Preface

If we threw a party and invited all the key influences on Gestalt we’d have an interesting mixture of guests hosted by a radical couple called Fritz and Laura Perls. There would be Freudian analysts, Zen Buddhists, Gestalt psychologists, existential philosophers, psychiatrists, anarchists and social constructivists. It would be an unusual party, where it would be hard to imagine guests agreeing with each other! 

What I love about Gestalt, and why I have stayed passionate and committed for nearly 40 years, is this amazing eclectic mix of ideas and methodologies that have such depth and meaning. The emphasis on individuality means that each Gestaltist is expected to find their own meaning from this wonderful brew. There are broad philosophical principles but no one Gestalt dogma. So, as you're reading, just remember that this is the John Leary-Joyce synthesis and not the absolute one!

This book has been written in response to many requests over the years from participants on my Academy of Executive Coaching (AoEC) Gestalt Coaching workshops and masterclasses as well as delegates from conference seminars and lectures. You are therefore one of those people who is:

·      Seeking to add a new and deeper dimension to your coaching practice 

·      Keen to increase your awareness and enrich your interactions with your coachees

·      Interested in developing yourself, increasing your creativity and opening your mind to more a profound experience.

Hopefully this book will be a supportive guide on your journey to creating your own personal Gestalt coaching approach.

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Introduction to The Fertile Void

From the age of 20 when I first encountered Gestalt I was captivated by this notion of the Fertile Void: the paradox that someone or something could be simultaneously both empty and full. 

I had an intuitive grasp that this was feasible, fleeting experiences where I felt totally at peace doing nothing yet everything was alive and possible.  At night, lying under the stars, looking with awe at the vast emptiness of space and knowing it was so full of energy.

Then seeing and experiencing over and over again in Gestalt groups, that ‘trusting the process’ and staying  with the ‘not-knowing’ of the void allowed the space and time for something new and amazing to emerge.  It linked to the Buddhist notion of emptiness or nothingness from which springs a new awakening and creative energy.

On becoming a Quaker I discovered the richness of shared silence in the meeting for worship, the space where nothing was happening yet there was a strong feeling of connection and communion.

Fertile Void also captures the aspect of Gestalt which is about embracing polarities. To speak and be heard we need silence, to be energetic we need rest, to feel full we need to experience being empty.

Four decades later I have gradually found how to integrate this concept in my life and work. Trusting that the flat and empty periods are the precursor to something new and unknown. As it was with writing this book, many times sinking into apathy and flatness and rising again with different ideas and perspectives.  The temptation is to keep adjusting and refining, but the time has come for the gestalt of this book. I hope you will find within the covers the confidence to believe in your fertile void.

Available on Amazon - Paperback and Amazon - Kindle