Assignment task:
I'm interested on your opinion of the here-and-now approach that gestalt therapy adheres to. The concept of metaphors being used in the here-and-now approach is what sparked this. One question that has been on my mind is why would a therapist not discuss the past at length with a client? Clarke (2022) acknowledges the limitation of the here-and-now approach in gestalt therapy as it clients may want to dive into their past more.
In gestalt therapy it is thought that the interational patterns will present themselves in the here-and-now (Howes, 2010). The example given by Howes (2010) is that a client who experienced past betrayal in interpersonal relationships will eventually extend and come out in the therapeutic relationship.
Follow-up question: What are additional limitations of the here-and-now approach? What are the benefits of not discussing the past and focusing on what emerges in the therapeutic relationship?