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The Gestalt Approach and Eye Witness to Therapy
The Gestalt Approach & Eye Witness to Therapy Paperback – January 1, 1978
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1973
47 people are currently reading
455 people want to read
About the author
Frederick Salomon Perls
27 books152 followersFriedrich (Frederick) Salomon Perls better known as Fritz Perls, was a noted German-born psychiatrist and psychotherapist. Perls coined the term 'Gestalt therapy' to identify the form of psychotherapy that he developed with his wife, Laura Perls, in the 1940s and 1950s. Perls became associated with the Esalen Institute in 1964, and he lived there until 1969. His approach to psychotherapy is related to, but not identical to, Gestalt psychology, and it is different from Gestalt theoretical psychotherapy.
The core of the Gestalt Therapy process is enhanced awareness of sensation, perception, bodily feelings, emotion, and behavior, in the present moment. Relationship is emphasized, along with contact between the self, its environment, and the other.
The core of the Gestalt Therapy process is enhanced awareness of sensation, perception, bodily feelings, emotion, and behavior, in the present moment. Relationship is emphasized, along with contact between the self, its environment, and the other.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 14, 2021
I was curious to read this book of the father of Gestalt psychotherapy. Unfortunately, it felt a little bit disappointing from the beginning. Primarily because of the writing style, which was reminiscent of the writing style of some other pioneers-classics in psychology, when everything was based on the author’s empirical experience and was more akin to philosophy than to psychology. Perls seemed very convinced of the usefulness of his methods and criticized other schools of psychotherapy, especially Sigmund Freud. The author admitted that there was something unresolved between them: "Sigmund Freud gave me illness."
Nevertheless, several interesting ideas could be found in the book. And at the core of those ideas stands awareness. As Perls wrote: "Psychotherapy is an experience of living in the present, and it’s aim is a transformation from external to self-support."
The author distinguished two levels of existence - an inner world and an outer world. The inner world (mind) looks like something different or opposed to the outer world. He wrote a lot about external and internal worlds, emphasizing the balance between them (e.g. social and personal needs). Here I agree that balance or in other words flexibility in many fields is a pretty important attribute that reflects a person’s psychological health.
So, the main questions to ask in Gestalt therapy are: where are you in time and in place? are you in touch with the world, or yourself or the middle zone (dream)? Perls emphasized the importance of the balance while writing about contact boundary with objects and subjects in the field: contact or withdrawal - each of them should be active when necessary. It is like "rhythm of life: you flow towards the world (contact) and you withdraw into yourself. Good contact - seeing themselves as part of the total field and becoming related to both: themselves and the world." The therapist doesn’t have to support either side, but rather focus on identifying positive/negative cathexis which drives people to/from the balance (or self-support), and focus on changing the deficiencies (incomplete Gestalts) into supporting functions. As proposed in the book: this could be done by recruiting awareness or How question. Awareness is not conscious - it is the experience, and non-verbal is more important than verbal. Experiment's purpose in the therapy is to make client aware of the ways in which he is blocking himself, and to identify alienated parts in order to integrate them.
Perls exalted the importance of How and at the same time underestimated Why. He proposed to transform interpreting into experiencing. Although How (or awareness) looks like a useful tool in psychotherapy, but I believe that Why could also be taken into account. Author wrote that How explains Why.
He brought this How principle into interpretation of dreams, which was an interesting solution/method. But again, I think that it is unreasonable to completely decline the methods which were proposed by Freud or Jung to interpret dreams.
It is not clear why Perls picked up two parts of the personality: Topdog and Underdog, because in my view it is possible to distinguish much more parts. Also the part of the book where the author wrote about psychosomatic looked doubtful. On the other hand it was interesting to read a section about the neurosis of the therapist.
Scripts presented in the second part of the book somehow most of the time made me feel weird and awkward. Perls argued that by applying proposed methods everything will be simple and clear in the therapy, but he didn’t convince me fully about that.
Awareness described in the book reminds me of eastern Buddhism philosophy. I remember one Buddhist monk saying: "Only don’t know. Just sit." This phrase is similar to teaching provided in this book. Unfortunately, it seems that Perls himself fell into the trap of knowing.
