Table of contents:
- Dreams in Gestalt Therapy
- Self-interruptions or defense mechanisms in Gestalt therapy
- The Three Classes of Gestalt Psychotherapy Techniques
- Suppressive Techniques
- Expressive Techniques
- Integrative Techniques
- Final thoughts
Rating: 5 (1 vote) 1 comment By Lic. César Vásquez Olcese. March 13, 2018
The Gestalt Approach (GE) is a type of holistic approach. It perceives objects, especially living beings, as wholes, as a whole and not simply in parts. In Gestalt Psychotherapy it is said that "the whole is more than the sum of the parts". Everything exists and acquires meaning within a concrete context, so according to this approach, nothing exists by itself or is isolated. In this PsychologyOnline article we are going to explain Gestalt psychotherapy techniques, as well as the importance of dreams and defense mechanisms in this type of psychotherapy.
You may also be interested in: Types of psychotherapy: techniques and methods Index- Dreams in Gestalt Therapy
- Self-interruptions or defense mechanisms in Gestalt therapy
- The Three Classes of Gestalt Psychotherapy Techniques
- Final thoughts
Dreams in Gestalt Therapy
In the Gestalt Approach, dreams are seen as projections of the dreamer's personality, of his experiential field; they are parts of their experience that are alienated or not assimilated and that are manifested in dream images as existential messages. All the elements of the dream, whether they represent other people, ideas that are not our own or places that we do not know, are linked to our experience; They must be seen as something of our own, as our own expressions, which belong to us, but which are detached from us.
In accordance with the principles and rules of Gestalt, dream work must be carried out at all times transferring responsibility for the owing of its meaning to the dreamer himself, not assuming it by the therapist by showing off "brilliant" interpretations and comments that do not they are of no use. In principle, it must be taken as an axiom that only the person who dreams is the only one authorized to know, for himself, what his dreams mean. Any other interpretation from the outside, in the Freudian style, goes against the respect that the client deserves and helps little.
Dreams, like all experiences, must be experienced rather than explained. Dreaming itself is a passive process; dreams "happen to us" and for this reason they remain separated from us, like something alien, without knowing what they want to tell us and without using their energy. By their very nature dreams are avoidance of contact with what happens to us; they are repressed, "unconscious" experiences, which for various reasons do not constitute figures while we are awake. As dreams are experienced, using the various Gestalt techniques, the passive role they play changes its turn, and they become something "that we do", being able to assume our responsibility for them.
With Gestalt dream work, at least two objectives are pursued: 1) To make it easier for the client to determine the existential message that his dream carries, and 2) To reincorporate this alienated experience into his personality.
The techniques used are the same as those commonly used in group or individual therapy: bring the dream to the present and here; narrate it in the first person (it is advisable to start the story with the phrase "this is my existence" or "this is my life" to facilitate identification with what is narrated), initially as it happened, and then, in a second story, focusing on the various elements that appear. The subject must "be" everything that appears in his dream. If you dream of an agitated sea, because he himself must be the sea, its agitation, the fish it contains, the algae, the sand, the sky that covers it, the clouds…, feel as such, represent them, in such a way that by acting them - as in an individual psychodrama where the client plays all the roles, including that of the librettist - he can access his message, understand them, see how they are associated with his life,and incorporate them into the self. The therapist limits himself, first, to restraining his interpretive impulses and listening carefully to what is said, and then to guiding the client through the dream, making him stop at the parts that, according to his experience, may be important, so that I experienced them; in the unfinished Gestalten that arise in the story; in what he experiences and, above all, in what he avoids experimenting (I am drawing attention here to the hidden polarities: working also with the opposite of what is presented in the dream story; for example, if in the dream everything is a green and spring meadow, the subject can be imaginatively placed in a sterile desert and in the middle of a sandstorm, thus o-cultured things will arise that are cautiously avoided and the opposites will be experienced).to contain their interpretive impulses and to listen carefully to what is said and, then, to guide the client through the dream making them stop at the parts that, according to their experience, may be important, so that they experience them; in the unfinished Gestalten that arise in the story; in what he experiences and, above all, in what he avoids experimenting (I am drawing attention here to the hidden polarities: working also with the opposite of what is presented in the dream story; for example, if in the dream everything is a green and spring meadow, the subject can be imaginatively placed in a sterile desert and in the middle of a sandstorm, thus o-cultured things will arise that are cautiously avoided and the opposites will be experienced).to contain their interpretive impetus and to listen carefully to what is said