Talk:Laura Perls

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I suggest to remove the last little chapter of the article, especially the following lines, from the article: "and secondly by Reich's later Orgonomic psychotherapy which treats the mind through manipulation of the body's bio-energy or orgone (and which Reich developed primarily in Scandinavia and the United States). Lowen, one of Reich's American patients, took over many of Reich's ideas to develop his own therapy which he called bioenergetic analysis or simply bioenergetics."

1. This article is about Laura Perls, not about Reich and his orgon-therapy, neither about bioenergetics. 2. It is not true that Reich's late concept of orgon had any noticeable impact on the developing gestalt therapy. If someone claims this, please tell the sources.

Next:These lines are also very problematic.

"Laura Perls was both the training therapist and a student of Paul Goodman." Paul Goodman was a patient of Laura Perls in the beginning. Laura was not "a student of Paul Goodman" - if this is kept up, source please.

"He had been in therapy with Alexander Lowen from whom he learned a more 'hands on' approach to therapy whereby the therapist touches the patient to encourage deeper breathing, for example."

Goodman had been a patient of Lowen for 4 to 5 months in 1946. Goodman did not "learn" techniques in a strict sense.

"Goodman taught this approach to Laura." Again: not that I know of. Source please.

"Consequently, many Gestalt therapists trained by Laura Perls and her students use a more hands on approach than Fritz Perls did. (See Here Now Next: Paul Goodman and the Origins of Gestalt Therapy by Taylor Stoehr.)"

Please give a more precise citation.

I am referring to the introduction of "Paul Goodman: Nature Heals, 1977" by Taylor Stoehr, who is the editor. Unfortunately I have to use the German translation: Paul Goodman: "Natur heilt", hrsg. v. Taylor Stoehr, 1989, Edition Humanistische Psychologie, p. 14ff.

In general: Laura Perls HAD already focussed on body processes for a long time before she met Goodman, - and also IN the work with Goodman. Her background for body awareness came from her interests in modern dance, among others.

See: Edward Rosenfeld: AN ORAL HISTORY OF GESTALT THERAPY.Part 1. A conversation with Laura Perls Laura Perls says in this interview:

" (...)I knew the work of Feldenkrais thirty years ago and it was nothing new to me because my body approach in Gestalt doesn't come from Wilhelm Reich or Moshe Feldenkrais or F. M. Alexander or J. L. Moreno or anyone, but it comes from modern dance which I've been doing since I was eight years old."

and later: "(...) By then already, in the late 1930's, I paid a lot of attention not only to what people said and to interpretation, but to their breathing and their co-ordination. I started doing body work and sitting opposite my patients. At that time Fritz was still addicted to the couch and never quite got rid of it. But I never used it again. If I wanted someone to lie down I had them lie on the floor because that was much more even support and we could do certain experiments with co-ordination and alignment."

Friedhelm, Germany, July 30, 2006

As no one has reacted to my arguments so far, I have removed the last chapter from the article and put it in here, for further discussion. First, because it suggests a connection with Reich's later orgon-concept and gestalt therapy - which does not exist; second, because the statements about Laura Perls should be supported by clear sources (give quotes).

Friedhelm, Germany, 9 January 2007

Here's the last chapter, that I removed: "Laura Perls was both the training therapist and a student of Paul Goodman. He had been in therapy with Alexander Lowen from whom he learned a more "hands on" approach to therapy whereby the therapist touches the patient to encourage deeper breathing, for example. Goodman taught this approach to Laura. Consequently, many Gestalt therapists trained by Laura Perls and her students use a more hands on approach than Fritz Perls did. (See Here Now Next: Paul Goodman and the Origins of Gestalt Therapy by Taylor Stoehr.) In this way, Gestalt therapy has been influenced by Wilhelm Reich twice, firstly by Reich's Character analysis which was developed within a psychoanalytic framework and which Laura and Fritz Perls learned in Germany, and secondly by Reich's later Orgonomic psychotherapy which treats the mind through manipulation of the body's bio-energy or orgone (and which Reich developed primarily in Scandinavia and the United States). Lowen, one of Reich's American patients, took over many of Reich's ideas to develop his own therapy which he called bioenergetic analysis or simply bioenergetics."

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Could someone please give a little more background information on her academic studies and early work before developing a new approach - I understand that after she finished her degree studies she worked with eminent Gestalt psychologists and that it was she who adapted that knowledge to the approach she and Perls were developing together. Thank you. 83.191.85.212 09:56, 9 January 2007 (UTC)

The interview with Ed Rosenfeld (mentioned above) might be a help; also:

Sheldon Litt: Laura Perls (1905–1990): Co-Founder of Gestalt Therapy;

http://www.positivehealth.com/permit/Articles/Regular/litt50.htm

And:

Charlie Bowman and Philip Brownell: Prelude To Contemporary Gestalt Therapy;

http://www.g-gej.org/4-3/prelude.html

Friedhelm, Germany, 9 January 2007

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