Gestalt Therapy

According to our text book, “Gestalt therapy is an existential, phenomenological, and process-based approach created on the premise that individuals must be understood in the context of their ongoing relationship of the environment. The initial goal is for the clients to gain awareness of what they are experiencing and how they are doing it. Through this awareness, change automatically occurs. This approach is phenomenological because it focuses on the client’s perceptions of reality and existential because it is grounded in the notion that people are always in the process of becoming, remaking, and rediscovering themselves.”

One technique used in Gestalt therapy is empty-chair technique. With this, a therapist may ask you to imagine holding a conversation with someone or something imagined to be in the empty chair. According to the West Hartford Counseling Center website, the empty-chair technique “stimulates your thinking, highlighting your emotions and attitudes.” (http://www.westhartfordcounselingcenter.com/gestalt.html)

I found this video that college students at the University of Texas Austin made, and I felt that it showed a good example of what the empty-chair technique is (as well as give other Gestalt therapy examples)

Another aspect that Gestalt therapy focuses on is unfinished business. Every time I’ve heard those 2 words, I am reminded of the popular 1995 movie, Casper. Unfinished business is mentioned a lot in this movie, as the dad in it believes that the reasons why ghosts don’t pass over and remain on Earth is because they have unfinished business. I tried finding this scene online, but was unable to, so here is the scripted version of it. To set the scene up, the character of Carrigan is a new ghost who is trying to steal Casper’s treasure:

Casper- Aren’t you forgetting something?
Carrigan- What?
Casper- Your unfinished business.
Carrigan- My what?
Casper- You know, unfinished business. All ghosts have unfinished business. That's why they don't cross over.
Carrigan- Unfinished business? I have no unfinished business. I have my treasure, my mansion. I have EVERYTHING. I'm... just... perfect!
[she laughs evilly until a flash of light comes out of her as a sign that she is crossing over]
Carrigan- [gasps] Wait! Wait! I lied! I have unfinished business - lots of unfinished business! I-I'm not ready to cross over yet! Wait! You tricked me, you rotten little rat!

Although a rather silly movie, this scene is displaying that Carrigan has no unfinished business so has no reason to stay on Earth. The same sort of thing goes for living humans in real life! If people have unfinished business, it is very hard for them to move on and live in the present. Gestalt therapy is trying to get people to live in the present and not focus too much on the past or future.

Here’s a scene I did find from Casper also displaying someone who didn’t have any unfinished business. You need to fast forward it to about the 3 minute mark.

Notice how the woman told her husband to not let her be his unfinished business. It’s almost as if she is using a Gestalt therapy technique to help her husband live in the present and get rid of his unfinished business from the past.

I have learned a lot from Gestalt therapy. I need to let go of some of the unfinished business I have in my own past and learn to enjoy the here and now. It would be wise for everyone else to do the same!

To end this blog I thought I would put a song from one of my favorite bands Mumford and Sons titled "Unfinished Business" :)