When Is Gestalt Therapy Used?
Historically, Gestalt therapy has been used to help people manage mental health concerns like depression, anxiety, and trauma. However, the overarching goal of Gestalt therapy, which is to increase self-awareness, has limitless value in essentially every aspect of the human experience.
Every single person, whether in recovery or not, holds on to inaccurate perceptions of past events. In some cases, distorted perceptions of the past define our current reality. Substance use disorders may be an attempt for people to reconcile what “should have been” with what “is.”
For example, someone who “should have been” a well-adjusted, financially secure adult if not for the past actions of someone else, may wind up using drugs or alcohol as a way to avoid developing a comprehensive awareness of their own role in who they are today. This is an oversimplification and will not apply to everybody, but it gives an example of where Gestalt therapy may be used in a rehab setting.
It is important to underscore that Gestalt therapy does not require that someone assume responsibility for past traumas; rather, Gestalt therapy asks that they become aware of how their reaction to past traumas has inhibited their growth and development and continues to negatively impact their life.
Goals of Gestalt Therapy
The basic goal of Gestalt therapy is to help people gain self-awareness in order to improve their reality. There are several techniques that are used to achieve this goal.
Applying Gestalt Therapy to Addiction Recovery
Addiction recovery requires increasing levels of self-awareness in order to appreciate the negative impact of substance use. Gestalt therapy has demonstrated efficacy in promoting self-awareness and allowing healing from events in the past, which can help people reduce their psychological dependence on substance use.