The Therapy of the Present Moment

Imagine sitting in a therapy session, beginning to talk about something that happened last week, when your therapist gently interrupts: "What are you noticing right now, as you tell me this?"

You pause, slightly thrown. "I... I'm noticing my shoulders are really tense."

"Stay with that. What does that tension want to say?"

This simple redirect—from talking about experience to experiencing the present moment—captures the essence of Gestalt therapy.

Developed in the 1940s and 50s by Fritz Perls, Laura Perls, and Paul Goodman, Gestalt therapy offers a distinctly different approach from many talking therapies. Instead of analysing the past or solving problems intellectually, it invites you to become fully aware of what's happening right now—in your body, your emotions, your surroundings, and your relationships.

This guide explores what Gestalt therapy actually involves, how it works, and whether this powerfully experiential approach might resonate with you.

The Core Philosophy: Awareness, Contact, and Wholeness

The Gestalt Principle

The word "Gestalt" comes from German, meaning "shape," "form," or "whole." The central idea is that we are more than the sum of our parts—we experience ourselves and the world as integrated wholes, not fragments.

When we lose touch with this wholeness—when we split off parts of ourselves, deny our feelings, or lose awareness of our needs—we suffer.

Gestalt therapy aims to help you:

Become aware of what you're experiencing moment-to-moment
Reclaim disowned parts of yourself
Make full, authentic contact with yourself and others
Live as an integrated, whole person

The Here and Now

Unlike psychoanalysis (which emphasises childhood and the past) or CBT (which focuses on changing thoughts), Gestalt therapy privileges the present moment.

Not because the past doesn't matter—it absolutely does. But Gestalt therapists believe the past only matters as it shows up now: in your posture, your breathing, the way you tell your story, what you avoid, what you emphasise.

The therapeutic question isn't "What happened to make you this way?" but rather "How are you being right now, and what does that reveal?"

Organismic Self-Regulation

Gestalt theory holds that we have an innate capacity to know what we need and to regulate ourselves, much like how your body knows when it's hungry or tired.

Problems arise when we override this natural wisdom—when we deny our needs, suppress our feelings, or conform to what we think we "should" be rather than who we are.

Therapy helps you reconnect with this inner compass.

Key Concepts in Gestalt Therapy

Figure and Ground

At any moment, something stands out in your awareness (the "figure") against a background of less-noticed experience (the "ground").

Right now, perhaps reading these words is your figure. The feeling of the chair beneath you, sounds in your environment, or a vague thought about dinner are ground.

Healthy functioning involves fluid movement between figure and ground—noticing what's important, addressing it, and letting it recede so something new can emerge.

Psychological difficulties often involve getting stuck: ruminating on the same thought, unable to let it become ground again, or being so distracted that nothing ever becomes clear figure.

Gestalt therapy helps you notice what's emerging in your awareness and respond to it appropriately.

Contact and Contact Boundary Disturbances

"Contact" in Gestalt terms means engaging fully with your environment—people, sensations, emotions—whilst maintaining your sense of self.

Good contact is:

Being fully present with someone without losing yourself
Feeling your feelings without being overwhelmed
Engaging with the world whilst maintaining boundaries

We often develop "contact boundary disturbances"—ways of avoiding full contact:

Confluence: Merging with others, losing your boundaries ("I don't know where I end and you begin")

Introjection: Swallowing others' beliefs whole without questioning them ("I should always be nice")

Projection: Attributing your own feelings to others ("You're angry at me" when actually you're angry)

Retroflection: Doing to yourself what you want to do to others (self-criticism instead of expressing anger outward)

Deflection: Avoiding contact through distraction, humour, or changing the subject

Gestalt therapy helps you notice these patterns and experiment with more authentic contact.

Unfinished Business

We all carry "unfinished business"—unexpressed feelings, unresolved situations, things left unsaid. These incomplete experiences linger in the background, draining energy and blocking present-moment living.

Perhaps you never told your father you were angry about his emotional distance. Maybe you never properly grieved a loss. Possibly you've never allowed yourself to acknowledge deep shame about something.

This unfinished business keeps emerging, often in disguised forms—getting disproportionately angry at your partner about something minor, or feeling inexplicably tearful.

Gestalt therapy provides safe space to bring this unfinished business into awareness and complete what needs completing.

Distinctive Gestalt Techniques

The Empty Chair

Perhaps Gestalt's most famous technique: you speak to an empty chair as if someone (or some part of yourself) is sitting there.

You might:

Talk to your critical inner voice, then switch chairs and speak as that voice
Have a conversation with a deceased parent
Dialogue between two conflicting parts of yourself ("the part that wants to quit my job" and "the part that's terrified of change")

This sounds theatrical, and it can feel awkward initially. But it's remarkably powerful for:

Expressing what's been unsaid
Integrating split-off parts
Gaining new perspectives
Completing unfinished business

You're not pretending they're actually there—you're externalising an internal process to engage with it more fully.

