Needless to say, I had mixed reactions to this confrontation. One part of me felt defensive and wanted to
give him a detailed resume of my credentials as a Gestalt therapist and group leader. Another part, the group
leader, welcomed the challenge. His behaviour meant that the group, through one of its members, was
testing out the boundaries of authority. By taking a stand against me as leader, this person was setting a
new norm and perhaps moving the group toward increasing differentiation and autonomy. I was from this
perspective that I responded. However, I was left with strong feelings of frustration mixed with despair. The question that formed in my mind was, "How has it come about that so many have mistaken the medium for
the message in Gestalt, and have confused the techniques and gimmicks for the essence of the method?" In
this chapter, I attempt to answer my own question, and to deliver the lecture on Gestalt group process I
wanted to give five years ago to this questioning client.