Gestalt Ottawa

March 17.2020

Due to our social circumstances we can meet each other
through online media. Of course, this is for public health
safety and continues until the end of March 2020.

This might change according to public health concerns for
extension of office closer or other wise.
As a result, social media such as skype, email or phone
would be the only way of our meeting
and communication as if you wish.

Stay well and healthy
Razi Ghaemmagham Farahani
Gestalt Ottawa

 
An artwork
An artwork would not necessarily be about the result.
It would be a way to express one’s self in broader way
of own thoughts, feelings and emotions. Art is a tool that
would bring out unfinished business of ones or possible
conflict that is tangling around individual along with related
solution.
The focus will be on the process of progress while feelings
are expressed non-verbally and then verbally within descriptive
language to express oneself and its environment.
To be able to recognize self conflict and accepting it within
artwork is feasible than recognizing throughout logic that is
because in art process there is no place for element of resistant
or judgemental attitude by the self or by the therapist and process
of change preferably will create growth.
An artwork elevates new perspectives and perceptions for anyone
who is experiencing difficulties in their lives.
The four age groups that I recognized are differs one by another.
For example:
with children from age 4 to 8 it may be about adaptation,
age 8 to 14 it may be about behavioral issues, with adolescents
it can be about peer pressure and for adult’s anxiety for different matters.
All in art therapy new cope mechanism can be learned to understand
depression, anxieties, PTSD, insecurities, aggression and OCD.
It also can be used against war trauma.
On the practical side of the matter client and I will choose a theme
depending on the participant’s conflict. Individual will learn to express
oneself according to own feeling and sensation that indeed will match
with self’s logic that is when individual states “it makes sense”.
Together we will find out what is the origin of conflict and individual
will find out in own way of solution-oriented understanding of oneself
and contact environment.

Razi Ghaemmagham Farahani
Gestalt Ottawa

March 15.2020

 

 

Happy New Year To All

Jan 1.2020

 

November 12.2019

Perception and memory can be affected
by social condition.
For example: Race, Gender, Culture, Religion,
politics, policies and Language…..

Gestalt Ottawa

 

October 10.2019

I was reading a gestalt therapy book and I read this:

Devil is master of:
Pretentious
Seductive
Deceiving
Promising
Caving
Relentlessly bullying

And his tools are:
Simplification
Manipulation
Distraction
Gestalt Ottawa

 

August 18.2019

Living in dissociative state

Dissociation defined as: Disruption in usually integrated functions of consciousness.

Individual living in such a state is unable to differentiate internal and external source of information. Then most often develop self-split unconsciously. Then as result of divided self, individual is unable to recognize and identify, inner and outer self. The true self will be compromised with self’s alter. Then the self will function in two perspectives, one function as alter and another will function as disturbed and dysfunctional existing self. The, the self acts as it’s altered self, meaning the existence of the self is questionable for the individual.

Beside biological cause of such disorder, researcher believe under beneath of disorder there are comorbidity that are basic complex disturbance in dissociation.

Gestalt Ottawa

 

August 12.2019

Play Therapy

Virginia M. Axline

 

The Eight Basic Principles

 

The basic principles which guide the therapist in all non-directive therapeutic contacts are very simple, but they are great in their possibilities when followed sincerely, and intelligently by the therapist.

The principles are as follows:

1. The therapist must develop a warm, friendly relationship with child, in which good rapport is established as soon as possible
2. The therapist accepts the child exactly as he is.
3. The therapist establishes a feeling of permissiveness in the relationship so that the child feels free to express his feelings completely.
4. The therapist is alert to recognize the feelings the child is expressing and reflects those feelings back to him in such a manner that he gains insight into his behavior
5. The therapist maintains a deep respect for the child’s ability to solve his own problems if given an opportunity to do so. The responsibility to make choices and to institute change is the child’s.
6. The therapist does not attempt to direct the child’s actions or conversation in any manner. The child leads the way; the therapist follows.
7. The therapist does not attempt to hurry the therapy along. It is a gradual process and is recognized as such by the therapist.
8. The therapist establishes only those limitations that are necessary to anchor the therapy to the world of reality and to make the child aware of his responsibility in the relationship.

