Gestalt Therapy

If you’ve ever looked at clouds and suddenly seen a dog, a dragon, or your favourite celebrity, you already get the basic idea of Gestalt. Gestalt (a German word that doesn’t have a direct translation but can be interrupted as “shape” or “overall pattern”) is all about how your mind loves to organise things into a bigger picture. Instead of noticing tiny details one by one, your brain tends to go, “Oh! I know what this is!” and turns random shapes into something meaningful, even when it’s not really there.

This very human quirk eventually evolved into Gestalt psychology, and from there into Gestalt therapy an experiential approach that aims to help you become more aware of your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours in the present moment. 

So, let’s unpack everything, including the famous Gestalt principles of perception, the work of Fritz Perls, the goals and limitations of Gestalt therapy, what actually happens in a session, and how it differs from other types of therapy.

And, of course, whether it might be right for you because therapy isn’t one-size-fits-all.

A Quick Origin Story: From Gestalt Psychology to Gestalt Therapy

Before Gestalt therapy was a thing, the early 20th-century Gestalt psychologists were busy asking important questions such as, “Why do humans see patterns where none exist?” and “Why is that triangle still a triangle even if half of it is missing?”

These researchers, Max Wertheimer, Kurt Koffka, Wolfgang Köhler, and others founded Gestalt psychology, which focuses on perception and the idea that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” This concept, gestaltism, eventually influenced many fields including art, design, cognitive psychology, and psychotherapy.

Fritz Perls, his wife Laura Perls, and later Paul Goodman blended Gestalt psychology with existentialism, humanistic psychology, Zen philosophy, and their own energetic personalities to create Gestalt therapy, a distinctive, creative, sometimes dramatic type of gestalt psychotherapy that emphasises awareness, presence, and personal responsibility.

What Is Gestalt Therapy? 

Here’s the short answer: Gestalt therapy is a present-focused, experiential approach that helps people become more aware of what they’re feeling, thinking, and doing right now.

Here’s the slightly longer one: Gestalt therapy encourages you to stop operating on autopilot and start noticing what’s actually happening in your inner and outer world. Instead of analysing your past for months before doing anything practical, it asks:

• What are you feeling in this moment?

• What are you doing with your body?

• What thoughts or impulses show up when you talk about something difficult?

• What do you want, and what gets in the way of asking for it?

A Gestalt therapist doesn’t sit silently and nod. They’re engaged, curious, and often invite you to try small, structured experiments called Gestalt therapy techniques or interventions. You won’t just talk about your life, you’ll experience aspects of it with more awareness.

The Gestalt Approach: Awareness, Presence, and Choice

If you want to understand Gestalt theory as it applies to therapy, there are three major pillars:

1. Awareness

You cannot change what you are unaware of.  This is the foundation of the Gestalt approach. In therapy, you’ll often pause to observe your breathing, posture, or emotional shifts as you speak.

2. Here and Now

Gestalt therapy is famously anchored in the present moment. You may talk about past events, but the emphasis is on how they show up now - in your emotions, voice tone, or bodily sensations.

3. Responsibility and Choice

You’re encouraged to own your feelings, needs, and decisions rather than assigning them to “circumstances,” “people,” or “the universe doing its thing.”

These three principles form the backbone of Gestalt therapy’s goals and strategies helping you develop more authentic contact with yourself, others, and the world.

What Actually Happens in Gestalt Therapy? (Examples Included)

Every Gestalt psychotherapist works a little differently, but here are common things you may encounter.

The Dialogue

Gestalt therapy sessions feel conversational, but they’re not random chats about your week. The therapist may draw attention to your expressions, or ask questions like:

• “What are you noticing in your body right now?”

• “Say that sentence again, but slower.”

• “What are you avoiding saying?”

This isn’t to annoy you (usually). It’s to help you stop glossing over important experiences.

The Empty Chair Technique

Probably the most famous Gestalt technique, this involves speaking to an empty chair as though someone were sitting in it your partner, your boss, your fear, your younger self, or even your procrastination habit.

It sounds strange but is shockingly effective for getting emotion moving.

Experiments

A Gestalt therapist might invite you to:

• change seats

• role-play a conversation

• exaggerate a gesture to explore its meaning

• speak from different “parts” of yourself

• track physical sensations

These experiments aren’t gimmicks. They help you access insight not just through your thoughts but through your entire experience.

Awareness Work

This includes noticing your breathing, tone, posture, and what you feel as you speak. Instead of intellectualising (“I felt sad last week”), you’re invited to experience the emotion in real time (“I feel heaviness in my chest right now as I talk about it”).

How Gestalt Therapy Differs From Other Therapies

Gestalt therapy stands out in several ways:

It’s experiential, not just analytical.

You won’t only talk about feelings, you’ll explore how they show up physically and emotionally in the moment.

It focuses heavily on present experience.

