Being Here, Being Now

Gestalt Psychotherapy has always been a mindfulness-based therapy. Not in the “sitting quietly – doing nothing” sense but in the “living now, in this moment, experiencing, feeling and being in your life” sense. Gestalt Therapy’s main goal is to help raise your awareness, and it does this by helping you to engage with your present.

I say ‘your’ present because your life is unique to you. No-one else can experience what you experience, feel what you feel or respond the way you do. How you relate to the world around you, how you react to it and what you get from it are all things only you can know.

So many people find it difficult to engage with their lives in a ‘right here, right now’ sense. For a start, all the ‘Lifestuff’ gets in the way. We all have things to think about, do and plan for every day. But sometimes it goes much deeper than that. Sadness over the past or fears about the future can constantly distract or trouble us and it can be difficult, even impossible, to stay focused on the present moment.

So why is Mindful Awareness so important in Gestalt Therapy? Well, let’s take a look at what ‘Awareness’ is about first.
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