Stories from the Gestalt Way of Life
Melisa's WritingsHow Childhood Experiences Create Adult Reactions
Childhood is such a mixed bag for most of us. Certainly our memories are stored and sometimes reviewed later in life. I'm fascinated with perspective and how it shapes the memories into our own version and reality of all that happened. Even though an older sibling or...
What Does it Mean to be a Gestalt Coach?
As the field of coaching quickly grew in the 1990s, many therapists became coaches. At that time, I could see that the basic tenants of Gestalt were a perfect fit for me as a coach because they offered a unique and highly effective form of coaching. I started my work...
How Effective is the Equine Gestalt Coaching Program? Survey Shows Positive Results
We often get asked how effective is the Equine Gestalt Coaching Program? In 2017, a research study was done to examine the relationship between coaching sessions using the Equine Gestalt Coaching Method® and clients' self reported feelings after those sessions....
Understanding Temperament
Learning the principles of typology and understanding temperament is fundamental to becoming an effective coach. Although not yet demonstrated by the scientists who study DNA, it is commonly thought in the typology community that we bring our preferences (temperament)...
Self Compassion
Not long ago, an interviewer asked me if there was a common denominator in all of my work, since it all looked so creative and different to her. Assuredly, I responded, it is always to assist the person in finding self-compassion and peace. We grow up having unique...
Unfinished Business
Many things in life can lead to unfinished business, which involves life experiences that have not been adequately processed, integrated, or resolved and are therefore incomplete. Often, these experiences have been suppressed and are outside the person’s awareness....
Gestalt: Beyond the Conscious Mind
Thousands of scholars over the centuries have attempted to quantify and define what consciousness is. There is no agreement on definition or explanation of why or how it occurs. Although there is a strong debate between science and philosophy about it, many of us in...
The Healing Power of Horses
When I was a child I loved to ride bareback with my jeans sticking to the sweat of my horse’s back. I didn’t know that the healing power of horses was at that moment infusing my very spirit. As I rode for hours upon hours, my connection to the horse supported my inner...