Figure and Ground in Gestalt Therapy
Figure and Ground – Gestalt Principle
The Gestalt Principle of Figure and Ground simply means that Gestalt therapists not only attend to what is figural for the client at the present moment, but also attends to what is in the ground of the client’s experience. That is, what is out of awareness for the client? By allowing what is out of awareness to become figural new meaning for the client and their situation can be made. The therapist explores the client’s experience respectfully and without judgement allowing the client’s experience to unfold for them as it feels right. With time and attention what is out of awareness comes to the attention of both the client and the Gestalt therapist, through exploration of the client’s emotional experience. The whole of the client is regarded, that is, thoughts, non-verbals, feelings and sensations. By obtaining the new awareness from the ground of the client’s experience the client begins to understand themselves and/or their situation with greater clarity and new meaning is made. The picture above demonstrates how at first glance we only see one picture however with further discernment our perspective changes and we see another picture. This changes our view of the whole.