Experiments

Gestalt therapists are creative experimenters. Rather than just talking about your difficulty setting boundaries, your therapist might suggest:

"Try saying 'no' to me right now, about something small."

Or if you're describing feeling stuck: "Stand up and notice what happens in your body."

These experiments aren't pre-planned exercises. They emerge from what's happening in the session and invite you to try something new in a safe environment.

Focusing on Awareness

Your therapist might frequently ask:

"What are you aware of right now?"
"What are you experiencing as you say that?"
"Where do you feel that in your body?"
"What happens when you notice that?"

This isn't annoying deflection—it's the therapeutic work. Increasing awareness is, in Gestalt terms, inherently healing.

Dream Work

Unlike psychoanalysis (where dreams reveal unconscious wishes), Gestalt treats every element of a dream as a disowned part of yourself.

You might explore a dream by:

Speaking as different dream elements ("I am the locked door. I am heavy and solid and keeping people out...")
Noticing which parts feel most alive or uncomfortable
Discovering what the dream reveals about your current experience

Again, it's about integration—reclaiming projected or denied aspects of yourself.

The "Hot Seat"

In group Gestalt therapy, one person works in the "hot seat"—the focus of the group's attention—with the therapist, whilst others witness. This creates intensity and energy that can facilitate breakthroughs.

(Don't worry—in individual therapy, you're always in the hot seat anyway!)

What Happens in a Gestalt Therapy Session?

The Opening

Sessions usually begin simply:

"What would you like to work with today?"
"What's alive for you right now?"

Your therapist isn't passive—they're actively present, observing, noticing, and tracking what's happening in you and between you.

Working with What Emerges

You might begin talking about a problem at work. Your Gestalt therapist notices:

Your voice becomes quieter when mentioning your boss
You're smiling whilst describing something painful
Your hands are clenched

They might say: "I notice you're smiling as you talk about feeling undermined. What are you aware of?"

The session follows the energy—what's most alive, most present, most unfinished.

Experiments and Exploration

If appropriate, your therapist might suggest experiments:

Exaggerating a gesture you're making repeatedly
Speaking directly to your boss (in an empty chair)
Noticing what happens if you allow yourself to fully feel your anger instead of explaining it

There's no predetermined agenda. The work unfolds organically.

Integration

Sessions often close with:

Noticing what's shifted
Reflecting on new awareness
Allowing whatever came up to settle

Gestalt therapy trusts the process—sometimes insights emerge immediately; sometimes they percolate for days after a session.

What Issues Does Gestalt Therapy Help?

Gestalt therapy is particularly effective for:

Relationship difficulties: Learning to make fuller contact whilst maintaining boundaries

Emotional suppression or disconnection: Reconnecting with feelings you've disowned

Anxiety: Grounding in present-moment awareness rather than catastrophising about the future

Depression: Completing unfinished business and reclaiming lost vitality

Creative blocks: Accessing spontaneity and dissolving rigid patterns

Self-awareness and personal growth: Understanding yourself more deeply and living more authentically

Trauma (with appropriate modifications): Safely processing incomplete experiences and restoring a sense of wholeness

It's less suited to:

People seeking structured, solution-focused interventions (CBT might be better)
Those who strongly prefer intellectual analysis to experiential work
Crisis situations requiring immediate symptom management

Gestalt Compared to Other Therapies

Gestalt vs Person-Centred

Both are humanistic therapies trusting the client's innate wisdom, but:

Person-Centred therapists follow your lead, offering empathy and acceptance, letting insights emerge naturally.

Gestalt therapists are more active and directive, suggesting experiments, pointing out patterns, and inviting you to awareness.

Many therapists (including myself) integrate both—offering Person-Centred presence with Gestalt experiments when useful.

Gestalt vs Psychodynamic

Both explore unconscious processes and past influences, but:

Psychodynamic therapy interprets patterns, explores childhood origins, and makes unconscious material conscious through analysis.

Gestalt brings unconscious material into awareness through direct experience in the present moment rather than intellectual interpretation.

Gestalt vs CBT

CBT identifies unhelpful thought patterns and systematically challenges them, teaching specific skills and techniques.

Gestalt works with immediate experience, trusting that increased awareness naturally leads to change without needing to deliberately modify thoughts or behaviours.

CBT is more structured and time-limited; Gestalt is more exploratory and open-ended.

Gestalt and Other Approaches

Gestalt integrates beautifully with:

Transactional Analysis (both notice patterns in how you relate)
Body-based therapies (Gestalt already emphasises bodily awareness)
Mindfulness practices (both privilege present-moment attention)

Many integrative therapists weave Gestalt techniques into their work even if it's not their primary approach.

Fritz Perls: The Provocative Founder

Understanding Gestalt means knowing a bit about Fritz Perls, whose personality profoundly shaped the approach.

