Gestalt Psychotherapy
Gestalt psychotherapy is a humanistic and experiential therapeutic approach that focuses on the here and now, on how we experience what happens to us, and on the possibility of becoming aware in order to generate change. Developed by Fritz Perls and Laura Posner, it is based on a fundamental idea: when a person can fully become aware of their experience, the possibility of reorganizing it in a healthier way opens up.
What does Gestalt therapy consist of?
Gestalt therapy focuses less on explaining the reasons for problems and more on how they manifest in the present:
- How do you feel
- How do you think
- How you act
- How do you relate
The goal is to expand consciousness (awareness) about these processes so that you can choose more freely and coherently.
Fundamental Principles and Key Concepts:
- The here and now: Although the past is important, the focus is on how that past manifests in the present. Not just what happened, but how you are experiencing it right now.
- Consciousness as a driver of change: In Gestalt therapy, change is not forced. It occurs when the person becomes deeply aware of their experience.
- Self-regulation: The body naturally tends towards equilibrium. When we interrupt this process (by avoiding emotions, repressing needs, etc.), discomfort arises.
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The responsibility: It encourages the person to recognize their experience as their own: "I feel," "I need," "I choose."
This does not imply guilt, but responsibility. -
Figure and background: Our experience is organized into:
Figure: what stands out at a given moment
Background: what remains in the background
Therapeutic work helps to bring what is important to the surface and resolve it. - Unfinished Gestalts: These are experiences that could not be resolved satisfactorily (unexpressed emotions, unmet needs). These tend to repeat themselves until a way of resolving them is found.
- Mechanisms for interrupting contact: When our natural process of satisfying needs is blocked, symptoms appear.
Gestalt psychotherapy is an active, experiential, and creative process that invites:
1. Becoming aware of the experience
It explores what is happening in the present moment:
- Bodily sensations
- Emotions
- Thoughts
- Impulses
2. Give space to what appears
Instead of avoiding, the invitation is:
- Feel
- Express
- Explore
3. Experiment
Experiential approaches are used to delve deeper:
- Dialogue between parties
- I work with the “empty chair”
- emotional expression
- Attention to the body
These experiences allow the implicit to become visible.
4. Integrate
As awareness grows, the experience can be reorganized:
- Unfinished gestalts are completed
- Emotions are released
- New ways of acting emerge
The therapeutic process is relational, and the psychologist facilitates awareness.
Gestalt therapy does not only seek to resolve symptoms, but to transform the way you relate to yourself and the world.
When there is more awareness, there is more freedom.
Gestalt therapy is a dynamic process, where each session is unique.
It's not about applying techniques, but about exploring what emerges in the moment, respecting each person's rhythm and experience.
Mechanisms for interrupting contact
Desensibilización (Fase de Sensación):
Ignorar las señales de nuestro cuerpo para evitar sentir incomodidad o dolor.
Proyección (Fase de Toma de Conciencia):
Atribuir a los demás sentimientos o impulsos que en realidad son nuestros.
Introyección (Fase de Energetización):
Frenar nuestro impulso auténtico por seguir mandatos externos («los debería») tragados sin digerir.
Retroflexión (Fase de Acción):
Volcar contra nuestro propio cuerpo la energía movilizada para salir al mundo (somatizaciones, autocrítica).
Deflexión (Fase de Contacto):
Evitar la intensidad de la experiencia usando el humor o el intelecto para no sentir el impacto real.
Egotismo (Fase de Satisfacción):
Observarse a uno mismo mientras se vive, una hiper-consciencia que frena el placer y la satisfacción plena.
Confluencia (Fase de Retirada):
Borrar los límites entre el yo y el otro, impidiendo cerrar la experiencia por incapacidad de separarse.
The therapeutic process
It is active, experiential, and creative. Participants are invited to become aware of their sensations and emotions, to give space to what arises, to experiment (dialogue between parts, empty chair, attention to the body), and to integrate in order to complete unfinished gestalts. Gestalt therapy seeks to transform the way you relate to yourself and the world. When there is more awareness, there is more freedom.