By William “Sandy” Pryor, MA, LPC, MT-BC, Gestalt Therapy Topic Expert Contributor

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When I tell colleagues that I am a Gestalt therapist, I generally hear “so you hit pillows” or “so you just talk to an empty chair.” The general lack of understanding of basic underlying theory and guiding philosophy is surprising given the approach’s popularity and influence over that last 60 years. In this article I would like to describe and discuss a concept that is at the heart of Gestalt therapy. This concept is the Gestalt “cycle of experience.”

In Gestalt Therapy, the self is not seen as a static thing but rather as a continually evolving process that is defined and illuminated by how the organism (client/person) makes contact with his or her environment. This process, when completed in a healthy and unimpeded way, generally follows a process called the “cycle of experience.” This cycle is a basic map for how a person becomes aware of a need, mobilizes to meet that need, and achieves satisfaction. The key phases of the process are sensation, awareness, mobilization, action, contact, satisfaction, and withdrawal/rest. Read the rest of this entry

Written by Bud Feder, Ph.D.

Abstract

This paper describes a specific approach to group therapy that is carried out within the context of a Gestalt orientation. It begins with a brief history of how the particular approach described here evolved. Then come a description of elements to pay attention to in the composition such a group, followed by a brief statement of the orientation given to each new member. Then five ground rules for the group process are presented. A central distinguishing principle of this kind of group is that participants agree to devote their attention and efforts to experiences that directly pertain to this group. Conversations about events in other times and places are largely off limits. After the “Ground Rules,” a section called “Some Tweaking I’ve Done” presents changes in the process the author has gradually made that contribute to a more effective process. Three thumbnail sketches of typical work follow. Read the rest of this entry