REFLECTIONS ON THE CONTEMPORARY THERAPIES
After some 35 years of teaching
and the University of Queensland and training gestalt therapists all over the
world, I am now reflecting on this so called “talking cures’ or as the
contemporary writers call it “relational therapies”.
Millions of people seek some sort
of psychological help assuming (believing) that a professional will be able to
sort out their complex life problems and/or at least help with their
relationships. However, the first
question is how to select from a huge list of available therapeutical
modalities that seem to mainly be interested in making money because there is
no clear evidence that the “talking therapy” actually helps but there is some
evidence that it can hinder solutions or create more problems to the many
individuals, families and eventually to whole societies.
Take a brief look at history of
humanity. Here we discover that prior to the emergence of therapies, spouses,
parents, lovers, children, and all sorts of close friends and colleagues – that
were not therapists – were considered the most important people in our lives
and the most available to help. Now the many psychotherapies place the
professional helper in the middle of the ‘lay folk’ and make the ‘expert’ the
most important problem solver. Many who practice as a way of earning a living,
deliberately promote themselves as the true expert in human relations and thus
degrade what for centuries was a wealth of wisdom regarding human growth and
development: the tribe, the family, the group and society.
Research reports about questionable
results in therapy are usually criticised or simply ignored. As far back as
1952, H.J. Eysenck, a British psychologist, begun the practice of
scientifically examining the effectiveness of psychotherapy with the ‘common
neurotic person’, he compared the recovery rates of persons not treated with
those treated with psychotherapy. He concluded that psychotherapy was
ineffective promoting recovery from a neurotic disorder.
We know very well that there are
a large amount of methods and techniques of psychotherapy and each claim
specific results. Like psychoanalysis that helps to understand the nature of
inner problems to Humanistic therapies that share and reflect on the clients’
feelings and emotions. CBT or behavioural techniques that instruct the client
to stop negative patters of thinking and so on and on.
Nevertheless, in the many years
of research, all the evidence points to only one factor that enables growth and
helps with problems is: RELATIONSHIP. The client-therapist quality of
relationship they experience in any sort of therapy. We may claim that our
specific techniques or methods are effective in comparison to others, we cannot
deny that the relationship between the client and therapist is key to developing
a positive or negative outcome of therapy.
It is obvious, then, that any
orientation that we may have chosen to be trained as a psychotherapist, the
major skill is to learn how to develop a positive, conscious and ongoing
relationship with the client in order to achieve measurable positive outcomes
in therapy.
GESTALT AND THE CREATIVE PROCESS
In Perl's (1977) formulation of
the goal of treatment, self-expression and awareness on the nonverbal level
also play an important role:
The treatment is finished when
the patient has achieved the basic requirements: change in outlook, a technique
of adequate self- expression and assimilation, and the ability to extend
awareness to the nonverbal level. He has then reached that state of integration
which facilitates his own development, and he can now be safely left to himself
to continue life as a healthy journey.
There are many new studies that
carry the title of “Psychoneurology”, “Biopsychology”, “psychobiology” and so
on. These studies use the new brain scanning technology to determine the
therapeutic outcomes. At the 2014 GANZ (Gestalt Australia & New Zealand)
conference in Brisbane a key note speaker was a brain researcher from the
University of Queensland. He specifically outlined the positive therapeutic
outcomes working with Gestalt Therapy. I felt overjoyed about this evidence
because it finally acknowledged the many years of experience of working as a
Gestalt therapist and trainer that this particular therapy does train
practitioners to make clear and positive contact (relationship) with clients
and groups. Gestalt also includes in its training a large input in creative
experiential and experimental techniques.
The quote by James Dewar “minds
are like parachutes, they only function when they are open” is a wise one. He
suggests that books, theories and intellectual jargon only aims to keep the
mind closed to experience. It is clear that all therapeutic orientations that
span over 100 years now, are required to enable the client to “talk about”
issues or problems and that is supposed to relieve them form psychological
stress.
Only Dr. Fritz Perls and his wife
Laura pioneered the notion of an authentic encounter with the client. They used
many expressive therapies (including body work) that generated feelings of
anger, sadness, disgust, joy, sexuality, etc. He often spoke to clients to
“stop mind fucking” and experience the NOW! Perls worked in a small group
format where he encouraged members to express , explore and share openly their
inner feelings instead of ‘talking about’ them.
Talking about does not help to
solve many problems deeply ingrained in human beings. It actually helps to fill
out the ‘therapy’ hour creating an illusion for the client and therapist that
something very important is happening.
Gestalt Therapy has deleted that
illusion from its methodology and instead promoted the sense of AWARENESS.
Awareness is a process that happens only in the here and now (present) and has
the potential to shift the client’s life-space by enabling the understanding of
deep relationship with the whole spectrum of personal, transpersonal,
existential human growth.
One of the mayor developments in
the Gestalt therapy field is the awareness of the creative process in healing
Body, Mind and Spirit. Joseph Zinker pioneered this idea in his book: “Creative
Process in Gestalt Therapy” (1978).
GESTALT AND JOSEPH
ZINKER
According to Zinker, Gestalt is a creative
approach, which may include drawing, playing, dance and drama. The therapist
will be willing to engage in a genuine relationship with the client, within
appropriate therapeutic boundaries. Exploration of this therapeutic
relationship will form an important part of the therapy. The therapist may set
up an experiment to aid the client in more fully experiencing and expressing a
current sensation or work with art tools like drawing, painting, mask making,
sculpture, theatre, dance, collage etc.
