Gestalt Therapy Foundations and Core Concepts

Foundations of Gestalt Therapy

The Gestalt approach has been influenced by several key areas:

• Freud's psychoanalysis
• Existential philosophy
• Phenomenology
• Gestalt psychology, particularly its theory of perception (figure-ground, the law of fitness)
• Eastern religions (Buddhism, Zen)
• Psychodrama
• The theory of muscular armor (W. Reich)
• The theory of Indifference (Sigmund Kretschmer, Friedlander)

Key Concepts in Gestalt Therapy

Contact and Awareness: Key concepts upon which Gestalt therapy is based include:

• The outside world: Sensory contact with objects and events occurring in the present moment (what I see, touch, and so on, right now).
• The inner world: Sensory contact with internal events, such as muscular tension, uncomfortable sensations, tremors, sweating, etc.
• Fantasy: Mental activity that goes beyond the present, involving explaining, imagining, guessing, thinking, etc.

Contact Styles (Types of Awareness)

Gestalt identifies different ways individuals engage in superficial or inauthentic contact:

• Contact by Comment (CC): Superficial comments (e.g., "Good morning," "How are you?").
• Contact by Bullshit (CC "because"): Rationalizations, excuses, or inauthentic pleasant conversation.
• Contact by Elephant: Speaking about life without truly living it; theorizing about the self, society, and the world without experiencing them.

Guiding Principles (G. Rules)

These rules govern the therapeutic process:

• The principle of the now (the present moment).
• The "I-Thou" relationship.
• Taking ownership of language and behavior.
• Forbidden to say "I can not"; instead, say "I will not" or "I choose not to."
• The continuum of awareness.
• No murmuring.
• Translate questions into statements.
• Pay attention to how something is presented (the process), not just what is said.
• Do not interpret or find the real cause.
• Pay attention to the physical experience, such as changes in posture.
• Accept the shift; this is the experiment.
• Consider everything said and experienced in the group as confidential.

Strata of the Self

The layers of the self, moving toward authenticity:

1. Ego False
2. Ego Delusional (or Comatose)
3. Ego Phobic
4. Ego Implosive (Quagmire)
5. Ego Explosive
6. The True Self

Gestalt Techniques (T)

Therapeutic interventions are categorized by their aim:

1. Technique of Surprise (T Surpresa): Designed to prevent or suppress the client's intent to escape from the here and now and their current experience.
2. Expressive Technique (T Expressive): The subject seeks to externalize the internal, to give account of their feelings.
3. Integrative Technique (T Integrative): The subject seeks to incorporate or reintegrate alienated parts of their personality or address their gaps.