Welcome to the second issue in the sixth year of publishing Gestalt!. This one has a little of the "old" and a bit of the "new."

Gestalt Therapy has long been identified as having made a contribution to dream work. How many times has some client, somewhere in the therapeutic cosmos, been asked to become various parts of his or her dream. Well, this time, two women, great friends, share their dream scapes of "The Impossible Toilet." Claire Salisbury' wonderful story delights and informs; it's a great glimpse of self-care and dreamwork all rolled into one.

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.

For some years now Gestalt therapists and contemporary psychodynamic therapists have been moving toward one another in the apparent similarity, if not congruence, between "dialogue" and "intersubjectivity" (as theoretical constructs). Relational psychoanalysis adds field theory, or "context" to the list of such similarities. As in all such apparent congruencies, however, it is helpful to consider in what ways two things compare and contrast. In one of two responses to an article discussing "context" in relational psychoanalysis (Stolorow, R.D., Orange, D.M. & Atwood, G.E. [2001] Cartesian and post-cartesian trends in relational psychoanalysis. Psychoanalytic Psychology, Vol 18, No. 3, 468-484), Stephan Tobin states, "I shall briefly discuss some of the similarites between the Gestalt Therapy and Intersubjectivity field theoretical concepts and summarize some of the authors' criticisms of the relational analysts for Cartesian remnants in their thinking. I shall also take issue with the authors' criticisms of Sullivan and Fairbairn and spell out how they could make their theory of therapy more clinically, as opposed to theoretically, relevant. Finally, I shall discuss some of the cultural difficulties Western psychological theorists and therapists have in experiencing their realities intersubjectively." Tobin's perspective is especially helpful since he was an early Gestalt therapist among those in the Los Angeles group and one who experienced an early attraction for intersubjective thought.

In the second response to Stolorow, Organge, and Atwood, Lynne Jacobs writes, "...something that the American relational school, the intersubjective school, and gestalt therapy all have in common, is an increased interest in articulating a contextualized view of human development and the psychotherapeutic process, including more specifically, a relational view of development and the therapeutic process. One way we attempt to do this is by exploring the implications of phenomenological field theory. Another means for furthering this project is to deconstruct as fully as possible the philosophical and epistemological underpinnings of our theory and practice in order to recognize whatever Cartesian perspectives might be inhibiting our movement in a more fully phenomenological, field direction. After all, phenomenology arose as a reaction against the limitations of such Cartesian epistemologies as objectivism and atomistic empiricism." Lynne is well known for her insights as she is both a trained psychoanalyst and a trainer of Gestalt Therapists. She is co-author of the book, The Healing Relationship in Gestalt Therapy.

In another installment of "The Working Corner," Victor Daniels describes three enactive scenarios, what many would recognize as forms of psychodrama, that can be very useful in specific situations within the context of the Gestalt working process. One specific scenario applies in situations where a person is torn between remaining in a relationship or leaving it, and the other applies where someone important has died, either recently or long ago, and the client is trying to work through feelings and come to closure regarding thoughts and feelings about the death. The third working tool described is the use of additional empty chairs to represent participants in a situation.

John Wymore has become widely known among Gestalt therapists in the United States for his provocative stances advocating a Darwinian perspective on many Gestalt theoretical tenets. In "Gestalten" he presents the possibility that many of our experiences relate to "hard wired" gestalten; in the process he writes beautifully about the nature of a gestalt and provides a very good basic understanding of the construct.

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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.