ABSTRACT
In gestalt therapy we need to tolerate the uncertainty of intersubjective relating, of not knowing what is going to come next. Such uncertainty can be joyful, fearful, exciting and anxietyprovoking but uncertainty is the only thing that makes life possible. Uncertainty is embedded in the roots of gestalt’s phenomenological, field and existential philosophy. Over the course of this book I have discussed the unique ways in which we all view our worlds – different perceptions of different phenomenal worlds in a shared world. We all interpret, this is an existential given, but there is choice in the degree to which we remain tied to our certitudes. Gestalt therapists, just like anyone else, can stubbornly resist information that throws their world-view into question. A sound theoretical underpinning is essential for the gestalt therapist to practice competently and ethically, but we need to constantly review our theories in relation to the person or persons before us in our ever-changing field. A fixed and rigid theory is a way of creating an illusion of certainty in a world where the only certainty is change. It also restricts the growth of the client, the therapist and the profession. Without openness to change and revision, a preferred theory or concept can become a fit-all dogma, growth is stifled and the therapy exists rather than lives. The young child who views their world with an innocent fascination and freshness has a great deal to teach us therapists.
