Re:

I believe Claudia (above)is asking about some of the characteristics (techniques) of dialogue in Gestalt Therapy practice. She also indicated interest in how GT "stands out" (is unique)in the approach to conducting "conversations."

Brian Oneill's outline of "key principles" are very helpful in understanding where a Gestalt Therapist is coming from. These principles, it seems to me, are just that, "principles" which are always in the background as a therapist engages and interacts with her client. They, all of them, describe a "way of being in the world." But they do not describe how one conducts a session using dialogue.

Ralph Hefferline, "the other Gestalt Therapist," in his section of the original GT text, "Gestalt Therapy, Excitement and Growth..." - c 1951 - offers some very concrete ways to conduct "converstions" in therapy (Goodman and Perls offer the excellent theoretical material. The experiments Hefferline suggests for individual auto-therapy could very well be adopted by interactive therapists to guide therapy "conversation" and dialogue.

My question is: do Gestalt Therapists,circa 2003, regularly use some of these " awareness experiments" outlined in the 1951 text? I suggest that these experiments are some of the unique features of GT.

Replies:

Re:, by Brian ONeill, 09/16/03 Re:, by Philip Brownell, 10/14/03 What's going on and coming along in current GT -, by , 10/16/03 Re:What's going on and coming along in current GT -, by Philip Brownell, 10/17/03

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