  • Gestalt therapy is suitable for people who are curious to know more about themselves, who want to grow, develop and are looking for depth and meaning in their life.