Gestalt work / GST-A08-5
Approach and Withdrawal — Review journal
Review an attempt at approach and withdrawal and choose what to keep, change, or leave aside.
10 minutes · Journal prompts · Adults; supported use as appropriate
Fictional example: Rae wants to join a discussion and also wants time to think.
Use an ordinary or fictional example, with a clinician when appropriate. Moving closer and stepping back can both serve contact.
Before looking back
Choose one ordinary attempt or decide to review the fictional example instead. This journal has no scores, required disclosure, or expectation of progress.
Revisit the practice
Draw two routes toward and away from a low-stakes interaction, noting their functions and costs.
Notice context and impact
Record what actually happened, including an unhelpful or neutral outcome. Note resources, power differences, accessibility, and changed conditions rather than attributing everything to personal effort.
Choose a revision
What amount of contact would fit this moment? Keep the approach, change one part, ask for support, or set it aside. A mismatch is useful information.
Prompts for this resource
- What I tried, or what happened in the fictional example:
- What I noticed before, during, and after; what remains uncertain:
- What helped, did not help, or was outside my control:
- What amount of contact would fit this moment? My optional adjustment or support request:
Conceptual background
Gestalt Therapy: An Introduction — Gary Yontef
Background on the approach only. Original exercises and wording are by More Than Therapy with AI assistance; the source does not validate or endorse these materials.