Gestalt Therapy Research: Developing a Phenomenological, Aesthetic, Field-Oriented Approach

Abstract

The author proposes a frame of reference for Gestalt therapists who want to do research from a field perspective. She outlines fundamental aspects of phenomenological research that includes aesthetics of contact and the relational therapeutic approach. Ethical aspects of Gestalt therapy research, from the need of outcome research to the responsibility to show what we do in our practice, are described, in support of the discovery of new territories to advance our humanity. Two examples are offered: research on the construct of aesthetic relational knowing (ARK) to explore therapeutic intuition and responsiveness from a Gestalt viewpoint, and research to describe the process of change in the dyad therapist/client, seen as a “dance” of reciprocal, intentional movements that draws on attachment learnings.