Gestalt therapy
Gestalt therapy is a path towards greater awareness, wholeness, authenticity and the freedom to live in line with ourselves.
Gestalt is a word of German origin for the idea that the whole is more than the simple sum of its parts. In gestalt therapy we do not look at a person through one problem, symptom or trait, but as a whole.
9
years working with clients
180+
people who have been in therapy with me
60
minutes per session
New Town
practice in Edinburgh, and online
Principle
Our thoughts, emotions, body and behaviour are connected and influence one another.
So we do not only ask “what is wrong”, but try to understand the bigger picture: the way we experience ourselves, others and the world around us.
Principle
One of the core principles of gestalt therapy is developing awareness. Through it we become able to recognise our needs, feelings and reactions more clearly, along with the patterns of behaviour that no longer serve us.
Once we become aware of them, we gain room to choose. We no longer have to react the same way automatically; we can pause and decide what we really need.
Principle
When we understand ourselves better, it becomes easier to live in line with who we really are. Authenticity does not mean always doing the first thing that comes to mind, but recognising our needs, feelings and boundaries and learning to express them.
It means gradually moving away from patterns we may have adopted to meet other people's expectations, and finding ways to live more in line with ourselves.
Principle
Gestalt therapy puts particular focus on the experience of “here and now”. We turn attention to what is happening in this moment: in our body, emotions, thoughts and relationships with others.
That does not mean the past is unimportant. On the contrary, we work with it through what is still present and alive in our current experience. That way we can better understand what still weighs on us and how past experiences shape our life today.
Write me a couple of sentences about what is troubling you and when suits you. I reply within 24 hours.
Or call 0131 496 0123. If you are in crisis and need help right now, call Samaritans on 116 123 or Breathing Space on 0800 83 85 87.