Journal o!

Contemporary Psychotherapy

Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 25-31

Fall 1978

T'ai Chi Chaun And Gestalt Therapy

STEVEN J. HENDLIN, Ph.D.

Rintegration of Gestalt therapy methods with those of various Eastern meditative

disciplines. The similarities in philosophy between the Gestalt approach and Zen Buddhism (8, 11, 20), Vipassana meditation (17), and Taoism (5) have been examined to some extent, but not necessarily in depth. Although Esalen Institute has pioneered in offering workshops combining Gestalt and T'ai Chi, there has thus far been no presentation in the psychological literature regarding the similaritites in philosophy and potential integration of methods between these two growth appraches. The purpose of this paper is to share how T'ai Chi may be used as an adjunct to psychotherapy, in general, and Gestalt therapy, in particular. This is not meant to be a comprehensive examination of T'ai Chi but an introductory statement as to its existence. For more in-depth background the reader should see Cheng and Smith (3) and Maisel (9). Because one must learn the sequence of T'ai Chi tbrms betore personally utilizing it as an adjunct to psychotherapy, the intent of this paper is more simply to (1) broaden the reader's knowledge base in terms of an effective adjunct to Gestalt therapy, and (2) stimulate sufficient interest in this procedure to motivate the reader to further study ofT'at Chi. For more detailed theoretical material regarding Gestalt therapy the reader may refer to Fagen and Shepherd (4); Perls (14); Polsler and Polster (1S); Simkin (18); Smith (19); and Stevens (21).

ecent collections of writings on Gestalt therapy (19, 21) have included the

Play of Opposites: Movement

The term "T'ai Chi" is derived from a concept of Chinese philosophy meaning "supreme ultimat6," the primary principle of all things, and is represented by the Yin-Yang figure. Regarding the origin of T'ai Chi, the most reasonable theory is that while the founder is unknown, its development dates back to the Ch'ing dynasty

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when Wang Tsung-yueh of Showsi province introduced it in Honan (3). What T'ai Chi has to offer that other forms of traditional meditation do not is movement 1. T'ai Chi is both an integrated exercise that makes use of the entire body through its various postures, and a movement-type of meditation, requiring complete concentration and coordination. It is characterized by extreme slowness, absolute continuity without break or pause and a total focusing of awareness on the "now" moment. Smoothly flowing from beginning to end, as each form is approximately completed, the next movement begins to melt and blend into the next form, continuing until completion. The movements of T'ai Chi follows the Yin and Yang principles: opposites succeed each other in the progression of movement. Opposing dispositions of body weight are patterned in comfortable alternation and movements of the arms are coordinated with shifts in weight. The succession of opposites is evident as the hand which was first above now decends while the hand which was below now moves up; the leg which held the weight (strong Yang leg) now becomes empty as the weight shifts to the other leg. The arms are continually describing circles as the hands move through globeholding positions which represent the Yin-Yang circle. The pattern of breathing follows the succession of opposing movements of the arms: inhalation takes place when the arms are extended outward or upward--exhalation occurs as arms are contracted or brought downward. Breathing becomes, after some practice, an intrinsic and "unconscious" part of the exercise, in the sense that it takes care of itself, its importance, however, cannot be over-emphasized. It is Ihe rhylhm of breathing which energizes and opens the body, promoting the expresion of emotion which may then more easily surface during a subsequent psychotherapy session. While the above two paragraphs are correct in their description of the movements of T'ai Chi, they are also unavoidably inadequate. T'ai Chi must be seen tbr the description to be understood. It must be practiced tbr it to make bodily sense.
GestaitT'ai Chi: Similarities

The philosophies of Gestalt therapy and T'ai Chi are consonant. This is not surprising in view of the fact that the development of Gestalt therapy theory was, in its later stages, heavily influenced by Perls' interest in Eastern philosophy. Even as early as 1949, when Perls' Ego, Hunger and Aggression appeared, his use of the concept of "creative indifference" owed some debt to Eastern thinking. Specifically, the following major similarities are evident between these two approaches. (1) A strong.tbcusing of attention on the here and now. This is most obvious and requires no elaboration. (2) An identification and resolution of polar opposites and polar conflict. This theme emerges clearly both in Gestalt theory and practice. The reconciliation of opposites through "centering" so that they no longer waste useless energy in struggle but instead join in combination and productive interplay is also basic to the philosophy and practice ofT'at Chi. This theme is embedded in the very symbol used to represent T'ai Chi, as mentioned above. 1An exception here is the Whirling Dervish order of Sufis.

