Overview of systemic therapy and its role in Gestalt therapy

Overview of systemic therapy and its role in Gestalt therapy

Systemic thinkers look at things in the context of their environment and not in isolation. Some car mechanics, for example, look at cars that won't start not only to see whether there is petrol in the tank, but also to see whether it rained the previous night and whether this could have caused a wet electrical contact. Mechanics like these have a similar view of life to Gestalt therapists, although perhaps neither would appreciate the connection.

Gestalt therapy is a systems-based approach that sees humans as having infinite potential, although this is often stifled by present and past environmental experiences. However, Gestalt does not claim exclusive rights to systemic therapy. It only resorts to technology when appropriate. Systemic family therapy (also called couples and family therapy and sometimes family systems therapy) focuses on family and intimate relationships to promote change. It examines interaction patterns and emphasizes the contribution that a healthy family makes to mental health.

The common thread that runs through all the various permutations of systemic family therapy is the belief that the inclusion of families and other intimate relationships in psychotherapy is beneficial. Caregivers can be encouraged to participate in healing sessions and play an important role in translating therapeutic decisions into reality. These significant others do not have to have played a role in the issue being discussed, nor do they necessarily have to be wives, husbands, or lovers. They can include anyone who has been involved in a long-term supportive relationship with the subject.

Systemic therapy emerged from family therapy. It goes back to the Milan Systems approach developed by Mara Palazzoli in 1971, which in turn is based on Gregory Bateson's cybernetics theory. Bateson (married to Margaret Mead) had based his theories on what he saw as the natural order of the universe. In the 1940s he worked on theories that extended this logic to understand people in their social context.

Early adaptations relied heavily on existing biological and physiological knowledge. Later, Mead and Bateson built models of second-order cybernetics in which the subjective observer also becomes part of the observed system. Following this revelation, systemic therapy moved away from linear causality toward a model in which individual reality is constructed linguistically and socially.

Narrative Theory is a second pillar of the same arc. Here the focus is on how individual and group culture affect behavior. As the individual's life story unfolds, it becomes clear that there is no such thing as absolute truth and that we give meaning to the stories of our lives. Plus, the person is never the problem – the problem is the problem, period.

There are strong connections between systemic theory, narrative theory and Gestalt. The way people lose and then regain their sense of balance fascinated Perls and other Gestaltists. Narrative theorists tell how telling stories contributes therapeutically to this process. Systemic therapy emphasizes the roles played by significant others and therapists. Gestalt therapists combine these theories to help their patients understand themselves in terms of where they come from and where they are. Then they help them shed unnecessary baggage and reach their true potential.

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