Jim's Ability to Live a Fuller Life: The Goal of Gestalt
As Jim engaged more fully in life by actively listening and responding to what was happening around him, life in turn rewarded him. This is one of the most powerful parts of psychotherapy, and of Gestalt therapy specifically. Jim received more attention from women as they began to feel like he was interested in them. Jim’s colleagues noticed his new responsiveness and relative ease at engagement. All of these changes emerged as a result of struggling in the encounter.
Of course, my work with Jim was much richer and more multifaceted than it has been presented here, but focusing on this particular issue illustrates what happens in the Gestalt therapy process and how the world can begin to seem different to our clients. He heard more. He was more aware. He took more personal responsibility. He really heard what people said and it had more of an impact on him, he was able to be touched by others. He got more positive feedback and support from the world as his self evolved.
This, then, is the heart of Gestalt therapy: to help our clients expand and meet their potential for fuller, more rewarding lives, while always starting in the moment, wherever they happen to be. For Gestalt therapists, strengthening the therapeutic relationship by attending to contact in the here and now of the session is not merely an end in itself; rather, it is by attending to the quality of connection in that moment that the client learns how to be present, both with his own internal experience and in relationship with the therapist. This awareness itself is the catalyst for change, opening new doors of possibility to both the past and the future.