Young readers may be very unfamiliar with the "Gestalt therapy" that is about to be discussed, and may find it very strange. What is "Gestalt"? Is it the name of an ancient pagoda of some historic site? Or is it some kind of tower "format"? You guessed wrong! This has nothing to do with "tower".

1. The concept of "Gestalt therapy"

"Gestalt" is a transliteration. There is a famous school of modern Western psychology called "Gestalt Psychology", or "Gestalt Psychology", because the original meaning of "Gestalt" is "Gestalt", "Style" or "Structure" and "Organization". " means. You may ask a question: Why is "mysterious" not called "Gestalt"? Why not just translate it into "Gestalt"? This is not a "mysterious" thing, because the word "Gestalt" has been "conventional" in Chinese psychology and has been used for a long time. Moreover, the more "weird" it makes people feel, the more impressive it will be and the more memorable it will be, don't you think?

Gestalt psychology is a relatively new school of psychology. It is influenced by the development of modern physics, especially the theory of physical "fields" (such as magnetic fields, electric fields, gravitational fields, etc.) in modern physics.

The basic theory of Gestalt psychology believes that human beings are a complete unity, and that all psychological activities and personality, including people's thoughts and feelings, are complete, regular, and in appropriate proportions. It also believes that the human brain is not a passive recipient, it is capable of active activities. Why can the human brain act actively? This is because the human brain is a fixed gestalt "brain field", and this "brain field" has "innate dynamic characteristics." Therefore, whether people perceive or adapt to external stimuli, all psychological activities will become the overall Gestalt trend.

However, Gestalt psychology is not a perfect theory. Its biggest shortcoming is that it regards "gestalt" as an innate characteristic of the brain, separates the content of psychological phenomena from the external world, and is divorced from people's life practice and the interaction between people and the social environment. Therefore, Gestalt psychotherapy, which is created based on the principles of Gestalt psychology, is a bit like sitting quietly with your eyes closed and practicing self-cultivation.

However, the purpose of adopting this psychological method that has been proven to be effective is to prevent us from developing mental illness and to help us better maintain mental health and thus better adapt to the surrounding environment. It can even transform the surrounding environment, so there is no need to completely "criticize" it like "choking and abandoning food". The creation and development of the theoretical propositions of any school are the crystallization of the wisdom of all mankind. If they can continue to exist, continue to this day, and continue to develop, they still have their merits. As long as it is beneficial and useful to us, we might as well try it out.

"Gestalt Therapy" was founded by Dr. Frederick S. Perls, an American psychiatrist. According to Perls's most concise explanation, "Gestalt therapy" and "biofeedback therapy" are all about self-awareness. However, the biofeedback method is one's own self-awareness of one's own blood pressure, one's own awareness of the temperature of one's own skin, and one's own awareness of the potential of one's own muscles. Gestalt therapy is more extensive than biofeedback and is based on one's own awareness of one's own illness. In other words, awareness, understanding and awareness of what you are doing. It can be said that it is a self-cultivation method of self-treatment.

2. The 9 principles of Gestalt therapy

Gestalt therapy has "9 principles". These nine principles were originally proposed by Perls, and are now introduced as follows:

1. "Live in the present"

Don't always think about tomorrow, and don't always think about tomorrow. It means regretting what happened yesterday and focusing your energy on what you want to do today. Remember, you are living in the here and now, not tomorrow and yesterday. Regret, remorse, guilt and sadness cannot change the past, they will only make it difficult to carry out the current work; worrying about the future is a useless emotion.

2. "Living here"

Think of you living here now. There is no use thinking about what is happening in the distance. It is useless to worry about the future; to be anxious and restless will not help matters. Remember, you are living here and now, not somewhere else far away.

3. "Stop guessing and face reality"

You may have encountered such a situation, such as in your work unit, when you meet your boss or colleague, you I greeted them, but they didn't respond, not even a smile. If you continue to think about this, you will wonder in your heart: Why do they treat you like this? Does this person have any opinions about himself? Are you wary of yourself? Do you despise yourself? Do you even think that he is hostile to me? In fact, you may not have expected that the person you are greeting may be preoccupied and in a bad mood. He may be thinking about what happened at home or something unpleasant, and may not pay attention to you greeting him. So don't let your imagination run wild just because he doesn't respond to your greeting.

