Gestalt Ottawa

January 1.2022

Happy New Year To All. I hope year 2022 would be better than 2021 for every one.

Gestalt Ottawa

August 30.2021

As virtual reality has become or functions as our actual reality, online teaching and communications is becoming more suitable and adoptable than in person teaching or communications.

As result virtual communication is becoming most often preferred style of client’s desire to meet.

Therefore, I am offering online sessions more then in person sessions and to do so, client is required make a time by email or phone before enrolling to online session.  Please note that this method will not apply to Art Therapy sessions

Stay well

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 judgmental 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 behavioural 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.

Gestalt Ottawa

Perception and memory can be affected by social condition. For example: Race, Gender, Culture, Religion, politics, policies and Language…..
I was reading a gestalt therapy book and I read this: Devil is master of: Pretentious, Seductive, Deceiving, Promising, Caving, Relentlessly bullying and these tools are: Simplification, Manipulation and Distraction

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.

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: The therapist must develop a warm, friendly relationship with child, in which good rapport is established as soon as possible.
The therapist accepts the child exactly as he is.
The therapist establishes a feeling of permissiveness in the relationship so that the child feels free to express his feelings completely. 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. 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. The therapist does not attempt to direct the child’s actions or conversation in any manner. The child leads the way; the therapist follows. The therapist does not attempt to hurry the therapy along. It is a gradual process and is recognized as such by the therapist. 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.

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.”

Changes through Art therapy

In working with current life situation, past and future art therapy is one of nonjudgmental 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.

In Working With Trauma

It 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 like, 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.

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 skilful, 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.
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). It also may refer to bodily attire. Not curiously, then, even an undesired habit may be as difficult to discard as an old and familiar garment. Hypnosis can be useful in assisting children and adults to eliminate undesired habit disorders including thumb sucking, nail-biting, tongue thrusting, bruxism, overeating, encopresis, tics, intractable coughing, neurotransmitters, hair pulling,
(trichotillomania), stammering and stuttering, chemical substance abuse, and self-stimulatory behaviors such as rocking and head-banging. Some habits are initiated or perpetuated by underlying emotional issues. Many may never have been associated with serious psychological factors. Still other habits may once have served an important psychological function and since outlived their usefulness. They remain only to “inhabit” the patient. Before proceeding with the hypnotic treatment of habit disorder, one must consider whether the habit serves an important function. Is there significant secondary gain? If so, other psychotherapies, alone or together with hypnosis may be indicated.

Understanding of The Self

None of us are immune from any unpleasant life events that could cripple our emotional, physical, and mental well-being. 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 make 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.