Gestalt!
ISSN 1091-1766
Volume 4; Number 3
2000
Published by
Gestalt Global Corporation and the Gestalt Training Institute of Bermuda

Last updated 4/10/09

Handbook for Theory, Research, and Practice in Gestalt Therapy

(click link to see inside)

Philip Brownell, Editor
Cambridge Scholars Publishing

In This Issue:

Editorial: Connecting the Geo-Cultural Dots in Gestalt Therapy Literature

Philip Brownell

ABSTRACT

When English-speaking authors create new works and provide references in the course of their works, they do not demonstrate a familiarity with the non-English literature. Is it that such writers are not familiar with international resources, or are they not inclined to see European and Latin writers as particularly representative of the points they are trying to make? The reasons why European and Latin Gestalt writers are not referenced in American Gestalt literature, for instance, might be debatable. That they are not, is not...

The Spiritual Dimensions of Gestalt Therapy

Ruth Wolfert

ABSTRACT

The author presents her take on the spirituality resident in gestalt therapy, presenting gestalt therapy as a holistic therapy with a greater spiritual foundation than is utilized by most Gestalt therapists. It is based, in part, on teachings from Buddhism and Taoism. She gives an anecdote from a panel presentation on spirituality that was given at an EAGT conference.

A Response from a Kabbalistic Perspective to "The Spiritual Dimensions of Gestalt Therapy"

Sharon Snir

ABSTRACT

As I read these words of Ruth Wolfert I can remember many occasions in my life when spiritual awakenings were born out of difficulty and struggle. Wolfert's words move me. I can relate to them and through them reassure myself that the difficulties I face in sharing a Kabbalistic perspective will lead me into "a deeper way of relating" to myself and to others.

The Gestalt Reflecting Team, A Model for Advanced Training

Rachel Brier

ABSTRACT

This paper describes and analyzes a new model for training advanced students in the difficult area of genuine dialogue. The gestalt reflecting team replaces the present hierarchical performance–oriented clinical practicum with a more complex system that combines the gestalt contact cycle with family system’s reflecting team, providing a safe and open environment for students to explore their relational capacities. By incorporating the principles of gestalt therapy itself–field theory, phenomenology, and dialogic existentialism, the gestalt reflecting team offers trainers a dynamic method of teaching and students a powerful method of self discovery.

Prelude To Contemporary Gestalt Therapy

Charles Bowman and Philip Brownell

ABSTRACT

Three periods characterize the historical process leading to present Gestalt therapy: the predecessors to gestalt psychology, the school of gestalt psychology itself, and the development of gestalt psychotherapy. The work of Franz Brentano, Carl Stumpf, and Edmund Husserl influenced both the school of gestalt psychology and the establishment of gestalt psychotherapy (Hergenhahn, 1992). This fork in the historical road is echoed even today in current debate over the major components of gestalt practice: some talk of theory and others speak of method. The practice of gestalt psychotherapy, however, cannot sustain itself apart from gestalt theory, and without method, gestalt theory evaporates like intellectual air. What follows is a historical sketch of some of the influences that went into the delelopment of gestalt theory and practice.

Gestalt Therapy Theory: An Overview

Maria Kirchner

ABSTRACT

This article is intended to give the reader an overview of gestalt therapy theory, starting with a short introduction and a definition in its broadest sense. It will then proceed to highlight gestalt therapy’s philosophical roots and expound the gestalt view of human nature. A succinct elaboration on basic principles of gestalt therapy theory, a short exploration of the nature of human functioning and dysfunctioning, and a listing of major methods of gestalt therapy follows. The remainder of the article summarizes research within the gestalt approach, reflects on limitations, and includes multicultural considerations.

The Working Corner: A Word of Welcome and Introduction

Victor Daniels

ABSTRACT

This is the first installment of a new "column" devoted to sharing and discussing aspects of practice used in the Gestalt process. It will present innovations that readers send in, some of my own, and new twists on old approaches. I expect it to be brief, presenting only one or at most two items each time. Future exciting episodes will omit the following introductory remarks that are needed here.

Review of the Polsters' From the Radical Center, The Heart of Gestalt Therapy

Philip Brownell

ABSTRACT

I started to read this book. As usual, I looked it over, scanned various pages, took in the titles and headings, and contemplated the table of contents. Doing that gives me a feel for a book, and it helps me judge what it will take to read it. I looked back at the title, and I thought it seemed a bit too cute - somewhat of a reach. Could anyone write something that would legitimately be the heart of gestalt therapy? "From the Radical Center;" catchy, even politically contemporary, but what does it really mean? I remembered at least one article in the table of contents from the results of some bygone lit search. I wondered if it would be significantly different in this manifestation, or if this book amounted to "Erv and Miriam Polster's Greatest Hits" ...