bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An Early Gestalt Therapy Group Leader: A. Lincoln
Authors: Feder Bud, 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States, created a cabinet composed mainly of rivals. His management and maintenance of this group has many similarities to the principles and practices of gestalt group process, and these will be elucidated upon with illustrative vignettes.
The greatness of Napoleon, Caesar or Washington is only moonlight by the sun of Lincoln. His example is universal and will last thousands of years.... He was bigger than his country—bigger than all the Presidents put together...and as a great character he will live as long as the world live [Tolstoy, 1909].
Commentary I: Applying Gestalt Theory to Coaching
Authors: Carr Ann Attayek 
Published: February 2018

AbstractIn his article, “Applying Gestalt Theory to Coaching,” Stuart N. Simon explores the work of coaching through the lens of Gestalt theory and principles with a primary focus on supporting awareness and contact with the client. Simon notes the importance of trust building in the coaching relationship. This commentary offers a deeper look into how we, as Gestalt coaches, use our own awareness and contact to create and maintain a trusting relational field with our clients.
Commentary II: Prologue: From the Radical Center: The Heart of Gestalt Therapy
Authors: Yontef Gary 
Published: February 2018

AbstractThe Polsters advocate a person-oriented vision of gestalt therapy that includes life context and history and recognition of various forms the self takes. They attempt a theoretical integration of various polarities and the gradations between poles. They explicate various concepts that have become clichés. I have agreed with much of what they are attempting in their theoretical analysis, but have objected to their using and creating non-process language that is not consistent with the basic gestalt therapy process, field and phenomenology theory.
Paradox: A Gestalt Theory of Change for Organizations
Authors: Stevenson Herb 
Published: February 2018

AbstractUnderlying the application of Gestalt theory to organization development, consulting, and/or coaching is an approach that Arnold Beisser, M.D., characterized in 1970 as the paradoxical theory of change, and Maurer (2003) later applied to organization development. This theory, which has become the foundation of Gestalt practice, flows from the primary premise that meaning is manifested through the differentiation, dissolution, and integration (i.e., a form of absorption) of polarities. This article seeks to provide an understanding of the theoretical concepts that underpin Gestalt change theory, which were implied by Perls, captured by Beisser, and expanded by Maurer with respect to Organizational Development.
Gestalt Therapy: Now and for Tomorrow
Authors: Levin Jay 
Published: February 2018

AbstractGestalt therapy introduced an epistemology to psychology that challenges the mechanistic, technical, and outcome-oriented approaches of scientism and globalization. Gestalt therapy is ready to articulate this epistemological and ontological shift from heroic utilitarianism to reverent hospitality. The Gestalt therapy concept of growth includes the ability of the organism to co-create (together with its environment) a place where organismic needs and the resources for life converge to provide a place of human habitation. By invoking a place of habitation or, in some instances, rehabilitation, Gestalt therapy offers more than mere cure. It is concerned with healing. Rehabilitation appeals to and summons up a place of belonging, a place to inhabit that represents home to each of us. There cannot be healing without rehabilitation, and there cannot be rehabilitation without healing. This process of journeying and dwelling, which is the activity of psychotherapy, is an invitation to sacred ground. A sick environment and community is just as debilitating for the person as a suffering soul. A healer for our times is required to care for the environment and the community by addressing a range of political and socio-economic issues such as globalization, as well as the transpersonal and spiritual interiority of people's souls.
Applying the Cape Cod Model© to Coaching
Authors: Simon Stuart N. 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
This article focuses on a particular Gestalt approach to coaching – the Cape Cod Model (CCM)© – as well as on those foundational principles necessary for understanding the application of the model to coaching. What any one person might mean by coaching is itself a moving target. Presently, the field of coaching encompasses life coaching, relationship coaching, success coaching, entrepreneurial coaching, and so on. In this article, the focus is on coaching within an organization. This may include employees at any level of the organization, insofar as a third-party stakeholder is paying to support individual and organizational success.
The Gestalt Model of Evolutionary Creative Process
Authors: Plagens Cameron M. 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
Technological changes have brought unprecedented challenges to our spiritual integrity. The Gestalt Model of Evolutionary Creative Process (GMECP) presented in this paper re-conceptualizes the Gestalt Cycle of Experience (COE) to support spiritual self-awareness and access to a spiritual intelligence rarely directly addressed in Gestalt practice, yet vital for meeting current challenges. Core precepts and concepts of the COE are retained, but the GMECP (1) incorporates the additional concepts of the Heart Center, Pre-Sense, and Void; and (2) re-conceptualizes the phase of Withdrawal as Pre-Closure. Using the GMECP (re) awakens people to intimate relationships with Self and with the Sacred, bringing heightened awareness of manifold ways of knowing and of resources for spiritual integrity and integrated presence.
Dialogue and Double Consciousness: Lessons in Power and Humility
Authors: Jacobs Lynne 
Published: February 2018

