This fascinating book examines the place and practice of Relational Gestalt therapy (RGT) within an Indian cultural context, and how it can be applied in a group setting. The book begins by introducing the foundational concepts of Gestalt therapy (GT), namely phenomenology, field theory and dialogic existentialism. Through stories and vignettes, it then invites the reader to enter the circle of the group, a profound way of learning akin to the old Indian folk tradition of village communities sharing stories and bonding as a social group. Drawing from these narratives, the book not only elaborates on the theoretical concepts of GT, but also offers culturally sensitive guidance for Indian practitioners wishing to conduct group therapy. Written by a practitioner with over 20 years’ experience, this book will prove essential reading not only for practitioners working in India, but also for anyone with an interest in how GT can be applied in group settings in different cultural contexts.

In Gestalt therapy, sociological, political, and economic research is often neglected or ignored. Drawing on analyses about current societal conditions, this book considers that there is no such thing as a ‘postmodern’ therapy and offers a new approach to Gestalt therapy. Gestalt therapy is still currently based on the Cartesian worldview, even if relational approaches are in search for an ‘in-between’. The author’s approach of Gestalt therapy is based on an idea by the founders: “Contact is the first reality” – so the field coemerges and coexists with individuals’ perceptions providing specific conditions, demands, limitations and opportunities. An individual’s field is not an afterthought established by the perspective of the first-person-singular (i.e. individuals) but a ‘conditio sine qua non’. Gutjahr reflects on both theoretical and practical aspects of the field’s many processes of resonance. Putting the field consistently at the centre of his approach, the author describes the main tenets expanding on previous versions of Gestalt therapy. This important new book is at the cutting edge of the current discussion of relational and field-oriented approaches to Gestalt therapy, and will be of particular interest to practitioners of Gestalt therapy, psychotherapists, phenomenologists, as well as theorists of philosophy, sociology and therapy.

This book is intended for psychotherapists working with depressed clients. In particular, it focuses on how working with depressed clients affects the therapists themselves, and elaborates on how therapists can care for themselves in such demanding work to prevent burnout, or process it meaningfully as part of their professional development. Based on the results of the author’s own long-term experience, qualitative research and theoretical concepts describing psychopathology from the humanistic-existential perspective of Gestalt therapy, this book describes a paradoxical way of working in which therapists transform their own experience in the presence of a depressed client. Using the example of working with depression, the book introduces how the field theory approach can be used in clinical practice. The book provides a conceptual framework, practical skills and case examples illustrating what a field theory approach brings new to the table. This will be a useful guide for psychotherapists and Gestalt therapists who regularly come into contact with depressive clients, as well as for therapists who are themselves experiencing professional exhaustion and are at risk of reaching burnout.

First Published in 2010. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

This compelling and comprehensive volume is an anthology of current thinking by many of gestalt therapy's leading theoreticians, clinicians and researchers. Including many well-known voices in the field and introducing several new ones to the current gestalt therapy literature, the book presents a broad-ranging compendium of essays, scientific articles, clinical applications, and integrative approaches that represent the richness and vibrancy of the field. Each contributor brings intellectual rigor, honest personal reflection, and humanism to their area of inquiry. This ethos--the spirit of relational gestalt therapy--infuses the whole book, bringing a sense of coherence to its seventeen chapters. Following an introduction written by Mark Winitsky, PhD, as an entry point into the field for students and psychotherapists from other schools of thought, the book is organized into three sections: Theory, Clinical Applications, and Integrative Approaches. Readers will encounter new ways of thinking about psychotherapy, new skills they can bring to their work, and new ways of integrating gestalt therapy with other approaches. The Relational Heart of Gestalt Therapy is essential reading for Gestalt therapists as well as other mental health professionals with an interest in Gestalt approaches.

Cocreating the Field is about developing a radically new story to shift our perception of who we are as humans from a focus on our separate individual natures to our complex interconnectedness. The core Gestalt model offers a theoretical and pragmatic frame for addressing urgent concerns in a wide range of crucial arenas. Topics include the new relational neuroscience and how it interfaces with Gestalt's assumptions about healthy human process; how one therapist is working with children in Dharamsala, India and Capetown, South Africa to help them digitally tell their stories in support of resilience; how transformational thinking brings pro-social and, for some, spiritual questing into focus; and how Gestalt-trained practitioners, therapists, coaches and consultants can become citizen-practitioners in a troubled world. Going beyond the original Esalen Institute study conference on the Evolution of Gestalt, Cocreating the Field offers guidance for moving forward effectively and joyously as awakened interdependent participants in these stressful times.

Gestalt Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice is an introductory text, written by major Gestalt theorists, that will engage those new to Gestalt therapy. Editors Ansel Woldt and Sarah M. Toman introduce the historical underpinnings and fundamental concepts of Gestalt therapy and illustrate applications of those concepts to therapeutic practice. The book is unique in that it is the first Gestalt text specifically designed for the academic and training institute settings. Gestalt Therapy takes both a conceptual and a practical approach to examining classic and cutting-edge constructs.