Most people would name my psychotheoretical orientation as Humanistic Gestalt. Philosophically, I am clearly an existentialist.

Below are two assumptions on which my psychotherapeutic theory is based. It doesn't matter to me if these assumptions are universal truths or merely two more of my many illusions. They are premises for which I will bridge no argument. I insist on holding to them. If I discover they are false, I will continue on as if they are true, because otherwise I want out of the profession and off the planet. Here they are:

• That although perceptions and thinking may be distorted, dysfunctional or survival-oriented and therefore ill suited for civilized living, the basic purpose of every part of a person's personality and every action that it takes, is for the benefit of the organism and is therefore positive in intent.
• That no matter what a human being is doing and no matter how irrational it looks to the external observer, each person is moving toward the resolution of their issues.

Below are some of my guesses. I behave as if these are beliefs but really they are more like major suspicions.

• That each part of an organism is a hologram of the whole organism. That every behavior, large or small, is a metaphor for the world within.
• That when any human is fully connected to himself-in-the-moment, acknowledging and allowing his organism's natural flow, a window of opportunity is created through which, if he steps, he can re-own abandoned parts of himself, resolve unresolved traumas, complete unfinished gestalts on the human developmental continuum, or finish interrupted existential tasks.
• That resolution is neither positive nor negative, forward nor backward.
• That a psychotherapist needs no other intervention than to maintain unconditional positive regard for the client within a frame of unconditional respect for herself. That in such a container of safety and celebration, all humans will, in time, naturally unfold and heal themselves eventually.
• That within the parameters of the psychotherapy, a person regresses to a childlike state, not only for the working through of the transference but because that is where learning occurs.
• That the introjection of the illusion of absolute positive external regard is necessary to the development of any psyche moving toward being a fully functioning Self.
• That although change is inevitable, people generally don't change willingly until they are too uncomfortable being the way they are.
• That the full celebration of Self is a lifepath, both a destination and totally attainable in this moment."

You are welcome to use the materials posted on my portion of this site. Please give me credit if you do. For ideas on how to do that: click here

back to Carol's page