6 out of 10.
Nevertheless, several interesting ideas could be found in the book. And at the core of those ideas stands awareness. As Perls wrote: "Psychotherapy is an experience of living in the present, and it’s aim is a transformation from external to self-support."
The author distinguished two levels of existence - an inner world and an outer world. The inner world (mind) looks like something different or opposed to the outer world. He wrote a lot about external and internal worlds, emphasizing the balance between them (e.g. social and personal needs). Here I agree that balance or in other words flexibility in many fields is a pretty important attribute that reflects a person’s psychological health.
So, the main questions to ask in Gestalt therapy are: where are you in time and in place? are you in touch with the world, or yourself or the middle zone (dream)? Perls emphasized the importance of the balance while writing about contact boundary with objects and subjects in the field: contact or withdrawal - each of them should be active when necessary. It is like "rhythm of life: you flow towards the world (contact) and you withdraw into yourself. Good contact - seeing themselves as part of the total field and becoming related to both: themselves and the world." The therapist doesn’t have to support either side, but rather focus on identifying positive/negative cathexis which drives people to/from the balance (or self-support), and focus on changing the deficiencies (incomplete Gestalts) into supporting functions. As proposed in the book: this could be done by recruiting awareness or How question. Awareness is not conscious - it is the experience, and non-verbal is more important than verbal. Experiment's purpose in the therapy is to make client aware of the ways in which he is blocking himself, and to identify alienated parts in order to integrate them.
Perls exalted the importance of How and at the same time underestimated Why. He proposed to transform interpreting into experiencing. Although How (or awareness) looks like a useful tool in psychotherapy, but I believe that Why could also be taken into account. Author wrote that How explains Why.
He brought this How principle into interpretation of dreams, which was an interesting solution/method. But again, I think that it is unreasonable to completely decline the methods which were proposed by Freud or Jung to interpret dreams.
It is not clear why Perls picked up two parts of the personality: Topdog and Underdog, because in my view it is possible to distinguish much more parts. Also the part of the book where the author wrote about psychosomatic looked doubtful. On the other hand it was interesting to read a section about the neurosis of the therapist.
Scripts presented in the second part of the book somehow most of the time made me feel weird and awkward. Perls argued that by applying proposed methods everything will be simple and clear in the therapy, but he didn’t convince me fully about that.
Awareness described in the book reminds me of eastern Buddhism philosophy. I remember one Buddhist monk saying: "Only don’t know. Just sit." This phrase is similar to teaching provided in this book. Unfortunately, it seems that Perls himself fell into the trap of knowing.
6 out of 10.
November 21, 2008
Although it has some good stuff in it from Fritz, it pales in comparison to Verbatim or the Perls, Hefferline, and Goodman text. Still a good introduction for those unfamiliar with gestalt therapy.
September 18, 2024
THE FOUNDER OF GESTALT THERAPY EXPLAINS HIS THEORY AND METHODS
Friedrich (Frederick) Salomon Perls (1893-1970) was a German-born psychotherapist who developed 'Gestalt therapy'; he was a teacher in residence at the Esalen Institute from 1964, where he lived until 1969. He wrote other books such as 'In and out the Garbage Pail,' 'Gestalt Therapy Verbatim,' etc.
Robert Spitzer states in his Foreword to this posthumously-published book, "'The Gestalt Approach' and 'Eyewitness to Therapy' can be read together as one entity and also as two separate works. Fritz Perls was working on both books at the time of his death and had both concepts in mind."
