35 inspiring phrases by Fritz Perls to reflect on

Fritz Perls’ phrases continue to inspire us today. Creator of Gestalt Therapy with his wife Laura Perls and sociologist Paul Goodman, he always encouraged human beings to achieve well-being in the different areas of our existence through a creative approach, the recognition of our emotions and full attention.

It should be said that since Fritz Perls established his therapeutic model back in the 1950s through his Gestalt Therapy Institute in New York, this approach has only evolved and established itself much more strongly. We are undoubtedly facing an integrative psychological model capable of helping many people focus on their thoughts, feelings and behaviors to promote adequate self-awareness and expand new perspectives to initiate more positive changes.

In this way, those who practice Gestalt daily define this therapeutic model as something very alive, spontaneous and creative. Likewise, What is achieved above all is establishing better self-confidence to address the problems in an effective and successful way. everyday problems reaching our maximum potential.

On the other hand, it is important to note here that We should not confuse Gestalt psychology with Gestalt therapy.. They are not exactly the same. The first emerged as a movement in psychology at the beginning of the 20th century and by theorists such as Kurt Lewin, Max Wertheimer or Kurt Koffka. Its purpose was to establish another approach as a reaction to the “elementarism” of structuralism, conceiving the human being as a whole.

For its part, Gestalt Therapy has its roots in humanistic psychology and seeks above all to help the person from the present moment, making them see the entire range of possibilities they have around them. Likewise, if there was something that Fritz Perls himself achieved, it was to provide his therapeutic approach with an authentic philosophy of life, one where being able to promote the quality of our relationships, education and even offer new tools to the business world to invest. much better in human potential.

The best phrases by Fritz Perls, wisdom to reflect

Many comment that Fritz Perls’ phrases are like luminous brushstrokes of human knowledge, theoretical essences that favor our awakening. Whether we have an affinity for Gestalt therapy or not, something worth considering is that books like “Dreams and Existence” either “The practical approach of Gestalt therapy” They are part of the history of psychology. Therefore, it is always interesting to immerse ourselves in them to reflect, to assume new learning.

Let’s now see some examples of these principles through the best phrases of Fritz Perls.

1. Everything flows when you find mental well-being

When we find that point of subtle balance in our existence where we stop seeing obstacles to glimpse clear paths, we feel free and our existence therefore flows. As we pointed out a moment ago Gestalt therapy goes beyond the limits of that shared space between the therapist and the patient to provide us with a new vital approach.

Fritz Perls placed Gestal therapy within that existential dimension where every positive, receptive and committed attitude allows us to flow and advance in our destinies.

2. Being present now consists of uniting our attention and our awareness

This is one of the best-known Fritz Perls phrases. It is derived from it one of the most relevant concepts of Gestalt therapy: “realize” either “ “awareness.” It is an awakening, where attention and consciousness come into contact in the present moment to promote our personal growth.

3. The organism knows everything. We know very little. Intuition is the intelligence of the organism

The human being is the result of the union between our organism, our conscious mind and our interaction with the environment.. However, we spend much of our lives “disconnected”, asleep, unable to establish this union. Thus, those who do not trust the clues offered by their senses, their heart or their intuition will not achieve that wisdom that Fritz Perls tells us about.

4. The therapist constantly seeks ways to be in contact with the “how” of the events that occur in the present.

When the therapist asks the patient how he or she feels, it is common for the patient to respond “bad,” “confused,” “angry”… One of the specialist’s objectives is to discern what causes that present sensation, clarifying emotions, always favoring first-person communication focused on the present.

6. I am not in this world to live up to the expectations of others, nor do I feel that the world should live up to mine

Integrity, self-confidence, security and reflective awareness. All these dimensions are pillars that build Gestalt therapy and one of the most popular Frizt Perls phrases.

7. Growing up means taking responsibility for your life, being alone

This is another of Fritz Perls’ phrases that is very representative for a very basic reason.. The approach of Gestalt therapy was separated from psychoanalysis by focusing all its attention on the present. and not in those events from the past or childhood where the person could not yet feel responsible.

Personal responsibility is in the present moment and taking that step means maturing, it means giving ourselves the opportunity to enjoy ourselves while rediscovering loneliness.

8. Learning is discovering that something is possible

Moving forward, growing, developing adequate self-awareness means realizing our full potential as human beings.

10. The person who controls the most is the person who can relinquish control.

Sometimes, people develop such high self-control that all we achieve is repress our authentic needs. An example of this is when we swallow our sadness, our disappointments and the frustration that others generate in us.

None of these behaviors are healthy. However, Within Gestalt therapy, the healthiest control is that of that person who knows very well how to react at all times.where I can control my anger to vent my anger or indignation in an intelligent, constructive way.

11. Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is the same as expecting a bull not to attack you because you are a vegetarian.

The person on whom the ultimate responsibility falls to take care of you, to respect you and to value you for who you are, is not outside of you, it is not your co-workers, it is not society or even your family. Actually It is you yourself, you who must love and care for yourself above all things. Not accepting it or not seeing it is an inexhaustible source of suffering.

12. Friend, don’t be a perfectionist. Perfectionism is a curse

Perfectionism is not good for our emotional health. It has a lot to do with that need for iron self-control mentioned a moment ago and that sometimes leads us to build expectations that are too high.

13. It is very rare that people can speak and listen. Very few listen without speaking

All gestalt psychotherapists look for something essential during therapy: bringing all those emotional processes to the foreground. that we people hide under our behaviors, habits, fears and distorted approaches.

To calm and center the distorting mind, the professional first invites the patient to listen to themselves, to become aware of how they are in that present moment. Later he can voice his emotions out loud knowing that the therapist is there, listening carefully.

Fritz Perls himself pointed out that something as simple as this: listening to oneself, communicating and being listened to in silence, is a dynamic that we have lost in our society. We have lost the ability to listen to ourselves and others.

14. Anxiety is emotion without breathing

Life generates uncertainty, anxiety and fears grip us because we fear the future, because emotions overcome us, we do not understand their magnitude and we let them settle in us until they leave us breathless.

If we want to move forward without burdens, limitations and fears, gestalt therapy first of all proposes that we be able to clarify our emotions. Knowing what is happening in our moment always helps us calm anxiety.

15. Be yourself, express yourself freely and without fear. At the end of the day, whoever really loves you won’t care what you say or do.

Unconditional acceptance and honesty with oneself are the two most important roots of Gestalt therapy. Whoever does not accept what we are or what we express is because they do not appreciate us and are not in tune with our essences.

16. Don’t think so much… Feel

“Anything goes if it makes you feel.” This expression by Fritz Perls already gives us a relevant clue about the approach shaped by this humanist-existentialist therapist. Feeling is what makes us alive, therefore, instead of falling into excessive worries We must give ourselves permission to feel much more, regardless of whether those emotions that come to us are positive or negative. Allowing them to arrive is also a way of understanding them.

18. We must learn to tolerate the truth, even if it damages our pride.

The truth is part of “awareness”, of that complex capacity with which we learn to “realize” to promote an inner awakening where we make explicit what is implicit or assume a truth even if it hurts because with it, we facilitate our progress, our growth and welfare.

19. Nothing has meaning without its context. The meaning does not exist

Meaning does not exist as an isolated entity, but is linked to something that gives it meaning. People must understand that no one feels fear, anger or happiness just because, our emotions always start from a context, from a particular situation.

20. The fact that we only live with such a low percentage of our potential is because we are not willing to accept ourselves

Fritz Perls places human potential and its development as one of the…