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(3) The acceptance rather than anlysis of experience. Perls (12) referred to this as "isism," meaning the clear perception of the world as it is rather than as it "should" be. I think of this as a conservation of energy position which focuses on full attention and responsibility in the present rather than dispersement of energy and attention to past regrets and/or future hopes and tears. Through the practice of Gestalt therapy and T'ai Chi one paradox becomes clear: the more one is able to accept the momentto-moment events that make up the process of living, the more available energy one has for behavioral, emotional, and attitudinal changes. In the Gestalt paradoxical theory of change (1) one must be willing to invest energy in accepting what/where one is not. Change takes place as a matter of course but only when one gives up the struggle to achieve it. Struggle is not the answer! As Simkin (l 8) says: "There is room enough tbr everybody." The Taoist philosophy of "don't push the river," upon the practice of T'ai Chi is based, was, it is safe to say, the ancient grandfather of the "isistic" position which Perls adopted.
v

(4) An emphasis on the use of sensation as opposed to intellect as a modality for knowing the world, stressing the incompleteness of the intellect and the need to come back to the senses to comprehend the world. The Gestalt therapist's most important tools are his/her eyes and ears. Thus Perls' much-misunderstood admonition: "Lose your mind and come so that sense experience may become, in Gestalt terms, "tbreground." It certainly does not mean that the Gestaltist should dispose of thinking entirely (as if this were possible!). It is the explicit purpose of T'ai Chi to quiet the mind through concentration on breathing and rhythmic movement. (5) The development of self-actualization or being identity (10) above and beyond ego identity and existential identity. At the ego level, therapy is concerned predominately with enhancement of self-esteem, self-image, and building ego strength. The client improves his ability to cope with the problems of life and begins to take responsibility for actions, thoughts, and feelings. At the existential level the individual confronts the basic questions of meaning and purpose in life. Here the confrontation with death and aloneness becomes foreground experience (22). Success in terms of ego goals is no longer felt to be meaningful. One begins to disidentify with one's roles, possessions, activities, status symbols, and relationships. At the existential level the self is still experienced as a separate entity confronting a meaningless world. The dilemma of existential anxiety and despair is transcended with the awakening of transpersonal conciousness. Being identity is what Ram Dass (16) means by "essence," beyond the ego and existential identity levels. At the transpersonal level the individual in relation to the universe becomes predominant and the underlying unity of all life may be experienced (2). It is exactly this transpersonal awareness that T'ai Chi can promote, while Gestalt therapy does the "mop up" work on both ego and existential levels. What Gestalt therapy does (tbr the most part) verbally on these two levels. T'ai Chi builds on toward the next level through calming movement. Therapeutically, work on all three levels leads to an integration that neither of these methods in isolation would seem to provide. The verbal meditation of Gestalt (11, 17) meshes particularly well with the movement meditation of T'ai Chi. It is not surprising that many previously "pure" Gestaltists are now moving toward the integration of basic Gestalt with various forms of movement, body therapies, and

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sitting-types of meditation. Elsewhere I have presented a comparison/contrast of T'ai Chi with other types of meditation (6, 7).

Multilevel Adjunct
It is important to emphasize that T'ai Chi is effective as an adjunct to Gestalt therapy precisely because it may be used for work on all three levels (ego, existential and essence). The focusing of attention on the here and now, the acceptance of experience, and the emphasis on sensation all concern themselves with work on the ego identity and existential identity levels. Only the development of being identity may rightly be said to be moving beyond these two levels, but only by building on them. The implication i's that one may not jump beyond these levels and go directly to" "work" on the third level. Only by working on the issues presented on the first two levels may one find oneself ready (and able) to entertain the essence level experience. For example, one who has not dealt with sexual conflicts.will find his or her attention during meditation continually returning to the topic of sex. For one client, T'ai Chi will aid in the opening of feelings and development of the self-esteem needed to express these feelings. For a second client, T'ai Chi may aid in the existential "Alfie Question: What's it all about?" by bringing ihe client back to .the body and physiologicalprocesses that are constant and life affirming. And for a ihird client, T'ai Chi may open the door to an experience of transpersonal identity. There is a definite shift of consciousness at each new level. If one tries to make a quantum leap to the third level one will be constantly thrown back into un-resolved intrapsychic, interpersonal, and existential issues even though one may intuitively sense that a consciousness level beyond these domains is desirable and attainable. Examples of this dynamic include many young members of quasi-mystical groups, such as the Hare Krishna devotees. Because they have not taken care of business on the ego and existential levels, they find themselves unable to sustain an essence identity, even with persistant "group-think" support. To glimpse briefly or intuit such a state is not the same as living in it. I believe this predicament would apply equally well to TM practitioners who tend to confuse muscle relaxation with achievement of higher consciousness.

