The 72 best phrases about Fritz Perls

Friedrich (Fritz) Perls was a psychologist who was born in Berlin in 1893 and who is known for developing the Gestalt therapy, a model of therapeutic intervention of a humanist-existentialist type. Perls has inspired many psychologists and his legacy lives on in the form of types of intervention far removed from psychotherapeutic orthodoxy.

• Related article: "Biography of Fritz Perls and his contributions to Psychology"

Phrases and thoughts of Fritz Perls

Gestalt therapy is a type of experiential therapy that is not considered so much as a simple psychotherapy, but as an authentic philosophy of life, which influences the way of perceiving relationships with the world by the individual.

In this article we have compiled the best phrases uttered by Fritz Perls. Enjoy them!

1. Waiting for the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is the same as hoping that a bull does not attack you because you are a vegetarian.

You have to treat yourself well because it is the only thing you have under your control. You do not have to depend on others.

2. Dude, don't be a perfectionist. Perfectionism is a curse

The perfectionism it is not good for our emotional health, because it makes us live with too high expectations. That can frustrate us.

3. It is very rare that people can speak and listen. Very few listen without speaking

Most people speak without listening, because they are too busy thinking about what to say.

4. Consciousness is subjective. We become aware of ourselves through our body and our emotions. We become aware of the world through the senses

The emotions they give our world all the meaning. That is why we must accept them as they are.

5. Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who bother don't matter and those who matter won't bother

The emotional experience should not be ignored, because that is a breeding ground for emotional problems.

6. Every time you refuse to answer a question, you help the other person use their own resources.

A phrase by Fritz Perls that invites you to think about responsibility.

7. Things don't exist; each event is a process; the thing is merely a transitory form of an eternal process. Everything is in a flow

A quote that talks about how the world is what we perceive, what our mind interprets.

8. If one feels chased by an ogre and becomes the ogre, the nightmare disappears

Another reflection that invites the reader to think deeply.

9. Anguish is the gap between "now" and "after"

When we have expectations that are irrational, we can experience distress.

10. Only one phenomenon can come to the fore at a time

When anxiety manifests itself, it dominates our attention.

11. Anguish is always the result of moving away from now

When we think about the future and the past, anxiety can appear. Therefore, you have to live in the present moment.

12. To try is to lie. I will try means that you have no serious intention of doing so. If you really intend to do it, say: "I will"; If not, say "I won't." You have to speak clearly to think clearly and act clearly

When we think about something a lot, then we procrastinate.

13. A truly whole person has to have a good orientation and also ability to act

Honesty and integrity are virtues that every human being must possess.

14. Be who you are, so that you can see who you are and what you are like. Leave for a few moments what you must do and discover what you really do

True health is found in your own personal self-development.

15. Most modern men live in a "verbal trance." They don't see or hear, and waking up takes a long time

On the way in which existential crises appear when we do not reflect.

16. Fear of death means fear of life

Living in fear is not living fully. Actually, it is not living.

17. Let the plan for you emerge within you

The personal development of oneself must come from one's own motivations.

18. I only have one goal: to impart a fraction of the meaning of the word now

Living in the moment is the way to get in touch with yourself.

19. The "how" of self-deformation is the first step on the path to personal development. It can be the stiffness of a limb of the body, the accelerated heartbeat, or some discomfort, etc ...

Self-reflection can begin after a crisis or triggering event.

20. Illness, the pretending to be ill that makes up so much of this going crazy, is nothing more than a search for environmental support. We are sick in bed: someone takes care of us, feeds us, gives us shelter, we don't have to go out to earn a living, it is total regression. But regression is not, as Freud thought, a purely pathological phenomenon. Regression means withdrawing to a position where one can provide one's own support, where we feel safe.

Gestalt therapy appeared as an alternative to conventional psychoanalysis.

21. Learning is nothing more than discovering that something is possible. Teaching is showing someone that something is possible

True learning happens when we put our minds to the test.

22. If one is uncomfortable with someone he can be sure that there is no real communication. As soon as one genuinely expresses oneself, all discomfort disappears.

Gestalt therapy emphasizes how communication between people can determine a dysfunctional relationship.

23. Being in the world with its ups and downs, alone or accompanied, is part of the same thing: existing in the here and now

Problems arise in life, but you have to learn to accept them.

24. By not experiencing needs and impulses, organismic self-regulation deteriorates, necessitating trust in moralistic regulations

Emotional self-regulation is necessary to live in harmony with others without depending on moral codes that are not questioned.

25. If you feel convinced of something, say so. Expose your true self. Feel what you say

Another of Fritz Perls's phrases in which he talks about honesty. You do not have to be afraid of yourself, or to express what you are.

26. Everything flows when you find mental well-being

When we are good with ourselves, life flows and we are in a state of flow.

27. Being present now consists of uniting our attention and our conscience

One of the principles of Gestalt therapy is to be in the here and now.

28. At the same time that we deal with the patient's awareness of how he experiences himself, we fulfill the requirement of working in the present

Gestalt therapists are of the humanistic-experiential type.

29. Happiness is a matter of realizing. Or is it that you are becoming Freudian by saying: I am unconsciously happy

Unlike psychoanalysis, Gestalt therapy emphasizes awareness.

30. The body knows everything. We know very little. Intuition is the intelligence of the organism

There are forms of knowledge that are expressed through intuition.

