[Anna Switzer]

Initial post:

Late to the party, but finally here. I have not had a practice client since our fact-to-face, but have been thinking about and noticing introjects and deflections a lot just interacting with people in normal settings. And, of course, even in myself. As I have been busy with my “regular job” (and just finished a boat-load of travel for work), I am not active with any practice clients right now. The gestalt learning, however, doesn’t feel wasted on me. Learning about how we show up with facial expressions not matching our words, deflections, introjections, projections, etc. seems to me to be really important in terms of my own internal awareness/process during sessions with clients and also during our own daily lives. The more I can (and am willing to) see these things in myself, the more I can find compassion, understanding, normalization, etc. for and with future clients. I figure that even in this dormant time (re: working with clients), my own self-awareness will benefit anyone I work with later. At any rate, I found the Gestalt learning extremely helpful – and I love the idea of having clients try “experiments” — one thing I struggle with is having as much of the idea for the experiment come from the client rather than from me. And, it sounds like one or two other people in this thread have the same concern. I would *love* ideas about how to slow my own brain down during a session so that the client is really doing the hardest work….

Thanks!
Anna

[Anna Switzer]

Hi Elisabeth,

I, too, am assuming that the awareness you created is likely bigger than you think. If these are new clients, then it might be that they need to get a bunch of story out in the open before you can get to the wants and needs… just a quick thought that arose as I read your post.

Cheers,
Anna

[Anna Switzer]

This is meant to be a response to Michelle’s initial post, though I am not clear whether that will happen or not (the reply button does not seem to behave as I would have predicted). Anyway, Michelle, I am curious as to whether you have figured out what the blockage is when you arrive home from EBI? What creates it, and what helps release it? Have you noticed any patterns? Is there anything in the Gestalt (or the Partswork) that might help?

Cheers,
Anna