AbstractDeveloping a double-consciousness as a therapist changes the nature of Gestalt therapy dialogue subtly. It means that the dialogue is always occurring between people who are raced, who are placed in specific locations regarding power, privilege, and oppression. This article focuses on encouraging white therapists to practice living with double-consciousness.
Men Making Meaning of Eating Disorders: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Leichtman Robin , Toman And Sarah 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
Assumptions that eating disorders are a female or gay disease need to be disputed to relay the reality that eating disorders are nondiscriminatory. The motivation to explore the experiences of men with eating disorders was to promote awareness and a safe path for men to seek treatment. This qualitative phenomenological study included the stories of six men, who provided the research data detailing their experiences of eating disorders. The findings suggest that a Gestalt therapy stance may be of benefit to those in recovery. They also support a phenomenological methodology as a useful approach for revealing content themes and meanings found in participants' stories.
Beyond the Miniatures: Using Gestalt Theory in Sandtray Processing
Authors: Timm Naomi , Garza Yvonne 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
Across the helping professions, sandtray has historically been used as a play-based intervention with children. As therapists expand sandtray work with a variety of populations and client issues, its power as a tool in healing is increasingly realized and growing in the literature. Our intent here is to underscore specific techniques used by the Gestalt therapist in processing tray work with adult clients. The emphasis is on how Gestalt methods are used to promote the client's deepening of self-awareness and integration of unknown or negated aspects of self.
Sexuality: Old Struggles and New Challenges
Authors: O'Shea Leanne 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
This paper begins by highlighting the degree to which the discussion of sexuality and its relationship to therapeutic practice has been absent, both from our literature and from our training programs. The paper then goes on to suggest that this “silence” may be attributable to a number of factors in the field, these being the way in which sexuality is understood in the wider cultural field, the history of sexual misconduct in psychotherapy generally, the place of sexuality in the founding of Gestalt, and the impact of shame in the experience of individuals. The paper then goes on to suggest a range of outcomes and learning conditions for a Gestalt therapy training program that might contribute to sexuality again becoming a vital component in the training and work of the Gestalt psychotherapist.
Empty Ground/Structured Ground: A Critique of Gordon Wheeler's Gestalt Reconsidered
Authors: Friedman Norman 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
This article questions Wheeler's claim that Perls and Goodman, in saying that the ground becomes empty when the figure is brightest during the contacting process, make no provision for the cumulative ongoingness of experience. Wheeler omits from his analysis any consideration of precisely those aspects of their writings where they in fact specify and emphasize continuity of experience, notably in their theory of Id–Ego–Personality–Self, most specifically explicated in (Perls, Hefferline, and Goodman [PHG], 1951), Part 3 of what is now Volume One, and also in Perls's writings before and after PHG. A balanced process-oriented view of both figure and ground therefore has to be the basis for future developments in the theory and practice of Gestalt therapy.
Diagnostics in Gestalt Therapy
Authors: Fuhr Reinhard , Gremmler-Fuhr Martina , Sreckovic Milan 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
Traditional diagnostics, we think, have to be amplified in the Gestalt therapeutic context by a concept that takes into account continuous recursive processes in a dialogue between therapist and client (system). Referring to the basic assumptions of Gestalt therapy as formulated by its founders (even if with some contradictions and incompatibilities) and the basic existential paradox of autonomy and interdependence of human beings, we characterize the diagnostic process, formulate basic principles for the clinical diagnostic process, and outline a structure of diagnostic dimensions, phenomena of the client, and examples of possible interventions.
Healing in Psychotherapy: Using Energy, Touch, and Imagery with Cancer Patients
Authors: Baker Frances S. 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
Within the past 10 years my practice has come to include a large number of patients suffering from cancer. I have found that these patients are often so debilitated by their treatments that they require support, not only mentally and emotionally, but also spiritually and physically as well. Traditional talk therapy blended with energy work, touch, and guided imagery offers the broad band of support that seriously ill patients require. In this paper I describe how I have joined principles and practices of energy healing, touch, and imagery with a Gestalt approach to psychotherapy. I explore and describe the compatibility of healing work and Gestalt practice. I discuss treatment design and include a case study and discussion.
A Relational Perspective on “Gestalt Therapy and the Phenomenological Method”
Authors: Meyer Kenneth 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
Van De Riet's paper recapitulates the arguments outlining the incompatibility of phenomenological reduction with field theory and then advocates for its continued usefulness as long as we recognize its limitations. This response focuses on two important goals accomplished by bracketing: (1) a non-normative definition of pathology and (2) a non-judgmental attitude on the part of the therapist, and then goes on to explore how these can also be accomplished in other ways within a relational, dialogic framework.
Effects of Gestalt Therapy Two-Chair Dialogue on Divorce Decision Making
Authors: Mackay Bea 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
Using Q-methodology, Mackay's (1995) study sought to find empirical support for the three-stage model of the Gestalt two-chair technique and the theory put forth by Greenberg (1979, 1983) and Greenberg, Rice, and Elliot (1993). A structured Q-sort was constructed using the factors of conflict resolution (CR) and the Gestalt concept of contact (C) in a 2×2 factorial design. Each factor was divided into two levels: CR—resolved versus unresolved and C—contact versus interruption of contact. The factors of CR and C were expected to interact before and after successful and unsuccessful therapy for decision making. Eight participants who were ambivalent about staying married performed the Q-sort before and after six sessions of therapy in which the two-chair technique was used as the primary intervention to facilitate their pre-decision making regarding their marriage. Moderate support was found for the three stages of the model: opposition, merging, and integration. When therapy was successful, the factors of CR and C interacted as predicted. When therapy was not successful, the factors of CR and C did not interact as predicted. The factors of CR and C did not interact for individuals who were experiencing a great deal of interruption of contact, indicating there is a possible prestage to the model.
Is Gestalt Therapy “Chemotherapy” without Knowing It?
Authors: Ginger Serge 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
Psychotherapists are often focused on psychological and psychosocial feelings and events, while most of our thoughts, feelings, and behavior are also conditioned by neurophysiological modifications and modifying them, day and night, in a kind of permanent systemic interrelations. This article presents basic knowledge about brain functioning, neurotransmitters, psychobiology of dreams, heredity, and more and underlines the importance of such updated knowledge for every psychotherapist, especially if he/she works with emotions and body involvement. Some simple examples are given of the implication of this weaving between body and mind in an ordinary Gestalt therapy session.
Connecting Strategic and Intimate Interactions: The Need for Balance
Authors: Nevis Sonia M. , Backman Stephanie , Nevis Edwin 
Published: February 2018