31. I do my thing and you do yours. I am not in this world to fulfill your expectations and you are not in this world to fulfill mine. You are you and I am me and if by chance we meet, it is beautiful. If not, there's nothing left to do

Being dependent on someone is not good for the person's development or emotional health.

32. I know how you are

True happiness occurs when someone finds themselves.

33. Guilt feels much nobler than resentment, and it takes much more courage to express resentment than guilt. By expressing guilt you hope to pacify your opponent; with resentment you can arouse their hostility

A reflection on the relationship between guilt and resentment.

34. All emotions are expressed in the muscular system. Anger cannot be visualized without muscle movement. You cannot visualize the joy, which is more or less identical to dancing, without muscular movements. In grief there are sobs and crying, and in sex there are also

Emotions have three components: physical, cognitive, and behavioral.

35. If love and hate come together then one gets confused

The line between love and hate can seem fine in some cases.

36. If you have difficulty communicating with someone, look at resentments. You must find what you are resentful about and express it and make your demands explicit.

Emotions are present in our behaviors and our interpersonal relationships.

37. The therapist constantly looks for ways to be in touch with the "how" of events that occur in the present. He attends to the flow of the patient's consciousness

Fritz Perls was always innovative when it came to how to do therapy.

38. Every time they use the words "now" and "how" and realize this, then they grow. Every time they ask the "why" question, they decrease in height.

To grow you have to be aware and know yourself.

39. You cannot achieve happiness. Happiness happens and is a transitory stage

Happiness is on the road, in fighting for the objectives.

40. Deliberate changes don't work. Changes take place on their own

A quote from Fritz Perls about the change and development of a person.

41. Our dependence makes us slaves to ourselves, especially if that dependence is on our self-esteem

Depending on someone or something has a great relationship with our self-esteem.

42. The goal of therapy is to ensure that the patient comes to know when he experiences himself, when he perceives his world, and when he makes use of his intellect.

Gestalt therapy aims to make the client aware of what is happening to him.

43. Leave your mind and dedicate yourself to your senses

When we are more aware of expectations, we do not pay attention to our emotions and feelings.

44. It's perfect if you let yourself be and be

Developing has to do with finding yourself and finding the motivation to move forward.

45. The crazy person says: "I am Abraham Lincoln", the neurotic: "I wish I were like Abraham Lincoln", and the healthy person: "I am me, and you are you"

Mental well-being has to do with finding yourself and being clear about who you are.

46. If you need everyone's encouragement, praise, and pat on the back, then you're making everyone your judge

One must find inner peace to be happy and not constantly seek approval from others.

47. There are two big lies: "I want to" and "I try to"

You do not have to think about doing something, but you have to take the initiative and do it.

48. Person... How do you feel about your own continuous internal change?

Fritz Perls asks this question about how we feel that we develop.

49. I cannot perceive your consciousness. I know only your observable behavior and what you are willing to share

Psychologists, as understood by Fritz Perls, are not fortune-tellers, but have to interpret based on what they can observe and what people manifest.

50. They will not find any animal - except the domestic animal, already infected by humanity - no plant that prevents its own growth

Human beings can be our worst enemy.

51. Our life is basically nothing more than a series of unfinished situations, incomplete gestalts

There is no definitive closure for what we do.

52. Don't push the river, it flows by itself

The present is constantly changing.

53. The person who is most in control is the one who can relinquish that control

The pretense of dominating everything that happens in our lives only produces frustration.

54. A hundred plastic flowers can't make the desert bloom

Everything that does not pass through the acceptance of the present is destined to fail.

55. Educating means showing someone that something is possible

An inspired reflection on the task of teachers and educators.

56. Emotions are not annoyances that need to be discharged. Emotions are the most important drivers of our behavior

The emotional side is fully integrated with our lives.

57. They feed your computer, your intellect. And the intellect is the tip of the intelligence. A hindrance in life

The accumulation of information can act distracting us.

58. Nothing has meaning without its context. Meaning does not exist

Everything that we interpret we do from a specific situation.

59. The fact that we only live with such a low percentage of our potentialities is because we are not willing to accept ourselves

Fritz Perls talks about human potential.

60. We are not allowed, or are not allowed, to be entirely ourselves

Part of the self-acceptance process is actually a conquest.

61. If you refuse to remember your dreams, you really refuse to face your own existence.

A reflection on the expectations that are marking our life journey.

62. Change is an opportunity

In the flow of time there are spaces to detect improvements.

63. Each one has the responsibility to orient his life towards what he wants

Fritz Perls had a conception of humanism that in certain respects was individualistic.

64. There is no way around the situation where you have to strain to accept the present

The acceptance processes hereof cannot be avoided indefinitely.

65. Knowing what is blocking a vital situation is the task of each one

No one can judge for us what our situation is.

66. The past is only seen through our eyes hijacked by the present

There is no objective way to look back.

67. Much of what it means to improve our visas has to do with knowing how to prioritize

Avoiding futile fights avoids frustrations.

68. Loneliness is actually the place where you can connect with the feeling of belonging to the human.

A paradox about loneliness.

69. Rediscovering emotions and learning to embrace them is something healing

Must reconcile with the emotional.

70. Distractions are also part of the life path

Throughout our lives, highs also count.

71. Harmony returns at rest

In the simplest situations, equilibrium is created again.

72. There is a lot of potential in people, but knowing how to detect it also requires talent

A paradox about the possibilities to discover and what they require to be discovered.