Stop Imagining And Experience Reality: Character Therapy

Imagination opens the door to a fantasy world, but it also takes us away from reality and takes us away from the present moment. The creator of character therapy (Gestalt therapy), Fritz Perls, talks about how this treatment urges us to live in the moment. We can do this by letting go of our future assumptions.

We can live in modern times only by keeping our feet on the ground. Other things, no matter how important their consequences may be, are not happening now.

Character therapy belongs to humanistic psychology, which sees man as a global being. As one who has a mind, emotions, and body that together form a whole. This type of treatment helps people take responsibility for what happens to them and promotes their personal growth. Psychotherapy extends beyond clinical practice and real life.

Influenced by character therapy

This style of psychotherapy was created in the 50s by psychiatrist and physician Fritz Perls. He combined his approach with the studies of his wife, psychologist Laura Perls. It included the principles of character psychology, which included concepts such as character and background, to create a new special therapy.

Character therapy strongly emphasizes the concept of the individual as a whole. According to Perls, man naturally seeks to complete his existence, although the character may be imperfect and repeat previous problems without allowing new ones to emerge.

Some of the factors that influenced character therapy were: psychoanalysis, which examined defense mechanisms; Eastern religions such as Buddhism; existential philosophy; phenomenology; theater; psychodrama and much more. Writers like Paul Goodman and Isadore also did their part. They have focused on going beyond therapy and expanding it into different social and personal areas.

What is character therapy?

Character therapy is an approach that focuses on each person’s potential. It sees an individual’s own resources and ability to self-regulate. It is a therapeutic approach that focuses more on progress than content. The therapist does not usually ask “why?” and instead asks “how?”. The idea is to understand the process, not necessarily the causes of the behavior.

Gestalt theory pays a lot of attention to subjective physical sensations and emotions, trying to help open up the questions a person is working on. This approach shares a lot of conscious presence practices because it encourages people to accept the event instead of pushing it out.

In addition, one of the key concepts is insight or “consciousness” It means present consciousness. It brings spontaneity ahead of control. Living through it instead of avoiding and opposing it. For example, if you feel an emotion, character therapy may encourage its expression instead of being kept “pressed”.

Basic concepts of character therapy

The main goal in character therapy is to help people help themselves better and be more aware of the responsibility they have for their own mental well-being. For this purpose, certain important concepts are used. They are:

Realization

Awareness is an important step. A person needs to see how he thinks, feels and acts in certain circumstances. When these three axes are not aligned, significant discomfort occurs. Current conditions can only be changed through consciousness.

“Here and now”

In character therapy, the present is understood only as the only possible condition because it is lived “completely”. Thus, if the Therapist and the client are working on something from the past, they will approach it as if it were happening in the present.

For example, if a person has been bullied in the past, the Therapist will ask them to explain the experience as if it were happening right now. By doing this, the Therapist allows them to remember past feelings and work on them in the here and now.

Responsibility

The therapist urges the client to take responsibility for their behavior, thoughts, and feelings, even if they are negative. Taking responsibility gives you more freedom and independence. This will allow them to better accept their own mistakes and learn from them. One example that is used a lot is that a person speaks in the first person and has his or her own words.

What is the role of a character therapist?

A character psychotherapist walks alongside a person or client (usually the word patient is not used because the person is seen as an active participant). The therapist facilitates the growth process. In this approach, the therapeutic relationship is horizontal, i.e., the Therapist knows no more than the client.

A psychotherapist will only facilitate the process. He does not give advice but helps the person to find the necessary skills so that he can control himself and become stronger. This way, the person is an “expert” in their own life and no one else can tell him or her what to do. So responsibility is given back to the customer and personal autonomy is respected.

In short, the goal of character therapy is to facilitate the process by which the client can take responsibility for their own feelings and accept the “cost” of life. Honesty, openness and the present are the core values ​​of character therapy.

Source list:

Peñarrubia, F. (1998). Therapy Gestalt: La via del vacío fertil. Alianza Editorial.

Martorell, JL. (2008). Psychotherapy. Ediciones Pirámide.

Latner, Joel (1994). Fundamentos de la Gestalt. Cuatro Vientos.