Schema Therapy and Gestalt Therapy

TABLES & GRAPHICS

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Gestalt!
Volume 10; Number 1
2009
Published by
Gestalt Global Corporation and the Gestalt Training Institute of Bermuda

Consult also:
Gestalt! Discussions for continued dialogue on issues of interest arising from articles in the journal

Stuff2Know for news of events and announcements of interest to gestalt therapists, consultants, and coaches.

Contents of 10(1)

Schema Therapy: A Gestalt-Oriented Overview

Response to Schema Therapy from Dan Bloom

Response to Schema Therapy from Iris Fodor

Response to Schema Therapy from Philip Brownell

Kellogg Response to Bloom, Fodor, and Brownell

GO TO DISCUSSION BOARD FOR THE CONTINUED DIALOGUE AND TO JOIN IN THE DISCUSSION YOURSELVES

Initial information about Continuity and Change: Gestalt Therapy Now

Peter's Book

The Emergent Self
An Existential-Gestalt Approach
by
Peter Philippson
(click link to look inside)

This book tracks a particular understanding of self, philosophically, from research evidence and in its implications for psychotherapy. At each step, the author includes first the theory he is working from, then the clinical implications of the theory, followed by some links to the philosophical outlook inherent in the theory, and finally a more extended case example.

"This book tracks a particular understanding of self as emergent from the relational field: philosophically, from research evidence and in its implications for psychotherapy. At each step, Peter Philippson includes first the theory he is working from, then the clinical implications of the theory, followed by some links to the philosophical outlook inherent in the theory, and finally a more extended case example. The author takes the view that the continuing self is partly an illusion, partly a construct, and that we, in fact, have to work to stay the same in the face of all the different possibilities the world offers us. We do this for two reasons. First of all, continuity allows deeper contact: friendships, loving relationships with partners and families. Secondly, and balancing this, the predictable is less anxiety-producing, and we avoid this existential anxiety by acting in a stereotyped way and avoiding some of the depths of contact. This dual nature of continuing self, in one context deepening contact and in another context avoiding contact, has an important place in Peter Philippson’s understanding of psychotherapy. As gestalt therapy enters the twenty-first century, it shows its continuing importance by the intelligent work of such people as Peter Philippson. In this book, Philippson brings gestalt therapy face to face with contemporary understandings in related fields– such as physics and cognitive neuroscience. Most importantly, he offers a fresh, updated perspective on the meta-theory of gestalt therapy. This book is worthy of serious consideration by practitioners and students, whatever their area of study or psychotherapeutic modality."

Dan Bloom, President, Association for the Advancement of Gestalt Therapy,
Fellow and Past President, New York Institute for Gestalt Therapy

"Peter Philippson draws on his extensive knowledge of chaos theory, quantum mechanics, mathematics, Zen Buddhism and Gestalt psychotherapy theory to expertly guide readers towards the notion of the Self as an Emergent Process. This is an exciting read and I found I needed to hold on tightly as Phillipson whisked me through new and exotic ways of thinking; a visceral equivalent to riding pillion on a Harley-Davidson and going slightly too fast round some of the bends. I recommend it highly: he shows why Gestalt theory has remained at the leading edge of developments in counselling and psychotherapy; possessing a relational, and emergent theory of self that is supported by the latest research in physical and neurosciences."

Sally Denham-Vaughan, AFBPsS, Chartered Clinical Psychologist,
Gestalt Psychotherapist, Trainer and Supervisor

Table 1
Early Maladaptive Schemas: Brief Definitions
(from Bricker & Young, 2004)

Disconnection & Rejection

Abandonment – “ the expectation that one will soon lose anyone with whom an emotional attachment is formed.”
Mistrust/Abuse – “the expectation that others will intentionally take advantage in some way. People with this schema expect others to hurt, cheat, or put them down.”
Emotional Deprivation – “the belief that one’s primary emotional needs will never by met by others.”
Defectiveness/Shame – “the belief that one is internally flawed, and that, if others get close, they will realize this and withdraw from the relationship.”
Social Isolation/Alienation – “the belief that one is isolated from the world, different from other people, and/or not part of any community.”

