Gestalt therapy is a body-based approach to counseling that offers mindful attunement to the here and now. As the first approach to counseling that honored the wisdom of the inner mind-body connection, gestalt is a highly intuitive system of psychotherapy. Recognizing that we cannot separate our clients into distinct or discrete parts, a gestalt therapist honors the principles of holism, where parts of a whole are viewed as in intimately interconnected. This means that each aspect of a client cannot exist independently of the whole (i.e. the mind is not separate from the body), nor can any aspect of a client be understood without reference to the whole. As such, the whole is regarded as greater than the sum of its parts.
The body houses an intricate network of nerves that comprise the nervous system. These nerves communicate through electrical impulses to various cells, tissues, and organs (like the heart and lungs). When we ignore the body in psychotherapy, we ignore the inherent intelligence of the nervous system and bypass the healing potential of the intuitive wisdom of the body. With the belief that a client’s soul knows what it is they need to heal, the gestalt therapist honors the client’s body sensations as an expression of their vital force. Listening to any barriers to vitality, we gain understanding of the way unfinished business from the past inhibits the client from living in alignment with their true nature.
As we listen to the meaning making of the client’s mind, we pay attention to their expression. Their emotional, physical, and subtle energy expressions are attuned to with great care. Throughout the session, we weave in awareness continuum questions, which are present moment, open questions that begin with what or how. Frequently, the awareness continuum invites the client to notice their body as they share their story or meaning making. For example, “What do you notice in your body as you share that with me?”
There is no right or wrong answer to this question. Some clients may not know how to answer this question. Some clients might go on to talk more about their story. Some clients may tell you they are hungry. Some clients may feel an intense sensation. Any answer or response from the client is information for the therapist about their embodiment, where their attention is getting pulled, how aware they are of their inner movement, how dysregulated they are, and so on.
Over time, a client who works with a body-based psychotherapist will learn to be available for themselves, gain the ability to regulate their nervous system, increase their capacity to listen to their own innate wisdom, and have greater access to their intuition.
Here are 10 reasons why the body is essential in psychotherapeutic practice:
- The body is where nervous system regulation transpires: When we ignore the body, we fail to effectively co-regulate with our clients. When we listen to the body, we learn what the client needs from themselves in order to regulate their nervous system.
- Body sensations are always seated in the present moment: When we ignore the body, we collude with our client’s hyper-identification with their thought-based reality. When we listen to the body, we enter into the infinite wisdom of awareness-based knowing that is accessed in the here and now. The present moment is our home-base in a session, and body sensations always occur in the here and now.
- The body is where awareness is increased: While there are many ways to support a client in increasing awareness, when we ignore the body, awareness is incomplete. For example, if the client is detached from the body or feels numb, we can support them in becoming aware of this. This awareness is necessary to begin to thaw the freeze and heal the pattern.
- Direct experience is where healing occurs: When we ignore the body, we bypass the entry point to therapeutic healing. Clients can and will let go of their thought-based reality when invited into the direct experience of their somatic sensations. It is from this place they will discover the deepest repair and healing.
- The head is part of the body: When a client is verbose, it may seem like the therapist’s job to bring the client into the body. However, this is not the case. The client will naturally and organically arrive in the body when they are contacted and welcomed as they are. Remember, the head is part of the body. Brining attention to the mind, the client can begin to attune to the sensations on their head. This is an access point to the body.
- The body is where embodiment happens: A client will not experience the embodied sense of being alive if their therapist ignores their body. While we do not pull a client into their body, we create openings for them to deepen into contact with themselves over time. We honor whatever the client experiences in relationship to their body as part of their inherent intelligence and innate wisdom.
- The client can/will learn how to be available for themselves/their sensations: As you model the value of listening to the body, the client will learn to value and honor what they feel. Instead of objectifying themselves, they learn to become a secure base for themselves and learn to listen to the wisdom of their body
- When a client has chronic pain, they can learn to be tender with their suffering: Clients who suffer from chronic pain may think about their body a lot, but they may not know how to listen to their body. Listening to the wisdom of the pain is one way to learn to be tender with their suffering. However, it may also be useful to support your clients in looking throughout their body for a place that feels positive or neutral. Learning to orient to different areas of the body can help to shift the relationship to the body and to the pain.
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