Gestalt Ottawa

April 14.2019

Laura Perls : Living at the boundary

She wrote: “woman’s so-called “penis envy” has
not much to do with Man’s sexual supremacy,
but- if it exists at all – is an outcome of the same
obsessional attitude that produced the sexual guilt
feelings.
The penis in this context is not a symbol
of sexual superiority, but of everything that is not
sexual, e.g., that is not concerned with the continuation
of the species, but with the development of the individual,
its uniqueness and comparative independence.
But, as the term “penis envy” indicates, the obsessional
sexual interpretation has permeated even the contemporary
psychoanalytical attempts to re-integrate sex into the
human fabric.
Just as once sex was taken as the source of all evil, now it
is regarded as the source of all blessing, the cure-all, and the
repression of sex has become the scapegoat.”
Gestalt Ottawa

 

 April 4.2019

Changes through Art therapy

In working with current life situation, past and future
art therapy is one of none judgemental and fun way of doing it.
Therefore, client would not feel pressure, will have a mental image
of current living condition along with related drawing that would
confirm to client the existing area of conflict.
The second process is client’s desired living condition I which wishes,
needs and wants will be explore by client through drawing.
This is an important step for awareness, realization, comparison,
clear view of existing reality and desired reality.
Involved elements in each stage will be viewed through art of
drawing like blue print of client’s life.
No matter how therapist try bringing client’s attention into existed
conflict, it is always facing with resistance, except in art therapy
such resistance is minimum almost close to none existence one.
Because client sees own creation, compares with own reality and
wishes, desire, need or wants.
There is no interpretation or persuasion from therapist rather client’s
own interpretation and persuasion will kick in.
of course there would be discussion about element none less would be
no leading approach by the therapist.
Matter of fact most often client will lead therapist to conflict zone and
permits for work in that area.

Razi Ghaemmagham Farahani

Gestalt Ottawa

Feb 20. 2019

In Working With Trauma

had been known throughout researches that any traumatic
events have long life affects on individual’s life.
Such negative effects will shape individual’s self-concept negatively.
Individual who experienced traumatic events not only suffers emotionally,
mentally and socially (work, family, friends, relationship, education) yet,
they develop belief system (partially) based on projections of others on them such as:
“not good enough, being failure” and list go on.
In working with an adult regarding such subject, I do believe work starts within
Here and Now.
Most often they experience difficulty at work, or in any other social situation.
For example: “they might experience difficulty with their supervisor,
they might blame other for not being able to socialize with others”.
From my perspective what they need is feel, sense and experience the success
within here and now that is defined by them.
In working within Here and Now, I am guiding to unfold the events from Now
going back Then.
This would help individual to understand and see own abilities at the moment.
I am not going to guide, unfolding past traumatic events in order to deal with recent
conflict based on above explanation.
In terms of triggers that might happen through our work, those triggers must work
periodically.
Each trigger carries subjective and conceptual view of events in the Now and Then.
Of course, not all traumatic events can be deal as I explained.
Please note: Every individual is unique, and their experiences are unique too.

Razi Ghaemmagham Farahani
Gestalt Ottawa

Jan 2 Year 2019
Happy New Year To All Of You

Hoping in this new year, you would have
desired life for you and your family.
2018 has own challenges for me and possibly
for some other people too.
Anyhow this is year 2019 and I and you
certainly are up to challenge another
year to live with healthy mind and body
along with prosperity.
In this new year I wish and hope for everyone,
in everywhere peace and forgiveness towards
others and self.

Gestalt Ottawa

 

 

 

Elements involving learning new skills

No matter what we want to learn requires
steps and process that we must take along
with letting process of learning takes its
place.