Perls states, "The basic premise of Gestalt psychology is that human nature is organized into patterns or wholes, and that it can only be understood as a function of the patterns or wholes of which it is made." (Pg. 5)
He states, "Through his experience of himself on the three levels of fantasizing, play-acting, and doing, he will come to an understanding of himself... The neurotic obviously does not feel like a whole person. He feels as if his conflicts and unfinished business were tearing him to shreds. But with his recognition that he is, being human, a whole, comes the ability to regain that sense of wholeness which is his birthright." (Pg. 16)
He argues, "we feel therapy oriented to the past is invalid because the WHYS of the patient's neurosis really explains very little. Why does a situation produce neurosis in Mr. A while the same situation leaves Mr. B untouched?... 'Why' opens up an endless series of questions which can only be answered by a first cause that is self-caused... such an explanation only gives the patient license to project all his difficulties onto the [purported cause]." (Pg. 53-54)
He adds, "we put [our emphasis] on what [the patient] does know---on his areas of awareness, rather than his areas of unawareness. Our hope is to increase his awareness of himself progressively on all levels." (Pg. 55)
He explains, "From the Gestalt viewpoint the neurotic is not merely a person who once HAD a problem, he is a person who has a CONTINUING problem, here and now, in the present. Although it may well be that he is acting the way he is today 'because' of things that happened to him in the past, his difficulties today are connected with the ways he is acting today. He cannot get along in the present, and unless he learns how to deal with problems as they arise, he will not be able to get along in the future." (Pg. 63)
He argues, "The 'why' questions produce only pat answers, defensiveness, rationalizations, excuses, and the delusion that an event can be explained by a single cause. The why does not discriminate purpose, origin, or background. Under the mask of inquiry it has contributed perhaps more to human confusion than any other single word." (Pg. 77)
He states, "We say that we want the patient to become aware, in the consulting room, of the meaning of what he is doing. And we believe that he can achieve this awareness by acting out---in therapy, on the fantasy level---whatever there is to be completed. This, as a matter of fact, is the basic concept of Gestalt Therapy." (Pg. 92)
He adds, "The main idea of Gestalt is that a gestalt is a whole, a complete, in itself, resting whole... The gestalt wants to be completed. If the gestalt is not completed, we are left with unfinished situations, and these unfinished situations press and press and press and want to be completed." (Pg. 121)
He admits, "Now you know that awareness theory is widely accepted under all kinds of names---encounter groups, expanding of consciousness, and so on. The whole awareness kick is becoming a fad in the United States." (Pg. 188)
This book is a very useful and clear exposition of Perls' approach to therapy, and will be "must reading" for anyone studying his approach.
Friedrich (Frederick) Salomon Perls (1893-1970) was a German-born psychotherapist who developed 'Gestalt therapy'; he was a teacher in residence at the Esalen Institute from 1964, where he lived until 1969. He wrote other books such as 'In and out the Garbage Pail,' 'Gestalt Therapy Verbatim,' etc.
Robert Spitzer states in his Foreword to this posthumously-published book, "'The Gestalt Approach' and 'Eyewitness to Therapy' can be read together as one entity and also as two separate works. Fritz Perls was working on both books at the time of his death and had both concepts in mind."
Perls states, "The basic premise of Gestalt psychology is that human nature is organized into patterns or wholes, and that it can only be understood as a function of the patterns or wholes of which it is made." (Pg. 5)
He states, "Through his experience of himself on the three levels of fantasizing, play-acting, and doing, he will come to an understanding of himself... The neurotic obviously does not feel like a whole person. He feels as if his conflicts and unfinished business were tearing him to shreds. But with his recognition that he is, being human, a whole, comes the ability to regain that sense of wholeness which is his birthright." (Pg. 16)
He argues, "we feel therapy oriented to the past is invalid because the WHYS of the patient's neurosis really explains very little. Why does a situation produce neurosis in Mr. A while the same situation leaves Mr. B untouched?... 'Why' opens up an endless series of questions which can only be answered by a first cause that is self-caused... such an explanation only gives the patient license to project all his difficulties onto the [purported cause]." (Pg. 53-54)
He adds, "we put [our emphasis] on what [the patient] does know---on his areas of awareness, rather than his areas of unawareness. Our hope is to increase his awareness of himself progressively on all levels." (Pg. 55)
He explains, "From the Gestalt viewpoint the neurotic is not merely a person who once HAD a problem, he is a person who has a CONTINUING problem, here and now, in the present. Although it may well be that he is acting the way he is today 'because' of things that happened to him in the past, his difficulties today are connected with the ways he is acting today. He cannot get along in the present, and unless he learns how to deal with problems as they arise, he will not be able to get along in the future." (Pg. 63)
He argues, "The 'why' questions produce only pat answers, defensiveness, rationalizations, excuses, and the delusion that an event can be explained by a single cause. The why does not discriminate purpose, origin, or background. Under the mask of inquiry it has contributed perhaps more to human confusion than any other single word." (Pg. 77)
He states, "We say that we want the patient to become aware, in the consulting room, of the meaning of what he is doing. And we believe that he can achieve this awareness by acting out---in therapy, on the fantasy level---whatever there is to be completed. This, as a matter of fact, is the basic concept of Gestalt Therapy." (Pg. 92)
He adds, "The main idea of Gestalt is that a gestalt is a whole, a complete, in itself, resting whole... The gestalt wants to be completed. If the gestalt is not completed, we are left with unfinished situations, and these unfinished situations press and press and press and want to be completed." (Pg. 121)
He admits, "Now you know that awareness theory is widely accepted under all kinds of names---encounter groups, expanding of consciousness, and so on. The whole awareness kick is becoming a fad in the United States." (Pg. 188)
This book is a very useful and clear exposition of Perls' approach to therapy, and will be "must reading" for anyone studying his approach.