AbstractTo be fully effective as a couple, family, or work system, the presence is required of both intimate and strategic interactions. By moving in a rhythm from one to the other, there will be a balance or a “seamless braid.” Competent alliances can switch flexibly and appropriately from the intimate to the strategic and back again over time. Difficulties in human relationships may be the result of an imbalanced or inappropriate use of one or both sets of interactions.
The Fish Is in the Water and the Water Is in the Fish: A Perspective on the Context of Gay and Lesbian Relationships for Gestalt Therapists
Authors: Brockmon Carol 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
This article describes a particular perspective on working with lesbian couples. It includes the Cape Cod model of couple and family therapy, which is described; and holistic social, political, community, and family-of-origin perspectives on factors specific to gays and lesbians. It discusses the influence of those factors on the couples' lives and their therapists' praxis. It also includes a resource bibliography to help therapists educate themselves in this area.
Response to Seán Gaffney's Case Study of Gestalt at Work in an HIV/AIDS Service Organization; and Towards a Gestalt Model for Working with HIV/AIDS
Authors: Wyley Chantelle 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
The author responds to the article by relating her own awareness and figure-forming processes in grappling with HIV/AIDS in South Africa. She shares questions and issues raised in discussion with Gestalt colleagues about the potent and existential nature of HIV/AIDS, and its impact across so many levels of system. Finally, the piece suggests the potential unique effectiveness of the Gestalt approach in this context.
Dealing With Tinnitus
Authors: Amendt-Lyon Nancy 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
A case study of Gestalt therapy with a patient suffering from tinnitus is presented from a relational field perspective. The author theoretically bases her practical interventions on Laura Perls' concept of contact and support and Perls, Hefferline and Goodman's concept of creative adjustment in a difficult field, which includes the dynamic interrelations of psychological, socio-cultural, and physical factors in the field. Dream work, two-chair dialogues, and enactment are among the therapeutic interventions selected.
Conflict, Emotions and Appreciation of Differences
Authors: Brown Judith R. 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
The ambiguous nature of relationships fosters attachments and mixed emotions, providing fertile ground for discord. This article will explore the concepts of conflict, emotions, and appreciation of differences, and make explicit how they intertwine. I hope to make these topics more meaningful and more manageable in daily life, personally and professionally. Conflict appears to be inherent in life and although it is often interpreted as destructive, it can be constructive as well. Appreciation of differences—necessary, but seldom manifested in conflict—is a key to navigating damaging interactions so that they may become constructive and lead to personal growth and more functional relationships.
Sartre, A Muse for Perls?
Authors: Masquelier Gonzague 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
Existentialism is one root for Gestalt therapy. Jean-Paul Sartre is sometimes called “the pope of existentialism.” Could Sartre's theory have been an inspiration to Paul Goodman and Laura and Fritz Perls in the founding of Gestalt therapy? How might contemporary Gestaltists feed their practice by reading this philosopher?
After a brief history, the author develops several founding themes of existentialism and shows their similarities. He also evokes several ways they diverge.
In his conclusion, the author, dreaming of an encounter between Goodman, Perls and Sartre, imagines a pastiche of No Exit (Huis Clos), a play in which three characters are locked in a sitting room for eternity.
The Narcissistic Tightrope Walk: Using Gestalt Therapy Field Theory to Stabilize the Narcissistic Client
Authors: Greenberg Elinor 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
One of the difficulties of working with highly narcissistic individuals is their extreme sensitivity to even the mildest negative feedback. Helpful suggestions can be experienced as such devastating criticisms that the clients either fall into self-hating depressions or angrily defend themselves by devaluing the therapist. Greenberg attributes this sensitivity to the inherent instability of narcissistic self-esteem, one of the themes touched on by Bentley in his article, “Working with Narcissism in Organizations.” Using Gestalt therapy field theory, Greenberg redefines narcissism as two alternating and mutually contradictory ways of organizing the organism/environment field that narrowly focus on self-esteem issues: The inflated organization makes figural only those cues that enhance the person's sense of being special and perfect, and the deflated organization makes figural only those cues that confirm the person's sense of being inherently worthless and inadequate. She explains three ways a therapist can use Gestalt therapy field theory to help narcissistic clients stabilize their mood and form a realistic and integrated sense of their own worth.
The Relational Ethic in the Treatment of Adolescents
Authors: Kanner Chuck , Lee Robert G. 
Published: February 2018

