The experiment: fundamental to contemporary Gestalt therapy. A creative adventure and a way in which clients can express themselves behaviorally. Spontaneous, one-of-a -kind, and relevant to a particular moment and development of a figure formation process. An attitude inherent in ALL Gestalt therapy, collaborative process with the full-participation of the client.
Internal dialogue exercise:
The 'top dog' (righteous, authoritarian, moralistic, demanding, bossy, 'critical parent') vs.
The 'underdog' plays role of victim by being defensive, apologetic, helpless and weak by feigning powerlessness (the passive side, without responsibility, that finds excuses - he disobedient child)
ENGAGED in a constant struggle for control.
Rehearsal exercise:
When it comes to the performance,
we experience stage fright, or anxiety, because we fear that we will not play our
role well. Internal rehearsal consumes much energy and frequently inhibits
our spontaneity and willingness to experiment with new behavior
Reversal technique;
clients take the plunge
into the very thing that is fraught with anxiety and make contact with those
parts of themselves that have been submerged and denied
Exaggeration exercise:
exaggerate the movement or gesture repeatedly, which usually intensifi
es the feeling attached to the behavior and makes the inner meaning
clearer. Some examples of behaviors that lend themselves to the exaggeration
technique are trembling (shaking hands, legs), slouched posture and bent
shoulders, clenched fi sts, tight frowning, facial grimacing, crossed arms,
Staying with the feeling:
willingness to endure the
pain necessary for unblocking and making way for newer levels of growth.
the therapist may urge clients to stay with their feeling and encourage them to go
deeper into the feeling or behavior they wish to avoid.
Making the rounds:
Gestalt exercise that involves
asking a person in a group to go up to others in the group and either speak to or do something with each person. The purpose is to confront, to risk,
to disclose the self, to experiment with new behavior, and to grow and change. I
have experimented with "making the rounds.
Dream work:
bring dreams back to life
and relive them as though they were happening now. The dream is acted out
in the present, and the dreamer becomes a part of his or her dream
Empty Chair: Externalizing the introject. Using one chair as the top dog and other as the underdog, client plays both sides.