and then to guide the client through the dream making them stop at the parts that, according to their experience, may be important, so that they experience them; in the unfinished Gestalten that arise in the story; in what he experiences and, above all, in what he avoids experimenting (I call attention here to the hidden polarities: working also with the opposite of what is presented in the dream story; for example, if in the dream everything is a green and spring meadow, the subject can be imaginatively placed in a sterile desert and in the middle of a sandstorm, thus o-cultured things will arise that are cautiously avoided and the opposites will be experienced).to guide the client through the dream making them stop at the parts that, according to their experience, may be important, so that they can experience them; in the unfinished Gestalten that arise in the story; in what he experiences and, above all, in what he avoids experimenting (I am drawing attention here to the hidden polarities: working also with the opposite of what is presented in the dream story; for example, if in the dream everything is a green and spring meadow, the subject can be imagined in a sterile desert and in the middle of a sandstorm, thus o-cultured things will arise that are cautiously avoided and the opposites will be experienced).to guide the client through the dream making them stop at the parts that, according to their experience, may be important, so that they can experience them; in the unfinished Gestalten that arise in the story; in what he experiences and, above all, in what he avoids experimenting (I am drawing attention here to the hidden polarities: working also with the opposite of what is presented in the dream story; for example, if in the dream everything is a green and spring meadow, the subject can be imagined in a sterile desert and in the middle of a sandstorm, thus o-cultured things will arise that are cautiously avoided and the opposites will be experienced).in what he experiences and, above all, in what he avoids experimenting (I call attention here to the hidden polarities: working also with the opposite of what is presented in the dream story; for example, if in the dream everything is a green and spring meadow, the subject can be imagined in a sterile desert and in the middle of a sandstorm, thus o-cultured things will arise that are cautiously avoided and the opposites will be experienced).in what he experiences and, above all, in what he avoids experimenting (I am drawing attention here to the hidden polarities: working also with the opposite of what is presented in the dream story; for example, if in the dream everything is a green and spring meadow, the subject can be imaginatively placed in a sterile desert and in the middle of a sandstorm, thus o-cultured things will arise that are cautiously avoided and the opposites will be experienced).in this way, or-cultured things will arise that are cautiously avoided and the opposites will be experienced).in this way, or-cultured things will arise that are cautiously avoided and the opposites will be experienced).
At all times you should ask yourself: What do you feel? What do you realize? What does it remind you of? How is this or that linked to your life? What do you avoid? With whom are you right now? Where are you ?, etc., in such a way that we facilitate the awareness of the subject.
Finally, if we have done a good job, without interposing our own expectations and desires to discover "big issues" to feel good, in the process, "without pushing the river" forcing things, it is very likely that the client will be able to realize something constructive for him and that we facilitate his growth.
We must not despair if we do not achieve a great "insight"; What is important is that the subject has reincorporated, to some degree, his dream -or better, the experience that his dream contains- to his person; it has re-assimilated its energy. That, in itself, is therapeutic and very valuable.
Self-interruptions or defense mechanisms in Gestalt therapy
As in the case of dreams, against the so-called " defense mechanisms"The Gestalt approach adds a very peculiar and creative stance. If we remember correctly, Fritz Perls was closely linked to the psychoanalytic movement in Germany. He was analyzed and received training in analytical psychotherapy with the main Freudians of his time (Karen Horney, Helen Deuscht, Wilhelm Reich, etc.); he even met Freud himself, in a brief encounter that was rather frustrating (and even traumatic) for old Fritz (see Inside and outside the garbage can, his autobiography), and was a founder of the Psychoanalytic Institute of South Africa, the country where he went to land fleeing from the Nazis in 1933. For this reason, his interest in this topic and the previous one (dreams) is explainable, although it should not be mistakenly assumed that it is no more than a simple copy or plagiarism of psychoanalysis.
In Gestalt, defense mechanisms, rather than protecting the Ego from threatening internal drives or external threats, are conceived as ways of avoiding contact, both internal and external; as self-interruptions of the cycle of experience (see reprint No. 02).
As it was seen, the organism - the totality of body and mind that we all are - regulates itself through successive cycles of seven phases or stages (rest, sensation, figure formation, mobilization of energy, action, contact and rest.). In the various spaces that mediate between the phases of the cycle, self-interruptions can occur, with the aim of avoiding pain, suffering, not feeling, not living, separating from what is threatening in oneself, fleeing from the phobic stratum, etc.. Hence the "defense".