AbstractThe relational approach of the Kanner Academy in Sarasota, Florida is presented, and we draw parallels to the relational ethic that derives from Gestalt field theory. Kanner Academy (presently known as the Sarasota Community School) is an institute that serves adolescents with emotional, behavioral, and educational issues that have led to repeated failure and frustration within traditional public and private mainstream educational settings. The authors discuss the roles of caring, mutually invested relationship, community inclusion, relational limiting setting, radical relational responsibility, and the time necessary for relational resolution, as well as other relational elements involved in providing an atmosphere in which these troubled adolescents can become interested in and explore the foreign notion that a true relational experience might be possible for them. Examples are used to attempt to capture the lively, ever-changing quality of this process.
Culture, Self, and Field: A Gestalt Guide to the Age of Complexity
Authors: Wheeler Gordon 
Published: February 2018

AbstractAs humans we are born prematurely, with both brain and social patterning extensively organized by post-uterine experience. Thus culture is evolutionarily inherent to our human nature. Our received models for understanding and working with cultural experience and issues, however, are heavily marked by reductionistic “nature vs. nurture” thinking, as well as by cultural imperialism, racism, sexism, objectivism, and dualism. In Part I of this essay, a review of prevalent and past approaches to cross-cultural intervention and understanding shows both the limitations of our inherited models, and the gradual emergence of elements of a more unitary, constructivist, and experience-near approach. In Part II, the elements of a Gestalt field approach to the study of cultures and cross-cultural interventions is developed, with implications for applications of the model to multicultural work. In this model, emphasis is placed on the integral relation of contact and culture, the multicultural dimensions of all contact experiences, multiplicity and context dependency of cultural boundaries and belonging, dialogue as the most fundamental intervention strategy, experiment and support, and the value of multicultural awareness as a condition of growth.
Community Building Viewed From a Group Dream Perspective
Authors: Grey Lucanna 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
Traditionally in Gestalt therapy, dreams are considered to be an existential message to the dreamer. Dreams reflect the changing interior landscape of the dreamer. In this article, the author considers the question: Can the dream be a reflection of the larger field of the dreamer? This field includes the immediate class group, the larger group (in this case, the institute in which the dreamer is a student) and the greater world at large. Several examples are given to show that the dream may reflect both the dreamer's inner world and the greater field.
Teaching Gestalt Therapy in a Regulatory Environment
Authors: Meara Alan , Levien Brenda 
Published: February 2018

AbstractThe practice of Gestalt therapy relies at its core on the use of self as instrument. Rather than “instrument” meaning one who provokes a cathartic experience involving “pillow bashing” or who uses techniques such as “two chair” work, instrument is understood as the facilitation of healing through meeting. Meeting in this sense requires the therapist to be available as a guide with specialist skills and knowledge and, equally important, available as a person able to share immediate experience cleanly.