Gestaltherapy Has Theory, But Still Consensually Poor, Compared With Its Philosophical Foundations, Actitudes, Culture and History.

• Mission Statement by Brian O'Neill, 10/31/96
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    • Say What-Ever. by Philip Brownell, 3/2/97
      
      

Very far from my intention to minimalize GT. For me GT is great and creative. I’d be somehow crazy intenting to do this here! *I didn’t* "assert that Gestaltherapy has no basis in theory" or that "Gestaltherapy has no theory". These are’t my words or ideas!! I just say that GT consensual theory is poor, mainly compared with its philosophical foundantions in phenomenology, existentialism and dialogic philosophy of relation. GT might draw much more from this sources. As I said in the last message *"I don’t minimize the worth of some of the contemporary theoretical productions of gestaltherapists"*. But this don’t means that GT has a consensual body of theory compatible with the actual possibilities of its good practice, much more rooted in the values and actitudes that come from those foundations. I think that we are near an even bigger transformations in the theorethical perspectives and conceptions not only of GT, but of psychotherapy itself. It is not the time, I think, to abandon those foundations, but the time to go deeper and deeper in them, because we need and will need some new teorethical work, and those foundations keep as a good as they seemed before, and sometimes icredibly unknown or distorted among some gestaltherapists. There is the old zen idea that the wise man points to the moon, and the silly man looks at the finger. I think that Fritz and some of his time pointed the moon, and some argument that tend to exclude or minimalize his portion from nowdays GT looks like the man that looks at his finger and say that it is dirty or ugly... It is not necessary to deny or minimalize Fritz portion in GT to be essentially respectfull to the work of those who produce GT theory today. VIVA the multiplicity!! And I hope there is some space for Fritz, even that historically understood. I think that is quite worth to get close of Gestalt Theory, keep learning with them and maybe contribute to their learning. GT never will pay its bill with Gestalt Theory. But Fritz existential criticism to Gestalt Theory in the existential perspective of psychotherapy keeps, I think, as valid today as it was in his time. I apologize for have mentioned the issue of the three times posting as it was uintentional and also for any possibility of miunderstanding in my words. I hope it had become more clear. :-)

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