Where psychodynamic therapy might explore childhood patterns, Gestalt starts with: “What are you aware of right now?”

It encourages experimentation.

You’re not stuck sitting on a couch for 50 minutes. You may stand up, move, role-play, or interact with objects.

The therapist is active and relational.

You won’t get a silent, blank-faced clinician. Gestalt therapists engage openly and invite contact.

It emphasises personal responsibility.

Not in a blame-y way more like helping you see where you have power, choice, and agency.

Think of it as the difference between reading about swimming versus actually getting in the water.

The Gestalt Principles of Perception

These are the rules your brain uses to make sense of the world. They come from Gestalt psychology and include:

• Closure (your brain fills in missing information)

• Figure-Ground (you focus on one thing while everything else fades into the background)

• Similarity (you group similar things together)

• Proximity (things near each other seem related)

• Continuity (your brain loves smooth patterns and resists randomness)

Gestalt therapists borrow these ideas metaphorically, helping you recognise which parts of your emotional life are “figure” and which fade into the “background”.

Who Is Gestalt Therapy For?

Gestalt therapy is often a great fit if you:

• want to understand yourself more deeply

• struggle to stay present

• feel disconnected from your emotions

• have trouble expressing needs or setting boundaries

• live mostly in your head

• repeat unhelpful relationship patterns

• want an experiential, active therapy style

It can be especially helpful for anxiety, depression, emotional numbness, relationship issues, burnout, and general self-development.

You don’t need a dramatic life crisis to benefit from Gestalt therapy. It’s excellent for curious people who want a deeper sense of themselves.

When Should You Consider Gestalt Therapy?

You might look into it if you often say things like:

• “I don’t know what I feel.”

• “I feel disconnected from myself.”

• “I’m always in my head.”

• “I want to change, but I feel stuck.”

• “I keep repeating the same patterns with people.”

Or if you want therapy that feels alive, not passive.

Gestalt Therapy Pros and Cons

Like every method, Gestalt therapy has strengths and limitations.

Pros

• It increases self-awareness quickly

• It’s active and engaging

• It can help you break long-standing patterns

• It strengthens emotional expression

• It improves communication and authenticity

• It’s adaptable to many issues

Cons

• It can feel intense if you dislike emotional depth

• It may be less structured than cognitive-based therapies

• It’s not always ideal for people who prefer a logical, step-by-step approach

• Some experiments can feel unusual if you’re new to therapy

A good gestalt psychotherapist will adjust the pace so you’re never overwhelmed.

Limitations of Gestalt Therapy (Realistically Speaking)

Gestalt therapy is powerful, but not the perfect fit for every situation. For example, people needing highly directive treatment, detailed behavioural plans, or trauma stabilisation might benefit from integrating other approaches. Gestalt therapy can still be used just often in combination with supportive interventions.

It’s also worth noting that Fritz Perls himself was a… colourful figure. His bold style influenced the field but doesn’t represent how modern Gestalt therapists work today. 

Is Gestalt Therapy Right for You?

Ask yourself:

• Do I want a therapy that feels interactive?

• Am I open to trying small experiments during sessions?

• Do I want to understand my emotions better?

• Does talking about the past feel helpful, but not enough?

• Do I want a therapist who’s actively engaged?

If yes, Gestalt therapy may be exactly what you’re looking for.

If you’re unsure, think of this approach as a blend of emotional awareness, mindfulness, practical exploration, and deep interpersonal connection. It helps you understand how you block your needs, feelings, or authenticity and how to stop doing that.

How a Gestalt Therapist Works Today

Modern Gestalt therapists are gentle, respectful, and highly trained in relational psychotherapy. They won’t force dramatic techniques on you, and they certainly won’t shame or interrogate you like the caricatures of old-school Gestalt encounters.

Instead, they’ll focus on:

• attuning to your emotional rhythms

• helping you notice subtle patterns

• strengthening your capacity to stay present

• exploring unfinished emotional business safely

• encouraging authentic expression

Gestalt Therapy in a Nutshell 

If we compress everything into one sentence:

Gestalt therapy is an experiential, present-centered, awareness-based psychotherapy that helps people understand themselves more fully and live with greater authenticity, connection, and choice.

But thankfully, therapy is more interesting than a nutshell.

Exploring Gestalt at Your Own Pace With Pleso Therapy

If you’re curious about the Gestalt approach, want to try classic Gestalt techniques, or simply want a more experiential way to understand yourself, our fully qualified, verified therapists are experienced in a wide range of techniques, our Gestalt therapists and counsellors can guide you.

Pleso therapists draw from Gestalt therapy, humanistic methods, and modern relational interventions to help you develop real self-awareness, work through emotional blocks, and build healthier ways of relating to yourself and others. If you're considering online therapy, our matching tool will help you find the best professional based on your needs so you can explore a whole range of approaches with someone supportive, experienced, and genuinely human.