The Meaning of Here-Now, There-Then in Gestalt Therapy

Gestalt therapy has grown rapidly since its beginnings with Fritz Perls in the mid 1940s. Clinicians have utilized the principles and techniques in Gestalt therapy because they have found them useful. Only recently has there been an increase in published articles about Gestalt therapy. Hence much of the theoretical framework upon which Gestalt therapy rests has not been thoroughly explored. The concept of “here-now, there-then” is one of these. The emphasis on present-centeredness is traced through psychoanalysis, encounter groups, existentialism, and several Oriental philosophies. By examining in some detail the nature of the concept of “here-now, there-then,” it is hoped that the Gestalt, the experiencing of which Is only talked about here, will become more readily apparent. The implications for therapy are explored In light of this major tenet of Gestalt therapy. Finally, the vexing notion of “psychopathology” is discussed as a departure from the now.

Gestalt therapy, both as a philosophy of life and as a “school” of psychotherapy, has stimulated a great deal of interest since the publication of Ego, Hunger and Aggression¹ and Gestalt Therapy.² Paradoxically, however, there has been a scarcity of published material about Gestalt therapy. Although clinicians have been content to employ Gestalt therapy techniques simply because they have found them useful, many of their theoretical underpinnings have never been fully examined. The concept of the now is one of these. Many of the techniques utilized by Gestalt therapists and much of their theorizing is related to the understanding of this principle. The purpose of this essay is to explore the implications of one of the major tenets in Gestalt therapy -“here-now, there-then.”

It was from the impact of psychoanalysis, encounter groups, and existentialism that Gestalt therapy's emphasis on the present arose. It was not until later that Fritz Perls, the man primarily responsible for the development of Gestalt therapy, reco