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Counselling, Psychotherapy and Community Voice |
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Illawarra Gestalt Centre |
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PHILOSOPHY - Behaviourism Most experiments have one thing in common- they ask the client to express something behaviourally rather than merely cognitise an experience internally The long range purpose of the experiment is to increase the client’s range of awareness and self understanding to expand his freedom to act effectively within his environment and to broaden his repertoire of behaviours in a variety of life situations Through experiment in the safety of the therapeutic setting, the client can try out variation of non-verbal and verbal behaviours. In doing this he can practise different ways of interacting with significant others and can get new perspectives on both current and important situations in the past. Within the context of the therapeutic relationship the client has the luxury of exploring without having to live with the negative consequences which might ensue if he tried out these behaviours in his everyday life.
PRINCIPLE - Experiment Ÿ Derived from word “experiri” (to try- Latin) as does the word experience Ÿ An experiment is a trial or special observation made to confirm or disapprove something doubtful. An act or operation undertaken in order to discover some unknown principle or effect. To test, establish or illustrate some suggested or known truth, practical test, or proof. Ÿ An experiment enables the client to be more himself- to voice statements that elsewhere he could only think Ÿ Through experiment the client is mobilised to confront the emergencies of his life by playing out his aborted feelings and actions in relative safety
PRACTICE - What and How The experiment is the cornerstone of experiential learning. It transforms talking about into doing Ÿ The client begins with “what is” in order to come into contact with “what could be “. Ÿ The purpose of experiments are to expand and deepen the client’s self awareness and to sharpen his awareness of his situation and it’s possibilities Ÿ These experiments bring the client into liveliness and more vivid contact with his on-going experience and begins to see many of its implications and connections Ÿ Experiments are most useful when the presenting problems are fixed gestalts or creative adjustments that are no longer appropriate Ÿ Experimenting is a way of loosening the fixed process expanding choice and possibility ; heightening awareness; to express what is unexpressed; explore new ways of being and behaving; to rehearse and practise options for new behaviour and to be able to complete unfinished business Ÿ Two of the major directions of an experiment are to exaggerate or reverse the behaviour, which has the effect of freeing the fixedness of frozen gestalts Ÿ Two other directions that are useful for an experiment are repetition and re-formulation |