History, Theory and Community of Gestalt Therapy

Václav Mikolášek was born in 1983 in Prague. He graduated in computer science before moving to Vienna where he studied psychotherapy at the Sigmund Freud University. He lives in Vienna and works as a psychotherapist.

'The book is more than a chronicle of the institute’s history. It is a critical analysis of the institute as a community from the perspective of gestalt therapy theory. It contains first person experiences that give a sense of the flesh and blood of the institute. It is difficult not to be stimulated — provoked — by some of the drama. It is a chronicle that includes strong personalities, rivalries, generational clashes, bruises, loyalty, love, and friendships.' Dan Bloom, from the Foreword'As a Gestalt therapist trained in the West Coast tradition, the importance of this book lies for me in the demystification of the New York Institute, the starting place of our approach. It documents honestly the power-oriented style of communication and the "tradition of aggression" as part of Gestalt therapy from the beginning and allows us to follow the process of democratization in which women played an important role. The book is an important contribution to understanding where we all come from and who we are.'Bernd Bocian, Author of Fritz Perls in Berlin 1893 - 1933: Expressionism, Psychoanalysis, Judaism'Václav Mikolášek has done an impressive job of showing how historical changes over several decades within the New York Institute for Gestalt therapy, first established by gestalt therapy’s founders, reflect the evolution of the theory and practice of gestalt therapy itself. He traces the Institute’s shifts from autocratic rule to democratic consensus, from patriarchy to diversity, from individualistic ego-based aggression to an inclusive relational atmosphere, and onward to the current expansion of the relational into field theory. Mikolášek's book is an important and illuminating contribution to the history of psychotherapy.'Michael Vincent Miller, PhD, Current President, New York Institute for Gestalt Therapy, Author, Intimate Terrorism and Teaching a Paranoid to Flirt

• Foreword by Dan Bloom  Introduction  1. Aggressive Attitude  2. The NYIGT and the LGBT+ Community  3. Democratization of the Institute  4. The Women’s Caucus  5. Internationality  Conclusion  Afterword by Adam Weitz