It is true that our physiological, biological,
environmental condition, mental stability and
our goal-oriented persistency at the time
determines our success in learning.
However, at this point I am deciding to just
call involved elements in learning.
In learning process what we might consider as
basic and necessary elements are:
Following instruction, emotional learning
ability, attitude and behaviour towards
learning new skills, having or generating
interest, given focal attention, given
necessary or required concentration,
self-discipline, knowing the way of learning,
understanding of existent habit or habits,
memory, Being motivated because of reward and
outcome or just interests, Understanding of
the self, setting expectation and levels of
it according to the self and its abilities,
comprehending learned skills, ability to recall
learned skills from memory, Using creativity,
understanding of learning concept, reducing anxiety
and stress will help to learn with ease, exercise,
practice and repetition is the key for being skillful,
growing knowledge is as result of learning, learned
skill must be perform and ability to perform is part of
learning process, Being able to take risk for correcting
and developing or possibly evolving learned skill, work or
study habit are necessary to maintain.

 December 3.2018

Gestalt Ottawa

Hypnosis and Habit disorder
JUDSON B. REANEY WROTE:

In common usage, “habit” is defined
as “a settled disposition or tendency
to act in a certain way, especially one
acquired by frequent repetition of the
same act” (Onions 1955).

Understanding of The Self

None of us are immune from any unpleasant
life events that could cripple our emotional,
physical and mental wellbeing. Having said
that, some of us are equipped with an internal
tool to cope with such unpleasant events that
called resiliency. And others need to understand
self and equip themselves with such tool for
coping with unpleasant events of their lives.
And perhaps all of us need to reflect on our
lives to understand more about self and needed
cope-mechanism in case of sudden and unpleasant
events dramatically unfolds in our lives. It is
important to know, understanding of our emotional
disturbance is the first steps to recognize needing
professional help. It is true that we can understand
our difficulties and it is true that we mostly will
need professional help in a deeper level that could
makes us to go back to our functional lives. However,
information given in this article might help us to
recognize possible needs for getting help.
This short article is all about how to evaluate and
understand ourselves to know in which category we have
difficulty to function. We might also assume all these
categories are relating to each other which is true, yet,
getting rid of one conflict will help us to deal with few
others easily and profoundly.  We have built a foundation
for understanding of our difficulties categorically,
internally and systematically within core of ourselves.
Well at this point I like to mention few points that will
help us to get glimpse of categories that I was talking
about those. The most and an important element is being
aware of self, it’s boundaries and directions. This will
bring us to regulating, learning and attention to the
needed information internal and externally that is
enabling us to form skills for required tasks, multiple
way of doing things and most importantly learning from our
experience. Now the point comes to communication by the
self and others. This will enable us to understand, communicate
in a variety levels such as verbal and nonverbal, being able to
understand our lives in a symbolic way, reflecting in our lives
and understanding of our social and personal interaction.
We also need to recognize and identify our differentiation
by being able to distinguish circumstances of the self from
fantasy and reality, past and future and present moment.
I most often work with imagination and I believe imagination
is the way of understanding behaviour, desire, needs, wants,
goals, beliefs and in general it is image of our mental state
that I consider. We most often talk about self-esteem and
level and quality of it. This is helping us to develop sense
of control in which must not be out of reality and not be viewed
unrealistically either. The matter of impulses that we all
experience internally time to time would reflect externally
that the self must be able to control and regulate according
to appropriate behaviour and adopted with social norms.
Self regulation in this matter is the key point.
Defense mechanism of us depends on our ability to express and cope.
Therefore, inappropriate cope or defense mechanisms will allow us
to wrongly replace our impulses with defense mechanism.
That is when we find ourselves in trouble. We also have the ability
to adopt with any new environment accordingly and when this adaptation

abilities and skills do not exist, then the self will be lost in confusion by not

being able to define self, self’s properties and its boundaries. I realize that

the above points are not giving the complete picture of our self evaluation

yet; these points are basic, short and important that would help us to

understand and reflect in our lives.
Just going through above matters even in the surface of it, will give
us an idea how we are dealing with ourselves and possible emotional
disturbance in our lives journey.

Gestalt Ottawa
Site: www.gestaltottawa.com
e-mail: gestalt@gestaltottawa.com
Phone: 613-2602604
383 Parkdale avenue
Ottawa Suite 105