An Overview of Gestalt as I See It...

Gestalt is a German word first used in the field of psychology in 1890, and was brought to its present understanding  in the work of psychologists Fritz and Laura Perls during the 1930s and 40s.

“Gestalten” is the verb form of the word and means to create, shape, or form. “Gestalt” as a noun refers to the essence or shape of an entity’s complete form, and specifically to a whole or a completion that is different from the sum of its parts. A configuration, pattern, or organized field having specific properties that cannot be derived from the summation of its component parts; a unified whole. an instance or example of such a unified whole.

​An integrated and healthy person is mostly aware of all the elements that unite and integrate to make them whole: their body, soul, intellect, spirit, and social context.  A holistically healthy person is able to have good “contact” with others as well as themselves, meaning that there is a secure connection between the person and whomever or whatever which they are engaged with. 

Gestalt Theory focuses on the individual’s experience in the present moment, as in “I and Thou in the here and now.” This involves consideration of the Guide-Worker relationship (as we say in Gestalt Pastoral Care), the environmental and social contexts of a person’s life, and the emotional, physical, and mental self-regulating adjustments people make as a result of their overall situation.  An open Gestalt is a situation that has not yet been completed or resolved, while a closed Gestalt is one that has been completed.

As a certified ICF-ACC Gestalt Wellness Coach, I use Gestalt modalities to support persons in their inner work of exploring and discovering these open Gestalts needing resolution. This opens the possibility of discovering and processing whatever stands in the way of growth, and breaking free from what holds them back.

I am also a commissioned Gestalt Pastoral Care Minister. Gestalt Pastoral Care is a scientifically validated amalgam of Gestalt modalities, Spiritual Companioning, and Contemplative Prayer. It is rooted in the healing stories of Jesus and trusts that God’s ongoing desire for us is wholeness and healing.  

Find out more at the Gestalt Pastoral Care website.  
​gestaltpastoralcare.org