Gestalt therapists believe that unfinished
business underlies much human distress and will support clients in reaching
resolution in those areas of their lives where they feel incomplete. This may
involve the safe expression of pain, anger, sorrow, fear and joy. Often, relief
follows the release of emotions which have been held back, especially if they have
been held over a long period of time, perhaps because such expression would
have been unsafe. Art tools enable the clients to put outside themselves what
is inside and then can work on the figure presented in their art work.
Gestalt therapists further believe that all of us contain aspects which are loving, cruel, hostile, joyful, adventurous, timorous and so on. Integration occurs when we own and accept all that we are, rather than pretending to ourselves and others that we are always kind, or brave or hard-working or whatever. Thus the therapist will also support clients in discovering, exploring and reclaiming parts of themselves which they have disowned. Drama using puppets and sand tray are some of the most powerful methods to help the integration of dis-owned parts.
Gestalt therapists further believe that all of us contain aspects which are loving, cruel, hostile, joyful, adventurous, timorous and so on. Integration occurs when we own and accept all that we are, rather than pretending to ourselves and others that we are always kind, or brave or hard-working or whatever. Thus the therapist will also support clients in discovering, exploring and reclaiming parts of themselves which they have disowned. Drama using puppets and sand tray are some of the most powerful methods to help the integration of dis-owned parts.
Photo: Y. Sarak copyright
Although art therapy is a
relatively young therapeutic discipline, its roots lie in the use of the arts
in the 'moral treatment' of psychiatric patients in the
late 18th century, this moral treatment, Susan Hogan argues, “arose out of
utilitarian philosophy and also from a non-conformist religious tradition”, and in a re-evaluation of the art of
non-western art and of the art of untrained artists.
Art therapy as a
profession began in the mid-20th century, arising independently in
English-speaking and European countries. The early art therapists who published
accounts of their work acknowledged the influence of aesthetics, psychiatry,
psychoanalysis, rehabilitation, early childhood education, and art education,
to varying degrees, on their practices.
The British artist Adrian Hill coined the term art therapy in
1942. Hill, recovering from tuberculosis in a sanatorium, discovered the
therapeutic benefits of drawing and painting while convalescing. He wrote that
the value of art therapy lay in "completely engrossing the mind (as well
as the fingers) …releasing the creative energy of the frequently inhibited
patient", which enabled the patient to "build up a strong defence
against his misfortunes". He suggested artistic work to his fellow
patients. That began his art therapy work, which was documented in 1945 in his
book, Art Versus Illness.
The artist Edward Adamson, demobilised after WW2, joined Adrian Hill to
extend Hill’s work to the British long stay mental hospitals. Other early
proponents of art therapy in Britain include E. M. Lyddiatt, Michael Edwards, Diana
Raphael-Halliday and Rita Simon. The British
Association of Art Therapists was founded in 1964.
U.S. art therapy pioneers Margaret Naumburg and Edith Kramer began practicing at around the same time as
Hill. Naumburg, an educator, asserted that "art therapy is
psychoanalytically oriented" and that free art expression "becomes a
form of symbolic speech which…leads to an increase in verbalization in the
course of therapy. Edith Kramer, an artist, pointed out the importance of
the creative process, psychological defences, and artistic quality, writing that
"sublimation is attained when forms are created that successfully
contain…anger, anxiety, or pain.” Other early proponents of art therapy in
the United States include Elinor Ulman, Robert
"Bob" Ault,
and Judith Rubin. The American Art Therapy Association was founded in 1969.
National professional
associations of art therapy exist in many countries, including Brazil, Canada, Australia,
Finland, Israel, Japan, the Netherlands, Romania, South Korea, and Sweden.
International networking contributes to the establishment of standards for
education and practice. Diverse perspectives exist on
history of art therapy, which complement those that focus on the
institutionalization of art therapy as a profession in Britain, the United
States and Australia.
The purpose of art therapy is
essentially one of healing. Art therapy can be successfully applied to clients
with physical, mental or emotional problems, diseases and disorders. Any type
of visual art and art medium can be employed within the therapeutic process,
including painting, drawing, sculpting, photography, and digital art. Art
therapy stands in contrast with other kinds of creative or expressive arts
therapies that use dance, music or drama. One of the major differences between
art therapy and other forms of communication is that most other forms of
communication elicit the use of words or language as a means of communication.
Studies have demonstrated the efficacy of art therapy, as applied to clients
with memory loss due to Alzheimer’s and other diseases; stroke residuals; cognitive
functioning; traumatic brain injury; post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD); depression; dealing with chronic illness; and
aging. However, the potential healing power of art therapy has not been
thoroughly studied in certain patients, such as trauma victims with disorders
such as PTSD. Art therapists report remarkable results from work with combat
veterans, traumatized victims, sexual abuse survivors and survivors of natural
disasters. Published case stories and research projects also support the
efficiency of the approach. As art therapy grows in popularity and gains
recognition, the purpose will become more clear and branch out to different
patients. The purpose of art therapy is to provide a new healing opportunity to
those who will benefit most from alternative therapy methods. In conclusion,
art therapy is one of multiple methods to create peace and healing. Gestalt Art therapy has only recently developed and is growing.
PS: Watch this very informative talk by
philosopher Alain de Botton: “Art as Therapy”
GESTALT ART THERAPY CENTRE
The Centre begun in 2008 when Yaro Starak and
Gemma Garcia arrived from Spain. Both completed their training in Gestalt Therapy and Gemma
received a diploma in Visual arts in Brisbane. Combining art therapy and
gestalt was a project that opened opportunities for anyone who is interested in
learning how to apply art tools in working as a gestalt therapist and also for
those who were not trained in gestalt, to learn to become more proficient in
their work. The fusion of both methods created the first Centre of Gestalt art
therapy in Australia. The reader is invited to click on the links below and
discover the story with all the details.
GUESS WHO ARE THEY? WHERE and WHEN? (hint: GANZ)
