What is Gestalt?

a brief introduction
A Gestalt means a 'whole', something that is a singularity, although it is made up of distinct parts. Gestalt therapy was developed in the late 1940's and early 1950's by Fritz and Laura Perls. As opposed to the classic Freudian view, they saw a person as a 'whole' - mind, body and spirit, influenced by the present environment as well as by past events. In the practice of Gestalt, an individual attends to his/her actual experience of the present, which may include thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, memories and dreams. A Gestalt practitioner aims to heighten a person's perception of his/her current functioning, including aspects of present ways of being which may be out of awareness. This increase in awareness means that more life options are generated and may mean better ways of relating to other people.

modern gestalt
Many people who have heard about Gestalt often associate it with Fritz Perls and some techniques he used. Fritz Perls was a brilliant, charismatic and controversial teacher, who, often practicing in short workshop format, frequently appeared confrontational and dismissive of intellectual explanation. As a consequence it was thought that Gestalt therapy was a highly challenging and anti-intellectual approach. Modern Gestalt therapy combines both the freshly creative and experimental qualities associated with Perls and respectful steady work over time to heighten awareness and enhance the quality of interaction between therapist and client. This way of working is called Dialogic Gestalt.

In recent years, practitioners have also extended Gestalt thinking and methodology into other fields, including organizational development and management training. There has been an emphasis on the importance of adequate training, so that people are well grounded in the philosophical basis of the approach, rather than imagining it to be a series of techniques. Publications such as The British Gestalt Journal, produced twice a year, and many new books, continually extend current thinking about Gestalt. (For further reading on the theory and development of Gestalt, Fritz Perls by Mackewn and Clarkson, provides an excellent introduction.)

a brief introduction	A Gestalt means a 'whole', something that is a singularity, although it is made up of distinct parts. Gestalt therapy was developed in the late 1940's and early 1950's by Fritz and Laura Perls. As opposed to the classic Freudian view, they saw a person as a 'whole' - mind, body and spirit, influenced by the present environment as well as by past events. In the practice of Gestalt, an individual attends to his/her actual experience of the present, which may include thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, memories and dreams. A Gestalt practitioner aims to heighten a person's perception of his/her current functioning, including aspects of present ways of being which may be out of awareness. This increase in awareness means that more life options are generated and may mean better ways of relating to other people.
modern gestalt	Many people who have heard about Gestalt often associate it with Fritz Perls and some techniques he used. Fritz Perls was a brilliant, charismatic and controversial teacher, who, often practicing in short workshop format, frequently appeared confrontational and dismissive of intellectual explanation. As a consequence it was thought that Gestalt therapy was a highly challenging and anti-intellectual approach. Modern Gestalt therapy combines both the freshly creative and experimental qualities associated with Perls and respectful steady work over time to heighten awareness and enhance the quality of interaction between therapist and client. This way of working is called Dialogic Gestalt.
	In recent years, practitioners have also extended Gestalt thinking and methodology into other fields, including organizational development and management training. There has been an emphasis on the importance of adequate training, so that people are well grounded in the philosophical basis of the approach, rather than imagining it to be a series of techniques. Publications such as The British Gestalt Journal, produced twice a year, and many new books, continually extend current thinking about Gestalt. (For further reading on the theory and development of Gestalt, Fritz Perls by Mackewn and Clarkson, provides an excellent introduction.)