This special issue of Gestalt! has an obvious focus. By now the picture of the skeleton of the World Trade Center has become almost as recognizable as the twin towers before September 11, 2001. What is not obvious, however, is the way in which Gestalt therapy, through the presence of Gestalt therapists in and around ground zero, has made an impact and has still a potential influence to contribute.

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Gestalt GlobalCorporation
Indexes for Gestalt!

Gstalt-L, An email discussion group devoted to Gestalt therapy and the community of its practitioners (www.g-gej.org/gstalt-l). Gstalt-J, An email discussion group devoted to research on Gestalt therapy, theory and practice (www.g-gej.org/gstalt-j). Supported by the Gestalt Research Consortium (GRC) (www.g-gej.org/grc). Gestalt Bookmarks, a place to begin researching the field of contemporary Gestalt therapy on the world wide web (www.g-gej.org/gestaltbookmarks).

In order to explain Gestalt, or teach it, we often need video tapes.

Although fundamental and historically fascinating, Perls' black and white films no longer fill this need. So, we decided to take the risk of making a new film...

At the Paris School of Gestalt (Ecole Parisienne de Gestalt), we have been training psychotherapists for twenty years. On our landmark anniversary, we invited a group of 11 students and graduates to participate in a 2 days filmed workshop led by Anne Peyron-Ginger and Serge Ginger, co-founders of the Institute, and Gonzague Masquelier.  We used 3 cameras: one focused on the client, one on the therapist, one on the group.

This film shows our approach from several angles, as seen through excerpts of group sessions, interviews and one supervisory consultation. Director Itaka Schlubach, also educated in Gestalt therapy, sheds light on several methods of intervention, including the use of symbolic objects, emotional amplification, body and dream work.

These “singular views” explain particular aspects of Gestalt Therapy, which puts its emphasis on assuming responsibility, awareness, contact, creativity and the richness of living in the “here and now”.

The price is 35 euros for Europe ; 35 US dollars for all other countries.  (Packing and mailing fares included.

You can order this video tape two ways in English :

1. You can send us through snail mail a letter with your postal address and  bank notes. We will send it to you, with a receipt. If you add your e-mail address, we will inform you when we send it to you. It's the easiest way.
2. You can also make a bank transfer, but the fees could be expensive. In this case, send an e-mail with your postal address as well as the name and the city of your bank. We will inform you when we send your video tape and receipt via e-mail.

Our International Bank Account Number (IBAN) is :
FR76  3006  6100  6100  0104  3780  125

You probably know there are several standards : if you are from North America or Japan, we will send you a NTSC video tape, and a PAL video for any other country -- unless clearly specified otherwise.

Charlie Bowman contributes his story of working at ground zero in trauma debriefing and of organizing the work of many other counselors. He worked long, difficult hours for weeks, and before that work diminished he had become traumatized himself, forever changed by contact with the survivors. At first, Charlie contributed briefly to disucssions at Gstalt-L, writing his simple narratives and changing the course of passionate debate on that listserv in the process. Eventually, however, he became stuck - blocked, and only with great difficulty did he work through to the writing of his article for this issue. It is an emotionally powerful story, and one that has touched me. As editor of Gestalt!, I am very thankful Charlie has made his story available to us, but as a human being, I am moved and deeply appreciative.

Iris Fodor lives in the general neighborhood affected by the attacks. She could see the towers from her window, so on that day, she started taking pictures as the events unfolded, and she continued doing so. She offers insight as to a dynamic of the community and how the visual experience created around picture taking and picture viewing formed a therapeutic self adjustment at a rather significant level. She offers both her words and her pictures as a further insight into the events and one open door upon field dynamics at work in the community that absorbed 9-11.

Arie Cohen, living in Israel, is no stranger to acts of terror, nor to the need to deal with the post traumatic effects of terrorism. He offers a Gestalt therapy perspective on trauma debriefing and the treatment of PTSD. His is a call, really, to other Gestalt therapists, to write about their work with traumatized individuals, and to do so in a way that illustrates the value of the use of Gestalt therapy in such work.

Victor Daniels and his colleagues provide another take on the treatment of post traumatic experience, as if responding to Arie's article. They report on original work with Viet Nam veterans and survivors of airline hijackings and crashes. This report on qualitative research involving the Gestalt approach should be significant for its contribution to research literature in general, but also to illustrate the use of Gestalt therapy in successful clinical practice with traumatized individuals.

Finally, Jungkyu Kim and Gregory Kramer, working together at UCLA while Jungkyu was on sabbatical from South Korea, have developed an approach which leans heavily on Gestalt therapy for its philosophical base and some of its process. They include in this issue their treatment program for helping those with anxiety disorders.

All of these contributions come in the wake of a terrible disaster that has changed the course of world history, not just that of the United States. These are global concerns, and they are related to events that continue to unfold with alarming consequences. In essence, the anxiety and the trauma, the fear, conitnues to accrue. Hopefully, the contributions of these writers will point in a direction that may prove practical in the days to come.

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Call for Papers for Gestalt!:

We are always looking for good writing, interesting developments to share with the Global Gestalt community, and ways of sharing the wealth of Gestalt therapy with a wider audience. If you have an idea for an article, a piece of news, or if you have a bug in your bonnet and need to unload with a letter to the editor, please contact Philip Brownell, Sr. Editor, to discuss it (phil@g-gej.org).

Authors will find useful information at the Masthead (http://www.g-gej.org/masthead).

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In this continually evolving program we focus on the relational context which shapes therapist/patient contact and on developmental themes as they evolve over the course of therapy. We are delighted with the extent to which this program has developed a "life of its own."

Each year the program has been adapted to the needs and wishes of the participants, and each year the participants have expanded the program, building on the energy of the following:

• the strong sense of community
• how the program attracts participants from throughout the world, at all levels of development, from beginning gestalt therapists to faculty members
• an extremely high rate of returning participants
• support for taking risks
• mutual respect
• honest (even when difficult) dialogue that has come to be a defining quality of the program.

This strong sense of community, coupled with a high return rate and inclusiveness towards ALL participants has allowed the faculty and community to experiment with program design. For instance, we have an optional evening program run by participants who wish to contribute ideas and experiences. Some examples have been:

• improvisational theater experiments
• group process experiments
• free-writing experiments
• Lecture/discussion called, "What's love got to do with it?"
• case discussions of specific character styles
• experiments with art therapy

Two years ago we constituted a study group for our advanced trainees, to look for the relational implications that could be found in Gestalt Therapy, by Perls, Hefferline and Goodman. Two years ago we instituted a self-led process group for our advanced trainees, which continued into this last year. At last year's program, the group comprised of participants who teach in their own home programs took part in a case study group, which led to the idea of a collection of written case studies from a relational perspective. Those participants are now developing the collection.

We organize our program around a daily schedule:

Morning lectures.

Examples of previous lectures:

• Overview of a relational perspective
• Listening Perspectives and emotional attunement
• Schizoid Process
• A Gestalt View of Interpretation
• Philosphical underpinnings of relational gestalt therapy
• Love and hate in the therapeutic process

The rest of the day, during which participants will have two sessions of home group and a small group session for clinical practice with faculty supervision

Location: La Casa De Maria Retreat Center, Santa Barbara, CA

This retreat center is nestled in the quiet foothills of Montecito. Hiking trails, swimming pool, tennis courts, massages, all available, to say nothing of the good food!

Dates: evening of March 27 through noon of April 4, 2003
Fees: Room and Meals - $900
Tuition - $1000*
CONTINUING EDUCATION: 42 hours

* some partial scholarships (bursury) available, based on financial need.