Spirituality and Therapy

• Children, Sages and Clowns...Spiritual Experience and Gestalt Therapy by Brian O'Neill, 4/26/97
  • (...)
    
    • Beauty, Spirituality, and Gestalt Theory by J. Richard White, 5/1/97
      
      

Richard, I don't think the belief in any higher power is necessary nor sufficient to practice top shelf therapy. In addition, I believe that a therapist who does believe in a higher power has to be vigilent in order to avoid having his/her spirituality interfere or conflict with the application of therapeutic technique. So,basically, one's spirituality or religion is irrelevent to the practice of any contemporary therapy. On this we definitely agree. ..........As you said Gestalt is areligious. Sort of an Agnostic body of thought. Thus, it is fair game to introduce the belief of a higher power into it's (Gestalts) major tenents or refrain from doing so. I think for the sake of good dialogue both perspectives are of use more or less representing two different sides of the same coin. In summary, I think that Gestalt would not deny the existence of a higher power nor confirm the existence of a higher power but ,rather, simply choose not to address the issue of a higher p[ower(choose not to choose)..........Ed

.........PS. My favorite contempory poets are Elvis Costello and Mick Jagger. Keats,Byron and Shelly go without saying (oops).

• Spirituality and Therapy: Part Deux by J. Richard White, 5/4/97
  • Reply to Richard by Brian O'Neill, 5/5/97