ABSTRACT
The terms ‘transpersonal’ and ‘spiritual’ are often used interchangeably. The roots of gestalt therapy’s spiritual tradition and its Eastern influences are evident in its founders’ various studies in spiritual philosophy. Laura Perls studied with the existential philosopher Martin Buber whilst Fritz Perls studied Zen Buddhism and existential philosophy. Both Laura Perls and Paul Goodman followed their considerable interest in Taoism. The title given to a collection of Goodman’s essays, Nature Heals (1977), stems from his Taoist principles of living with nature in accordance with the ways of nature. This fits with the later development and integration of the Paradoxical Theory of Change (Beisser, 1970) into gestalt. Many of the here-and-now focused awareness exercises in PHG (1951) have a flavour of being influenced by Zen meditations. The Zen Buddhist, Crook, sees a ‘fundamental convergence between Buddhist thought and the developing theory underlying Gestalt therapy’ (2001: 40), the two sharing a similar belief in ‘the field.’ Although Zen got there before gestalt by some 2,500 years, their eventual convergence is evident in gestalt field theory’s belief in an inter-relating reality. Both philosophies promote an acceptance of what is without aiming for change.
