Laura Perls: biography, contributions to psychology and phrases - Founder of Gestalt therapy

Throughout her life, Laura Perls worked above all for the knowledge and wisdom of the body and mind: her for sixty years she devoted her energies to the development of her therapeutic abilities and of the theory that accompanied.

Although from the beginning the role of Laura Perls was decisive in the development of Gestalt therapy, it is her husband, Fritz Perls, who continues to be the most prominent figure in this type of therapy today, not often recognizing the contribution of this psychologist. For this reason, in this Psychology-Online article we will see who is Laura Perls, her biography, her contributions to psychology and her most famous phrases.

Index

1. Biography of Laura Perls
2. Contributions to the psychology of Laura Perls
3. Influence of Laura Perls on Gestalt therapy
4. Laura Perls Quotes

Laura Perls, born Lore Posner in 1905, she was a psychologist and psychotherapist German naturalized American, known above all for her fundamental contribution to the birth and development of Gestalt psychotherapy.

His interest in psychology had begun at the age of 16 with the reading of "The interpretation of dreams by Sigmund Freud". In 1930 Laura married Fritz Perls: the two had met while working at the Frankfurt Institute of Psychology.

In 1933 both Perls emigrated from Germany during the rise of the Nazis and lived for ten years in South Africa. Here they wrote their first book "I, hunger, aggressiveness", published in 1942. This work initiates the new Gestalt psychotherapy.

In 1951, when they moved to New York, the Perls, along with Paul Goodman and Ralph Hefferline, published "Gestalt Therapy: Excitement and Growth in the Human Personality", and since 1952, with the help of Paul Goodman, they created the "New York Institute for Gestalt Therapy".

When, in the early 1960s, Frederick Perls began to travel more often due to his commitment to the "Esalen Institute" in California, Laura stayed in New York. Finally, Laura Perls died in 1990 at the age of 85.

If you don't know what Gestalt therapy is or want to learn more about it, check out our article What is Gestalt theory: therapy and main laws.

To know who Laura Perls was and the importance of her figure in the history of Psychology, you must know that both she and her husband, Friedrich Perls, did not hesitate to introduce techniques derived directly from artistic disciplines or to use real artistic mediators within therapeutic sessions.

Laura Perls, in fact, stated that her knowledge of contemporary poetry helped her in the therapy of a young schizophrenic who, totally silent in the first sessions, began to communicate with her only through from his poetic production.

The introduction of enactment, that is, dramatization, as a set of therapeutic techniques peculiar to the gestalt model (the famous "empty chair", the most famous of the gestalt techniques, is a form of dramatization), comes from the convinced and passionate frequentation of art by the Pearls.

This is mainly due to the verification of the proven benefits of its application in the context therapeutic, especially with patients who have more difficulty verbalizing discomfort and discomfort. Not only the empty chair technique It has not been taken up by other theoretical approaches, but it is one of the most studied techniques to date.

Fritz Perls' work was carried out after his death, in 1970, by his wife, Laura; and only after Perls's death did it become increasingly clear how significantly she contributed to Gestalt counseling and psychotherapy, especially after studying with Max Wertheimer. So, what were Perls's contributions to Gestalt Therapy?

Gestalt therapist training

In collaboration with Fritz, Laura directs the Gestalt training institute in New York for almost 40 years, continuing her work even long after her husband's death. Because of this, Laura Perls became an influential force in Gestalt therapy and in the training of Gestalt therapists.

Gestalt "maternal" dimension

Laura Perls carried out a very specific style that differs from that of her husband Fritz in terms of her professional behavior, applying a loving, empathetic care and customer support in a very simple job. In other words, Laura Perls embodies the "maternal" dimension of Gestalt therapy, essential characteristics that make her Gestalt therapy so unique and effective.

Gestalt as a lifestyle

The body-soul unity was not an abstract demand of Laura Perls, but an expression of her positive attitude towards life. She conceived of Gestalt therapy as a way of life: movement, dance, a constant conversation with herself and the overcoming of all internal obstacles. However,

Here I show you some of the most famous expressions from Laura Perls, one of the founders of Gestalt:

• The health indicator of human beings is imbalance, this keeps us alive. And it is through the restoration of balance that human beings live and grow.
• True creativity, in my experience, is inextricably linked with the awareness of mortality. The sharper this awareness, the greater the drive to produce something new, to engage in endlessly continuous creativity. in nature, This is what makes out of sex, love, herd, society, wheat and fruit, bread and wine, and sound, music. This is what makes life livable and incidentally makes therapy possible.
• Gestalt therapy, with its emphasis on immediate awareness and participation, offers a method for developing support necessary for a self-contained creative adjustment that is the only way to deal with the experience of dying and, therefore, of to live.

If you liked this article about Laura Perls, from Psychology-Online we recommend you take a look at another of our posts where you can learn The most important women psychologists in history.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Laura Perls: biography, contributions to psychology and phrases , we recommend that you enter our category of biographies.

• Nancy Amendt-Lyon (2017). Timeless Experience: Laura Perls' Unpublished Notebooks and Literary Texts 1946-1985. Cultural Association The Books of the CTP.
• Castanedo, C. (2004). Laura Perls: living on the limits. Editorial Plaza and Valdes.