Impaired Autonomy & Performance

Dependence/Incompetence – “the belief that one is not capable of handling day-to-day responsibilities competently and independently.”
Vulnerability to Harm and Illness – “the belief that one is always on the verge of experiencing a major catastrophe (financial, natural, medical, criminal, etc.).”
Enmeshment/Undeveloped Self – “a pattern in which you experience too much emotional involvement with others – usually parents or romantic partners. It may also include the feeling that one has too little individual identity or inner direction.…”
Failure – “the belief that one is incapable of performing as well as one’s peers in areas such as career, school or sports.”

Impaired Limits

Entitlement/Grandiosity – “the belief that you should be able to do, say, or have whatever you want immediately regardless or whether that hurts others or seems reasonable to them.”
Insufficient Self-Control/Self-Discipline – “the inability to tolerate any frustration in reaching one’s goals, as well as an inability to restrain expression of one’s impulses or feelings.”

Other Directedness

Subjugation – “the belief that one must submit to the control of others in order to avoid negative consequences.”
Self-Sacrifice – “the excessive sacrifice of one’s own needs in order to help others.”
Approval Seeking/Recognition Seeking – “the placing of too much emphasis on gaining the approval and recognition of others at the expense of one’s genuine needs and sense of self.”

Overvigilance & Inhibition

Negativity/Pessimism – “a pervasive pattern of focusing on the negative aspects of life while minimizing the positive aspects.”
Emotional Inhibition – “the belief that you must suppress spontaneous emotions and impulses, especially anger…”
Unrelenting Standards/Hypercriticalness – “the belief that whatever you do is not good enough, that you must always strive harder.”
Punitiveness – “the belief that people deserve to be harshly punished for making mistakes. People with this schema are critical and unforgiving of both themselves and others” (Bricker & Young, 2004).

logo10

AAGT's 10th Biennial Conference
for
Gestalt Therapy

Philadelphia, PA, USA
June 3-6, 2010

Cathy Gray and Burt Lazarin,
Co-Conveners

See the conference website for a growing list of details concerning the pre-conference and general conference program.

Gstalt-L, An email discussion group devoted to Gestalt therapy and the community of its practitioners
GestaltResearch, a website describing research issues related to the study of gestalt therapy; it is also related to the social networking site for research oriented people interested in applications of gestalt therapy found at www.gestaltresearch.nin.com
Gestalt Bookmarks, a place to begin researching the field of contemporary Gestalt therapy on the world wide web
Gestalt!, ejournal of Gestalt therapy and the field of Gestalt practitioners

Handbook for Theory, Research, and Practice in Gestalt Therapy

Handbook for Theory, Research, and Practice in Gestalt Therapy

(click link to see inside)

Philip Brownell, Editor
Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Translations into French, Spanish, Czech, Korean, and Chinese
editions are currently underway

Many books have been written about gestalt therapy. Not many have been written on the relationship between gestalt therapy and psychotherapy research. The Handbook for Theory, Research, and Practice in Gestalt Therapy is a needed bridge between these two concerns, and a timely addition to scholarly literature on gestalt therapy itself. In 2007 an international team of experienced gestalt therapists devoted themselves to create this book, and they have collaborated with one another to produce a challenging and enriching addition to the literature relevant to gestalt therapy.

"I recommend this book to anyone who is serious about practicing his or her craft better by supporting it with a broader base, one that demonstrates that merging existential phenomenology with phenomenological behaviorism can produce verifiable, replicable results for what is essentially an idiographic pursuit." – Edwin C. Nevis, Ph.D.

"I applaud Dr. Brownell's thoughtful perspectives on expanding gestalt therapy's dimensions. By his focus on the role of research he is creating the third leg of a tripod composed of thoery, practice and research, promising increased balance and support for gestalt therapy's procedural positions." – Erving Polster, Ph.D.