In Human Interaction and Emotional Awareness in Gestalt Therapy H.
Peter Dreitzel explores a model of the contacting processes between
human beings and their environments and presents a phenomenological
exploration of the emotions guiding such contacts.
The book makes an important contribution to our understanding of the
role of psychotherapy in the modern world, especially in the context of
change and crisis. Dreitzel sets out a new perspective of how we
interact with each other, how we frame our encounters and differentiate
them from one another, how we give them meaning, and how they are
related to our needs and wants. This is followed by a unique
phenomenological exploration of the emotions guiding such contacts, the
first time the world of human feelings has been explored in depth and
systematically analysed in Gestalt thought. These innovative
explorations are framed first by a discussion of the historical
development of Western conventions regarding everyday behaviour, and
secondly by an examination of perspectives on climate change. Dreitzel
analyses the mental and emotional states of potential clients as they
are affected by these global processes and the book also includes an
epilogue which evaluates how to work with climate anxiety.
Dreitzel's conception of social change, with Gestalt therapy at its
core, is relevant to all aspects of humanistic psychology. It elevates
empathy, emotional development and the prevention of suffering at all
levels of society, filling important gaps in Gestalt therapy theory and
expanding it into exciting new territory. Human Interaction and
Emotional Awareness in Gestalt Therapy also contains an insightful
foreword by Michael Vincent Miller, PhD, and will be essential reading
for Gestalt therapists, other professionals with an interest in Gestalt
approaches and readers interested in social interaction, climate change
and the role of psychotherapy in a changing world.
