History of Gestalt

The goal of Gestalt therapy is the development of an awareness of feelings and actions as they exist in the present and the ability to distinguish these from feelings and thoughts carried over from the past.

Beginnings

• Fritz and Laura Perls developed Gestalt therapy in the 1940s. In 1932, the couple met in Frankfurt while he was training as a psychoanalyst with Wilhelm Reich and she was studying psychology. Both were influenced by the theories of phenomenology and existentialism that excited many European intellectuals in the 1930s.

The Development of Gestalt in America

• In 1951, the term "Gestalt therapy" first appeared with the publication of a book of that title by Fritz Perls. In the same period, Fritz and Laura Perls founded the New York Institute for Gestalt Therapy in their apartment. Here they held workshops and seminars for their students. In 1960, the Perls moved to California, and in 1964, the Esalen Institute offered the first Gestalt therapy training workshops.

Gestalt Today

• Gestalt became an accepted psychotherapy practice in the 1970s. Today, there are some 62 Gestalt therapy institutes worldwide. Each institute has its own practitioner training methods, as Gestalt therapy does not have a central organization controlling training standards.