The Relational Heart of Gestalt Therapy Contemporary Perspectives (Gestalt Therapy Book Series)

This compelling and comprehensive volume is an anthology of current thinking by many of gestalt therapy's leading theoreticians, clinicians, and researchers. Including many well-known voices in the field and introducing several new ones to the current gestalt therapy literature, the book presents a broad-ranging compendium of essays, scientific articles, clinical applications, and integrative approaches that represent the richness and vibrancy of the field. Each contributor brings intellectual rigor, honest personal reflection, and humanism to their area of inquiry. This ethos—the spirit of relational gestalt therapy—infuses the whole book, bringing a sense of coherence to its seventeen chapters. Following an introduction written by Mark Winitsky, PhD, as an entry point into the field for students and psychotherapists from other schools of thought, the book is organized into three sections: Theory, Clinical Applications, and Integrative Approaches. Readers will encounter new ways of thinking about psychotherapy, new skills they can bring to their work, and new ways of integrating gestalt therapy with other approaches. The Relational Heart of Gestalt Therapy is essential reading for Gestalt therapists as well as other mental health professionals with an interest in Gestalt approaches. Cover Endorsements Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Contents Foreword Preface Acknowledgments Front Cover art "Beyond Heart" Introduction: The Emergence of the Relational Perspective in Gestalt Therapy Gestalt and Psychoanalysis The Birth of Gestalt Therapy Contemporary Relational Gestalt Therapy Notes References Section 1: Relational Gestalt Therapy Theory Chapter 1: Aesthetic Relational Knowledge and the Dance of Reciprocity in the Therapeutic Field: Post-pandemic Gestalt Therapy in Practice Introduction The Emergence of Serious Disturbances and the Relational Turn in Gestalt Therapy A Contextual Method, the Field and the Aesthetics of Contact Contemporary Relational Gestalt therapy: Three Core Clinical Tools for a Contextualised "dance" of Reciprocity From Support of the Figure to Support of the Ground The Aesthetic Relational Knowledge to Work with a Field Perspective To Focus on the "dance" of Reciprocity: A Switch of Paradigm Conclusion Notes References Chapter 2: Engaged Surrender Introduction The Feeling of Words Paradoxical Theory of Change Bounded Self and Enlightenment Gestalt Therapy and the Place of Agency The Situation Engaged Surrender (and the Double Nature of the Power of the Situation) A Short Case Example Note References Chapter 3: Being Present to Absence: Field Theory in Psychopathology and Clinical Practice Introduction Some Preliminary Definitions The Phenomenal Field The Phenomenological Field The Psychopathological Field The Stranger Knocking on the Door The One Who Is Always There The Transformation of Absences in Presence "You must be angry!" "It's not me!" Conclusions Notes References Chapter 4: Gestalt Therapy Theory in an Age of Turmoil Dialogue Working Together Treating People as an It Essential Aspects of Dialogic Relating Inclusion Confirmation Presence Commitment to Dialogue How Can This Work in Political Discourse? Phenomenology Bracketing (Epoché) The Here-and-now and the There-and-then Field Theory Self of the Field The Situation: Support and Power Valuing Other and Otherness Healthy Aggression and Creativity Conclusions Chapter 5: To Hold the Hands that Hold Our Hands: Responsivity of Contacting Contact-boundary and Field Relational Intentionality for Contacting Relational Intentionality to Responsive Intentionality Responsive Intentionality: Clinical Willingness Conclusion Notes References Chapter 6: The Gifts and Risks in Relational Empathy: An Historical Perspective A Beginning Thesis The Antithesis The Intimacy of Aggression The Integration Therapist - Client Self-disclosure Toward an Expanding Relational Field References Chapter 7: Living in a World of Meaning The Between and the Process of Transformation The Loss of Original Meaning Through Dialogue, a Subtle Shift Occurs in How Language Is Used and What Is Meant by It The Word-meaning Changes for Future Use Notes References Section II: Applications of the Relational Gestalt Perspective Chapter 8: A Classical Beginning and a Relational Turn: A Gestalt Therapy Case Study Conclusion References Chapter 9: When the World Changes in an Instant: Exploring "Cracks in the Continuity of Experience" The Taxi Incident The Shame Spiral Aspect What a Panic Lens Revealed What Is that "Crack"? How Common Are the "Cracks"? Being with the "Crack" or "Hello, Crack" Notes References Chapter 10: What My Client Taught Me about Dialogic Presence: A Case Study of Client and Therapist in Relational Gestalt Therapy Notes References Chapter 11: On Regret: A Relational Gestalt Therapy Perspective Origins of this Chapter Introduction Regret as Part of the Structured Ground of Our Lives Creative Adjustments, Structured Ground, and Unaware Enactments Regret as Signal - Regret as Symbol Regret as Signal in the Cycle of Experience: Moving Toward Action and Change Regret as Symbol in the Cycle of Experience - Moving Toward Acceptance From Barrenness to Enrichment in the Structured Ground Countertransference Considerations Conclusion References Chapter 12: The Encounter Process The Four Components of Encounter Statements Encounter and the Three Zones of Awareness Factors to Consider When Inviting Use of Encounter Statements (ES) When Offering Encounter Might Be Useful Considerations When Working with the Encounter Process Open Encounter Guidelines for Making Encounter Statements "When you..." I imagine..." "... and (so) I feel ..." " ... and (then) I want to ..." The Listener Does not Respond One-to-One Present Tense Start Where You're At References Chapter 13: Shame and Relational Gestalt Group Therapy: Restoring the Interpersonal Bridge A Therapist's Journey in Healing Shame Orienting the Group to Working with Shame How Making Shame the Focus of Group Work both Supports and Impedes Group Progress Necessary Strategies for Holding Space and Surviving in a Shame-filled Environment References Section III: Integrative Relational Approaches Chapter 14: Embodied Relational Presence in Buddhist Psychology Informed Gestalt Therapy What Is Buddhist Psychology Informed Gestalt Therapy? Benefit of this Integration Support for Embodied Relational Presence in BPGT Mindfulness Meditation Compassion Phenomenology and Equanimity Field Perspective and Interconnectedness Dialogue, Buddha Nature, and Cultivation of Heart Qualities BPGT—An Expanded Perspective Pain and Suffering "Selfing" and Identification Looking for the "I" Clinical Application Expanded View of Natural Regulation Conclusion References Chapter 15: The Here and Now of Sandtray Therapy: Sandtray Therapy Meets Gestalt Therapy Introduction Sandtray Therapy Gestalt Therapy Gestalt Cycle of Experience and the Process of Sandtray Worlds Introduction Exploration (Sensation) Invitation (Awareness) Setup (Mobilization) Creation (Action) Processing (Action and Contact) Post-creation (Satisfaction) Take Picture (Withdrawal) Gestalt Concepts and a Sandtray Narrative Narrative Gestalt Concepts Illustrated in the Narrative Cultural Sandtrays Conclusion References Chapter 16: The Mountain and the River: Stillness and Flow and the Art of Therapy Introduction The Creative Process The Middle Mode - Dialogue and Experiment Presence as Generative I and Thou Conclusion References Index Contributors Editor Contributors