ABSTRACT
While the emphasis of Gestalt therapy as a field theory was present in the earliest days, for most present-day Gestaltists, the primary source of discussion on the theme is in the writings of Parlett. Since these were published, there have been startling advances in our understanding of the neurological underpinning of human behaviour, which have both confirmed and added to our understanding of the field nature of human consciousness and selfhood. This chapter explores some of these advances and their implications for the development of a Gestalt field theory that is true to our tradition, and also in line with what we are currently discovering. A very significant development has been the discovery of 'mirror neurons' (Rizzalatti & Craighero, 2004) in the pre-motor area of the brain. A major area of research and theory in the past thirty years is in the complex systems that occur throughout nature, economics, weather, etc.
