Psychiatr. praxi 2019; 20(1): 40-43 | DOI: 10.36290/psy.2019.010

Working with dissociation in Gestalt therapy

PhDr. Petra Kasalová, prof. MUDr. Ján Praško, CSc.

Klinika psychiatrie FN a LF UP Olomouc

In Gestalt therapy, we look at the function of the patient’s symptoms, trying to explore the way he/she participates in maintaining them. We also try to identify what can be done differently and how it can be done. The therapist uses a dialogue, therapeutic relationship, and experiment in an attempt to bring the patient more in touch with his/her problems and to understand what he or she needs. Gestalt therapy is not intended to change the patient; the therapist’s role is to help the patient to realize what he/she needs. Gestalt therapy focuses on increasing the patient’s awareness and integrating unconscious and neglected experiences, thoughts, and actions into his/ her consciousness. It is this phenomenon that plays an important role in dissociative disorders. Patients not only are unaware of them, but they cannot integrate them into their experiences and they are not able to work on a real basis of their problems. The article presents examples of working with a patient whose chief complaint was problems with body shaking and walking. All the techniques were performed during group psychotherapy sessions.

Keywords: gestalt therapy, experiment, dissociation, needs, internal conflict

Published: April 5, 2019  Show citation