Fritz Perls is the founder of Gestalt Therapy and wrote about it in the 1950's. I was first exposed to this theory in graduate school. I absolutely loved this class because I find his work to be both applicable and relevant to most of life's processes. A key point in his theory is to always be in the here and now. Thoughts, experiences, trauma, beliefs do make up who we are, however dwelling on those as past events doesn't effectively bring change to the self right now. It is in the moment to moment, present experiencing of any of those that gets a person back in touch with it, then integration/resolution can potentially happen. As long as things stay out of awareness, they will consta
In couple's therapy, and even in individual therapy if someone has a significant other, a common question that arises is, "Whose fault is it?" Blame is looking for a place to land, if it hasn't already. When blame occurs, it usually relieves one party from feelings of shame, guilt, frustration or annoyance because after all, it's not on them anymore. The most common response to addressing blame, "Well, I've done everything I can but he/she still won't change." This takes it a step further because one party not only feels free from blame, but now they are free from trying anymore. Their efforts haven't reaped the benefits they wanted or expected. Consequently the commitment to even try
I spent a lot of time thinking about what quote I would put on my website. I wanted something that represented who I am and where I am in my life. I felt the pressure to offer something that was inspiring and not offensive. In all my efforts to consider how others would react to it, I started moving away from how I felt about it. Then I did something that is starting to become a habit for me, I checked in with myself IN THE MOMENT, the here and now, and listened to my internal self. The quote for me is exactly about doing this...checking in with my emotions, feelings, resistance, frustrations, doubts or whatever comes up for me in reaction to something. There is so much information to be