Fritz Perls (and Laura, his wife, co-founder of Guestalt Therapy) described up to five mechanisms: introjection, projection, confluence, deflection and retroflection. Salama and Castanedo, in their book Manual of psychodiagnosis, intervention and supervision for psychotherapists (1991), mention the variants that the various authors (Goodman, Latner, Polster, Petit, Pierret) have proposed in terms of order and number of mechanisms, to propose themselves a list, perhaps excessive, of eight: desensitization, projection, introjection, retroflection, deflection, confluence, fixation and retention. What is interesting and novel about the contribution of these authors (although it still requires further verification and refinement) is their attempt to develop a Gestatic psychopathology, that seeks to understand the emotional problems from the interruptions of the experience cycle.
In order not to enter into controversies about which proposal is the most appropriate, we will stick to Perls's proposal for the exhibition, including, as it is considered appropriate, one of the phases of Salama and Castanedo.
- Desensitization (Salama and Castanedo), which occurs between rest and sensation, consists of blocking the sensations of both the external and internal environment, not feeling what comes from the body; This stimulates the process of intellectualization by which the lack of sensory contact is tried to explain through rationalizations. His characteristic phrase would be "I don't feel".
- The projection (F. Perls), occurs between sensation and figure formation. It consists of transferring what one feels or thinks, but that for various reasons (especially due to the introjects "you must not") cannot accept others in oneself: "Hate is bad," says the mother; the child hates his father, but as "it should not be hated" he alienates himself from that feeling and throws the ball at the feared and threatening father: "You hate me, you are the bad one." His characteristic phrase is "Because of you."
- Introjection (F. Perls), mediates between figure formation and mobilization of energy for action. Here the subject "swallows" everything they are given without chewing it enough; external influences are swallowed up without making the necessary criticism and selection, according to their personal needs. The subject suffers a true glut of mandates, orders, influences, imagos, etc., unquestionable, which in themselves fulfill a parasitic function but which the subject mistakenly assumes as his own, as moral norms and values. "Do this", "Don't do this", "You shouldn't", "You should", etc. Introjects prevent the free flow of impulses and the satisfaction of needs: do not be aggressive, do not fornicate, keep your virginity, the mother is not told that… blah, blah, blah. Important:Behind all introjects there are figures important to us and Gestalten unfinished in relation to them. His phrase is "I must think it or do it like that.
- The retroflection (F. Perls), occurs between mobilization of energy and action. It is the opposite of projection. The subject does not dare to act on his desires or impulses by the action of the introjects again, so he directs them to himself as this is less dangerous: he self-aggravates by depressing; develops psychosomatic disorders; is devalued, etc. His phrase is "I hate myself for not hating you".
- Deflection (Laura Perls), occurs between action and contact. It consists of establishing a cold, innocuous, non-threatening contact; as if you touch things with gloves or tweezers so as not to get hurt or burned. It is also the tempered expression of emotions: do it "politely." There is no insult… it is ironic or jokes are made; you don't claim or fight for your own… one suffers; you don't love… you "esteem". On a verbal level it is quite clear; euphemisms are an obvious sample of deflective hypocrisy: he died because he died; make love to fornicate, etc. Other ways are to be cynical, indifferent, intellectual, rationalize everything. His phrase is "I throw the stone and hide my hand."
- The confluence (F. Perls) also occurs between action and contact. The subject to be accepted or not to enter into discussion with important figures simply mimics them; it weakens the limits of its I to merge with the other. They are adopted like this, without criticism or questioning, decisions, ideas, styles of life of others. You adopt a comfortable position where you abdicate your own responsibility, the ability to make decisions, to always "agree". Confluents are people "without character or personality", "passive", who practice learned hopelessness or identification with the feared aggressor. His phrase is "Accept me, I do not argue."
The Three Classes of Gestalt Psychotherapy Techniques
In Gestalt Therapy, three kinds of techniques are used basically:
- The suppressive T.
- The Expressive T.
- The integrative T.