December 15, 2020
Ah, it was tough... On the one hand what is in this book is genious, but on the other-I am not, and it took so much energy to intake it, to understand, not to just introject.
Perls is the father of Gestalt therapy. I start to admire this paradigm more and more, because it is really effective in some ways, it helps a lot. But so much more is needed to be read of Fritz to be able to get to know what this therapy really is about.
Perls is the father of Gestalt therapy. I start to admire this paradigm more and more, because it is really effective in some ways, it helps a lot. But so much more is needed to be read of Fritz to be able to get to know what this therapy really is about.
August 26, 2021
Lo que promete lo cumple: un texto introductorio a la psicología de la Gestalt (no su historia sino la base de la teoría) con lenguaje accesible a la persona no académica y testigos breves de la terapia en práctica pero como se menciona en el mismo libro es imposible presentar con honestidad estos relatos sólo con simples transcripción de los videos compilados.
April 20, 2020
Un libro hermoso y esencial para entender nuestra propia neurosis.
January 30, 2021
Temas kavramına yönelik bilinçlilik alıştırmalarından oluşan bir serinin ilk kitabı.
September 19, 2022
the core of those ideas stands awareness
я зрозуміла дещо з того, як працювала зі мною терапевтка
я зрозуміла дещо з того, як працювала зі мною терапевтка
November 27, 2013
Fritz Perls définit ici la Gestalt-Thérapie, qu'il a mise au point sur ses observations par rapport au freudisme. Elle prend en compte les symptômes psycho-somatiques de manière différentes de la psychanalyse en les considérant comme des interruptions.
Ce manuel définit également la frontière-contact entre intérieur et extérieur du patient. L'observation de la gestuelle est très important pour les gestaltistes.
La notion d'empathie/frustration apporte quelque chose de neuf, pour moi.
Cependant, je vois la Gestalt-thérapie comme un outil de développement personnel très intéressant, je me demande si l'on peut réellement traiter des pathologies lourdes avec cette méthode. Par ailleurs, on ne parle jamais de patients psychotiques, uniquement de maladies névrotiques. La Gestalt-thérapie serait dont inapplicable à un patient psychotique ?
Ce manuel définit également la frontière-contact entre intérieur et extérieur du patient. L'observation de la gestuelle est très important pour les gestaltistes.
La notion d'empathie/frustration apporte quelque chose de neuf, pour moi.
Cependant, je vois la Gestalt-thérapie comme un outil de développement personnel très intéressant, je me demande si l'on peut réellement traiter des pathologies lourdes avec cette méthode. Par ailleurs, on ne parle jamais de patients psychotiques, uniquement de maladies névrotiques. La Gestalt-thérapie serait dont inapplicable à un patient psychotique ?
October 28, 2013
Wonderful Book! A very interesting perspective on the human race. I highly recommend reading this book to get another great perspective on the people around you and yourself!
August 5, 2016
One of the most intuitive descriptions of phenomenology and healing that could possibly be put into words.
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January 21, 2012Read the 1973 edition.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews