Gestalt Reconsidered: A New Approach to Contact and Resistance

by Gordon Wheeler

In this original and penetrating work, the origins of the Gestalt psychotherapy model are traced back to its roots in psychoanalysis and Gestalt cognitive and perceptual psychology. Drawing new implications for both Gestalt and psychotherapy in general from these origins - and with special emphasis on the neglected work of Lewis and Goldstein - Wheeler develops a revised model that is more fully "Gestalt" and at the same time more firmly grounded in the spectrum of tools and approaches available to the contemporary psychotherapist. Along the way, a number of new insights are offered, not just in Gestalt, but in the working of the psychoanalytic and cognitive/behavioral models. The result is an integrated approach giving a fresh perspective on the universal processes of contact and resistance, both in psychotherapy and in social systems in general. The practitioner is given these tools for "addressing problems at the intra- and interpersonal level and wider systematic levels at the same time, and in the same language."

Each chapter stands alone, and makes a fresh and significant contribution to its particular subject. Taken together, they constitute a remarkable excursion through the history of psychotherapy in this century, weaving powerfully through social psychology, behaviorism, and Gestalt itself, yielding a masterful new synthesis that will interest the practitioners of Gestalt and other schools alike.

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Jordana Moser · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly can’t believe this man isn’t German, given how long his sentences were, good LORD. I’m not formally a Gestalt scholar (rather a hobbyist / Gestalt client), so I came into this with little to no background, other than an essay anthology where I discovered this citation. Weird vibe, honestly, but I did learn a lot, and I can see myself coming back to this one again over time. The construction of resistances was quite good, and I enjoyed the case studies chapter - I’d found all of it a bit abstract, and the case studies were written quite accessibly, which helped tie it all together a bit more. The epilogue in the addition I had (by Arthur Roberts) was also quite good; really liked his build on the importance of narrative, and how it’s a related but separate point to the structured ground that Wheeler talks about. Anyway - worth reading, but can’t imagine I’ll ever revisit in full again.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good read. Although Wheelers writing takes time to understand, I really appreciated his perspective. Two chapters that stand out are his chapter in The Cleveland School (of Gestalt) and Resistance Reconsidered