Gestalt ther apy

By Mr Daniel Hansson

Gestalt therapy
What is it? How to use it for anorexia nervosa and major depression Evaluation

Gestalt therapy
Influenced by the philosopher Martin Buber (I-thou, I-it relationships) Emphasizes the personal responsibility of patient Focuses on individual experience in the present moment Emphasizes an open patient-therapist relationship (Ithou relationship shared goals, shared existence) Environmental and social factors influence a persons well being Use of gestalt experiments People have a self regulating ability

Examples of gestalt experiments

Reversal role: E.g. try to play the opposite of your symptoms Role play/psychodrama/empty chair technique: Act out significant others in order to understand them, or talk with them as they are sitting next to you and you tell them everything you want to tell them Exaggeration exercise: Exaggerate your movement and gestures to make inner feelings clearer Staying with feelings: Go deeper into your feelings

How can it be used for major depression?

Create an I-thou relationship Explore the situational circumstances that have made the patient feel like he or she feels Raise awareness through dialogue, fantasy, psychodrama and reflection The therapists task is to enable the client to express the energy, which he experiences within himself

How can anorexia

it be used for nervosa?

Only eat when physically hungry, stop when satisfied Increase awareness of experiences leading to purging and avoidance of food Learning to endure unpleasant feelings in order to attain life's objectives e.g. freedom from anorexia. Find out what the grown-up personality thinks is right in the case of slimming and looks. Experiencing and becoming aware of how anxiety and stress lead to a need to alleviate mental pain by using abstinence as a drug. Getting help to become curious about one's own feelings and wanting to investigate them. Identifying problems and finding alternatives. Knowing oneself concerning feelings, intentions and physical impressions which lead to greater self-esteem

Evaluation
Little research supporting its effectiveness Has a positive view of humans People tend to enjoy the experiences Non-directive Most effective therapy for improving self esteem

Links
http://sites.google.com/site/gestaltlegacy/ http://www.gestalt.org/contents.htm http://hubpages.com/hub/How-GestaltTherapy-Views-Depression