Phenomenology | A Gestalt Psychotherapy Pillar
Exploring One of the Four Pillars of Gestalt Therapy
One of the things I’ve come to appreciate about Gestalt Psychotherapy is that we don’t always need to work everything out. Sometimes, simply noticing what’s happening can tell us more than hours of analysing it.
Gestalt therapy is built around four key pillars:
Phenomenology: Becoming curious about our experience without immediately judging or interpreting it.
Dialogue: The genuine relationship and connection between therapist and client.
Field Theory: Recognising how our relationships, environment and experiences influence us.
Experimentation: Exploring new ways of responding through experiences in therapy.
Today, I want to focus on phenomenology, which is something I use regularly in my work.
What Is Phenomenology?
It’s a complicated word for something quite simple.
Phenomenology is about noticing what’s happening for us in the present moment.
For example, you might be telling me about an argument with your partner. You’re explaining what happened, what was said and who did what.
But I might notice your shoulders tightening or your breathing changing.
Rather than continuing to analyse the argument, I might ask:
What’s happening for you right now as you talk about this?
You might suddenly recognise anger, sadness or anxiety that you hadn’t been aware of.
And that’s where things can get interesting.
What Might I Ask in Therapy?
I’m often curious about things that happen beyond the words someone is saying.
I might ask:
What are you noticing in your body?
What happens when you say that out loud?
I noticed you smiled when talking about something difficult. What’s happening there?
Is that something you know, or something you’re assuming?
Does this feeling seem familiar?
What do you need right now?
I’m not looking for a particular answer, and I’m certainly not assuming I know what you’re experiencing.
We’re simply exploring together.
Why Is This Helpful?
We all develop patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving. Many of these developed for good reasons, but they may no longer be working for us.
Perhaps you automatically say yes to avoid disappointing someone, even when you really want to say no.
Or maybe you become defensive whenever someone questions you.
When we slow down and notice what’s happening, we can begin to recognise these automatic responses.
And once we’re aware of them, we have more opportunity to choose how we respond.
Awareness doesn’t automatically change things, but it gives us somewhere to start.
What I Love About This Approach
My background in nursing, Gestalt and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy has taught me to pay attention to more than just words.
I’m interested in how our thoughts, emotions and bodies interact, and what we might discover when we become curious rather than critical of ourselves.
I also don’t believe therapy needs to be serious all the time. Sometimes recognising our own patterns can be surprisingly funny!
And sometimes the most useful thing we can say is, “I hadn’t noticed that before.”
That’s often where something new begins.
Curious to Know More?
I’m Cath Sully, a psychotherapist, counsellor, Registered Nurse and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy practitioner at Terra Soul Therapies.
If you’ve tried therapy before but still feel stuck, perhaps exploring things differently could be helpful.
I offer Gestalt and body-based psychotherapy in Albion, Brisbane, and online across Australia.
If you’d like to know more, you’re welcome to reach out.
Helping you create a life that works for you.
Next in this series: Dialogue, another pillar of Gestalt therapy, and why the relationship between you and your therapist matters.
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Phenomenology | A Gestalt Psychotherapy Pillar
What If You Didn’t Have to Figure Everything Out?
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