Gestalt Therapy and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: The Irony and the Challenge

From a theoretical point of view, the conceptualization of PTSD as a special case of 'unfinished business' posits Gestalt therapy as a treatment of choice for this syndrome. From a strategic point of view Gestalt therapy offers phenomenology and I-Thou dialogue as effective therapeutic components. Finally, from a tactical point of view, Gestalt therapy offers unique mechanisms for surfacing trauma-related conflicts from the past and solving them in the present.