It is meaningless to make random guesses.

Many psychological disputes and obstacles are often caused by "taken for granted" that one has no actual basis for. Don't bother yourself!

4. "Stop thinking and feel more"

Modern society requires people to think more and feel less. What people are busy thinking about all day long is how to do a good job, how to get good grades in exams, how to have a good relationship with leaders and colleagues, etc. We rack our brains and use up our brain power, so we tend to neglect or have no intention to enjoy the beautiful scenery, listen to the pleasant music, etc. One of the characteristics of Gestalt therapy is that it emphasizes "feeling" as the basis of thinking, which is more important than thinking itself. Without feelings, there is no way to think; feelings can adjust and enrich your thinking. Moreover, a person is not a computer after all, and cannot be there day and night calculating endlessly. People are not machines. People need to use feelings to nourish their hearts.

Intuitive thinking is a very valuable psychological quality of human beings. However, because people now place too much emphasis on logical thinking, intuitive thinking is often ignored. The terrible consequence would be to turn people into emotionless machines.

5. "Also bring in unpleasant emotions"

People usually want to have happy emotions such as joy, but are not willing to accept those melancholy, sad, desolate, etc. Unpleasant emotions. But this is not the correct attitude, because when there is happiness, there will inevitably be sadness; on the contrary, when there is sadness, there will also be happiness. Pleasure and unhappiness are not only relative, but also exist and transform each other. Therefore, the correct attitude is: first, you should realize that there are both pleasant and unpleasant emotions; second, you must be mentally prepared to accept both pleasant emotions and unpleasant emotions.

If a person is always happy and excited for many years, it is abnormal, and he may be suffering from mania.

6. "Don't judge first, express your opinion first"

People tend to jump to conclusions immediately when others make slight mistakes or failures, and ridicule others for their poor ability or " Stupid" etc. Many times, this is not the case because people's judgments are often wrong. Therefore, your task is first to fully express your feelings or emotions and fully express your opinions.

Gestalt therapy believes that the correct attitude towards others and the correct way to deal with interpersonal relationships should be. Don't judge first, first talk about what you think. By doing this, you can prevent and avoid unnecessary friction, contradictions, and conflicts with others, and you can also avoid unnecessary troubles and anguish yourself.

7. "Don't blindly worship idols and authority."

For example, it is not good to establish a religious ancestor or become a fanatical believer in any sect. In a modern society, emerging religions are most likely to have some kind of patriarch. The believers regard his words and deeds as "golden words" and believe in him and abide by him fanatically and unconditionally. In modern society, there are many disguised authorities and idols, which can imprison your mind and constrain your hands and feet, such as academic qualifications, qualifications, etc. Gestalt therapy takes a negative attitude towards all of these.

We should not blindly agree with public opinions, thereby losing the habit of independent thinking, nor should we submit to others unprincipled, thereby being deprived of the ability to act independently.

8. "I am who I am"

Don't say anything: It would be great if I were so-and-so, if I were so-and-so, I would definitely succeed, etc. You should start from your own starting point and work hard to fully realize your potential. There is no need to blame others, nor do you have to have wild imaginations. You must be down-to-earth, start from me, start from now, do your best to develop your potential and do what you can do. The final goal and belief should be: "I am myself", to compare, learn, catch up and surpass myself.

This eighth principle of Gestalt psychotherapy reminds people of the respected old monk in the Japanese TV series "Zi Sanshiro". He has repeatedly taught a generation of martial arts master Zi Sanshiro: "Understanding is at your feet!" We can understand this philosophical motto of the old monk as: You are yourself, and you should start from me in a down-to-earth manner. Get rid of all kinds of worries, worries, jealousies, envy and other unnecessary worries, face the wall and practice hard, and you will eventually succeed.

9. "Be responsible for yourself"

People tend to avoid responsibility easily. For example, if your test scores are not good, you will blame your failure on your family environment or school; if your job is not good, you will blame your failure on poor leadership, poor conditions, etc. Push your own faults and failures to objective reasons. An important principle of Gestalt therapy is to ask yourself to take responsibility for things you do and to be responsible for yourself.