What is Gestalt Therapy?

This video describes Gestalt Therapy. Gestalt Therapy was developed by Fritz Perls. Gestalt Therapy emphasizes awareness of self, the body, and the environment. Disturbances with “contact boundaries” could lead difficult interacting with the environment. The “five layers of neuroses” (phony, phobic, impasse, implosive, explosive) could be stripped away through Gestalt Therapy and an individual could be more authentic. Unexpressed feelings (unfinished business) and not taking responsibility could also lead to symptoms according to Gestalt Therapy. Gestalt Therapy has several techniques including confrontation, which is one of the more controversial techniques. Gestalt Therapy is focused on the here and now. The empty chair and two chair techniques are particularly popular in Gestalt Therapy and are versions of “self-dialogue.” Role-playing and enactment are sometimes used in Gestalt Therapy as well. Many of the Gestalt Therapy techniques are integrated into a number of other therapeutic modalities.