Suppressive Techniques
They basically aim to prevent or suppress the customer's evasion attempts from the here / now and their experience; that is, it is intended that the subject experience what he does not want or what is hidden in order to facilitate his realization. Among the Main Suppressives we have:
- Experiencing nothingness or emptiness, trying to make the "sterile emptiness become fertile emptiness"; not flee from the feeling of emptiness, integrate it to oneself, live it and see what arises from it.
- Avoid "talking about" as a way of escaping what is. Speaking must be replaced by experiencing.
- Detecting the "shoulds" and rather than suppressing them it is better to try to determine what may be behind them. The "shoulds" as well as the "talking about" are a way of not seeing what one is.
- Detect the various forms of manipulation and "as if" games or roles that are performed in therapy. Also, rather than suppressing them, it is better to experience them, to make the subject aware of them and the role they play in his life. Among the main forms of manipulation we can find: questions, answers, asking for permission and demands.
Expressive Techniques
It is intended that the subject externalize the internal, that he realizes things that he possibly carried in himself all his life but that he did not perceive. Three things are basically sought:
Express the unspoken:
- Maximize expression, giving the subject an unstructured context to confront himself and take responsibility for what he is. It is possible to work with imaginary inductions of unknown or rare situations, so that fears, inconclusive situations arise. Non-expressive action can also be minimized.
- Ask the client to express what they are feeling.
- Do the round, that the subject expresses what he wants to each member of the group or is given a phrase to repeat to each one and experience what he feels.
Finish or complete the expression:
Here we seek to detect unfinished situations, things that were not said but could be said or done and that now weigh on the client's life. One of the best known techniques is the "empty chair", that is, to work in an imaginary way the problems that the subject has with living or dead people using role play. Imaginary inductions can also be used to reconstruct the situation and live it again in a healthier way, expressing and experiencing everything that was avoided the first time.
Find the address and make the direct expression:
- Repetition: The intention of this technique is to make the subject aware of some action or phrase that could be of importance and to realize its meaning. Examples: "repeat the phrase again", "do that gesture again", etc.
- Exaggeration and development: It is going beyond simple repetition, trying to get the subject to put more emphasis on what he says or does, charging it emotionally and increasing its meaning until he is aware of it. Also, from a simple repetition the subject can continue to develop his expression with other things to facilitate awareness.
- Translate: It consists of taking some non-verbal behavior to the verbal level, expressing in words what is done. "What does your hand mean", "If your nose spoke what would it say", "Let your genitals speak".
- Performance and identification: It is the opposite of translating. It is intended that the subject "act" his feelings, emotions, thoughts and fantasies; that you put them into practice so that you identify with them and integrate them into your personality. It is very useful in dream work.
Integrative Techniques
With these techniques it is sought that the subject incorporates or reintegrates its alienated parts, its holes, into its personality. Although suppressive and expressive techniques are also integrative in some way, more emphasis is placed here on incorporating experience.
- The intrapersonal encounter: It consists of the subject maintaining an explicit, living dialogue with the various parts of his being; between the various intrapsychic subsides. For example, between the "I should" and the "I want", its feminine side with the masculine, its passive side with the active, the smiling and the serious, the top dog with the bottom dog, and so on. The "empty chair" can be used as a technique, exchanging roles until both parties in conflict are integrated.
- Assimilation of projections: The aim here is for the subject to recognize the projections it emits as their own. For this, he can be asked to pretend that he lives what is projected, to experience his projection as if it were really his. Example: Q: "My mother hates me." T: "Imagine that you are the one who hates your mother; how do you feel about that feeling? Can you honestly recognize that that feeling is really yours?"
It is important to remember that these procedures or techniques are only a support to achieve the therapeutic objectives, but that they do not constitute Gestalt Therapy. What is important, what is really therapeutic, is the "gestatic attitude" that is adopted, the recognition of the importance of the process, and the respect for the individual rhythm of the client. Don't push the river, let it be. Neither apply the techniques stereotypically, they are to assimilate the philosophy implicit in the Gestalt Approach.
Final thoughts
We must be careful not to confuse Gestalt therapy with an easy-to-learn and easy-to-do approach; as if it were a therapy in which the desire and "spontaneity" are enough to be a good therapist. A similar perception led Gestalt therapy to a serious crisis in the 1960s and 1970s, when many believed that by attending a couple of workshops they could already consider themselves Gestalt therapists. We do not want Gestalt to appear to other currents or approaches as something not very serious, suitable for people without training and without clinical experience
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Gestalt psychotherapy techniques, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical Psychology.
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