Perls was:

Charismatic and confrontational
Impatient with intellectualising and "mind-fucking" (his term)
Committed to authenticity and directness
Sometimes harsh, demanding clients take responsibility

Modern Gestalt therapy has evolved beyond Perls' confrontational style. Contemporary practitioners are generally:

Gentler and more relational
Trauma-informed
Less focused on breaking through resistance and more on compassionate exploration

But Gestalt retains its emphasis on authenticity, present-moment awareness, and personal responsibility.

The Gestalt Prayer (and Its Controversy)

Perls wrote what's become known as the Gestalt Prayer:

"I do my thing and you do your thing. I am not in this world to live up to your expectations, And you are not in this world to live up to mine. You are you, and I am I, And if by chance we find each other, it's beautiful. If not, it can't be helped."

This captures Gestalt's emphasis on authenticity and differentiation. But it's also been criticised as overly individualistic, dismissing interdependence and responsibility to others.

Most contemporary Gestalt therapists see this as partial truth—yes, you need healthy differentiation, but you also need genuine connection. Relationship requires both.

Is Gestalt Therapy Evidence-Based?

Research on Gestalt therapy is less extensive than for CBT or psychodynamic approaches, partly because its experiential nature makes it harder to standardise and study.

However, existing research shows:

Effectiveness for depression and anxiety comparable to other established therapies
Improvements in self-awareness and emotional regulation
High client satisfaction and strong therapeutic alliances
Particularly effective for increasing emotional expressiveness and authenticity

More research is emerging as interest in experiential and body-based therapies grows.

What to Look for in a Gestalt Therapist

Training and Accreditation:

Look for therapists registered with BACP, UKCP, or HCPC
Gestalt-specific training from recognised institutes (there are several in the UK)
Many therapists integrate Gestalt with other approaches—ask how they use it

Personal Fit:

Gestalt therapy requires trust and willingness to experiment. Do you feel safe with this person?
Can they balance gentle support with productive challenge?
Do they explain things clearly and respect your pace?

Questions to Ask:

"What's your training in Gestalt?"
"How do you integrate Gestalt with other approaches?"
"What might a typical session look like?"
"How do you work with people who find experiments uncomfortable?"

Gestalt Therapy and Me

As an integrative therapist, I draw on Gestalt techniques when they serve the work:

Inviting awareness of present-moment experience
Noticing what's happening in the body
Occasionally suggesting experiments (always with permission)
Working with unfinished business
Helping clients make fuller contact whilst maintaining boundaries

I combine this with Person-Centred presence (offering unconditional acceptance and empathy) and Transactional Analysis concepts (understanding patterns and scripts).

The blend allows flexibility—sometimes you need gentle, accepting space; sometimes you benefit from an active experiment. We adapt to what serves you best.

Is Gestalt Therapy Right for You?

Gestalt might resonate if you:

Want to understand yourself experientially, not just intellectually
Feel disconnected from your emotions or body
Are curious about creative, experiential approaches
Have unfinished business you need to address
Value authenticity and direct communication
Are willing to occasionally feel uncomfortable in service of growth

It might not suit you if you:

Strongly prefer structured, directive approaches
Find experiments or role-plays too awkward
Want to focus primarily on symptom reduction rather than deeper exploration
Prefer staying in your head rather than engaging emotionally

Getting Started

If Gestalt therapy intrigues you, consider:

Finding a therapist who integrates Gestalt (even if it's not exclusively Gestalt)
Trying a few sessions to see how it feels
Reading introductory texts (Frederick Perls' "Gestalt Therapy Verbatim" or Gary Yontef's "Awareness, Dialogue and Process")
Attending a Gestalt workshop or group to experience it

Final Thoughts

Gestalt therapy asks: What are you aware of right now? How are you being? What wants to emerge?

These simple questions can be profoundly difficult and deeply transformative.

In a culture that encourages distraction, overthinking, and disconnection from our bodies, Gestalt offers something radical: full presence. Contact with yourself and others. Integration of all the parts of you that you've split off or denied.

It won't suit everyone. It's not a quick fix. But for those seeking deeper self-understanding and more authentic living, Gestalt's focus on here-and-now awareness can be genuinely life-changing.

The work isn't about becoming someone new. It's about becoming more fully, authentically, wholly yourself—the you who's been waiting beneath all the "shoulds" and defences and stories.

And that work always begins in this moment, right now.

About the Author: The Kicks Therapy content team provides accessible information about different therapeutic approaches. Our practice integrates Person-Centred, Gestalt, and Transactional Analysis methods, tailoring the approach to what serves you best.

Curious about experiencing Gestalt therapy? Book a consultation in Fulham (SW6) or online to discuss whether this experiential, awareness-focused approach might help you. £80 per session, with block discounts available.

What is Gestalt Therapy? A Guide to the Here-and-Now Approach