Gestalt Psychotherapy

"I am a Gestalt therapist. I can only speak for myself" Levant

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"In session, I listen to what they say, for what’s missing and the dominant theme. I’m interested in their tone of voice, their posture, gestures, how they walk, sit, stand, hold their head, how much effort they make, whether they flee or hold on to me at the end.

 

I’m interested in their capacity to feel their body, perceive the environment, identify their needs, mobilize their resources and fullfil their goals, and everything they do to interrupt this natural process.

 

I work to help them admit what they feel, to realize what they do, to speak from the heart, move in harmony, think with feeling, and here I’m interested in what I may be doing to obstruct it.

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I enjoy working on the pre-verbal level to offer a respite from the analytical, logical narrative which I don’t consider contactful: dream-work, supporting excitement, asking clients what sensations they feel when they label an emotion, to mime in a gesture or posture a feeling they can’t identify as theirs.

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I support honest and genuine expression and confront the phony and the self-defeating. Here I listen for the deep needs often expressed in a twisted fashion. I work with polarities to re-establish equilibrium and natural functioning. If they invoke an error of their past expecting punishment or absolution, I’ll ask what they’ve learned. When they interpret, I bring them back to the facts. If they propose an action in violation of their values, I ask them how they’ll live with it. When they blame someone, I may ask them to put themself in the other’s shoes. When they talk of being rejected, I ask how they rejects others or themself. I can ask them to exaggerate a gesture, an attitude, a twisted posture, or just to make a little less effort...

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If they find their grief unbearable, I may share my own and let my own sorrow show. If they’re incapable of identifying an emotion, I can whisper a word or suggest they paint their feelings. When a client weeps for a dying loved one, I ask when they’ll cry for themself. When a client expresses guilt, I’ll check if they feel resentment. When they forget something they’ve said in a previous session, I may recall what they once shared. I indicate when they’re back in the past, or anticipating the future. When they seek to control everything, I remind them of the forces beyond us.

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If I’m touched or bored I’ll say so. If I’m feeling angry, powerless or incompetent, I can choose to tell them how I feel. I share the messages I hear from them. If an image crosses my mind, I’ll evoke it. And at an opportune moment, I can ask a probing question."

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