Clinical Setting
My experience has been that T'ai Chi may be successfully applied as an adjunct to traditional treatment for various segments of a psychiatric population. 1 have led groups for short-term acute psychiatric in patients in a community mental health setting, and outpatients participating in a day-treatment program within the same setting. Neither of these groups would be considered the most likely to benefit from T'ai Chi since the coordination and concentration needed to perform the postures is more than most of these people can muster. Inability to maintain interest over an extended period and the effects of psychotropic medication obviate the possibility of long term benefits. On a short-term basis, however, the patients found ihe introduction of T'ai Chi a welcomed change from their normal routine of exercise--a chance to come back to their bodies and feel themselves moving in new ways with new

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muscles. Besides the primary benefit derzved i n motivating these groups to botn exercise and focus attention for up to 45 minutes a session, a secondary benefit was the unanticipated interest and attention that was shown in subsequent group psychotherapy sessions. T'ai Chi acted as a catalyst in promoting group interaction and the verbal expression of feelings. Patients found it easier to enter and sustain guided daydreams and fantasy exercises. With the inpatient population, 1 tound T'ai Chi to be most effective with unmedicated or lightly medicated patients who had been diagnosed depressive reaction, anxiety reaction, and obsessive-compulsive personality. As might be expected, manic-depressives and more severe psychotic patients responded poorly or not at all. Although the inpatients were taught only the beginning postures, my emphasis on proper breathing, moving slowly, and not moving any way that didn't "feel ~ood" resulted in many patients commenting how relaxed they felt after,the sessions. A second population coming for day treatment were, for the most part, more able to grasp the concept of the flow of movements and, because the group was on-going, were more able to get the "feel" of T'ai Chi. Many in this program were living in some type of board-and-care facility and came to the clinic two or three times a week for group therapy, social activities, and medication renewal. Unfortunately, I was unable to collect systematic data on the effects of introducing T'ai Chi to either of these populations. 1 was, however, surprised at how many patients showed enthusiasm over the exercise and convinced that T'ai Chi could effectively be applied in this type of setting.

Growth Center Setting

The benefits of T'ai Chi are more pronounced tbr a psychologically healthy population. I have combined the postures of T'ai Chi with Gestalt methods within a growth center setting to produce an effective program for personal, interpersonal and transpersonal growth. With Gestalt methods, the re-owning of projected personality parts, the "spitting out" of toxic parental and societal introjects, and the integration of polarities is facilitated. "lhis work is basically intrapsychic and interpersonal in orientation and involves issues of ego and existential identity. T'ai Chi is used in the service of opening character armor to make possible the expression of deep emotion. Here, the breathing aspect of the exercise is vital. In using T'ai Chi in this manner, I am working much as a Reichian or Bionergetic therapist would, the difference being that I am not using breathing produced artificially as a means to encourage energy flow and subsequent emotion. Rather, breathing in conjunction with T'ai Chi postures is more natural and therefore less threatening than the forced methods many times utilized by other body-oriented therapists. It is not necessary to teach the complete exercise for T'ai Chi to be of value. Specific postures may be used to assist a piece of therapeutic work. Certain tbrms have to do with physical expansion (stepping out toward the world) and other forms express holding one's ground. At times I have asked a client to take one o.f these postures in front of a group to help him or her experience the emotion that fits with the physical expression (posture). For example, a person who is a "push-over" may be asked to assume a stable, grounded posture. 1 will demonstrate the postm-e.and ask the client to imitate me. 1 will ask the client to shift his weight from leg to leg so that he nmy

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begin to experience the feeling of proper balance. Since T'ai Chi emphasizes balancing of weight in the legs it is particularly appropriate in this area of therapy work. Other postures pertain to yielding gracefully, retreating, and surrender. These may be used with the client who is expriencing emotional or interpersonal difficulties in these areas. What is sacrificed in this piece-meal application of T'ai Chi is the experience of flowing movement. What is gained is the chance to experience the full impact of the emotion which these postures engender. Instead of just talking about surrender, one may experience physically and emotionally the meaning of surrender. The requirement for the therapist is to be sensitive enough to know how and when to integrate the appropriate posture so as to maximize its therapeutic effect. I have found the use of T'ai Chi most effective in this manner with clients who are (1) heavily verbally oriented, spending most of their time talking about feelings (rather than feeding them) or rehearsing without acting; and (2) ashamed of or embarrased by their bodies, afraid to "show-off" in front of others and be seen rather than heard. As a non-verbal communication exercise I have on occasion asked couples to perform what I call a "hand-dance," using some of the hand-arm positions of T'ai Chi. This exercise is done standing with one leg tbrward and knees bent while weight is shifted. The hand dance is useful as a technique for spontaneous play with the energy emanating from the hands and as a method to act out the rhythmic giveand-take nature of a relationship. The application of the hand dance to couples in marital therapy is especially effective when the couple is engaged in verbal "pingpong" and unaware of the useless one-upsmanship gaming that pervades their relationship. 1 will request that the couple play out this "ping'pong" game through the hand dance. This has, at times, resulted in a sudden awareness on their part of their behavior and acts as a powerful moving-methapor to describe their relationship. It underscores the difference between movement-in-conflict and movement-towardmutual cooperation. As a transpersonal method, T'ai Chi is effective with those who have difficulty with the discipline required for sitting-types of meditation. Because T'ai Chi is done effortlessly and requires no extreme bending or physical contortion, it may be applied. as a beginning meditational technique for those who might otherwise avoid transpersonal methods. The combination of combining exercise and meditation is appealing to many who are unwilling to engage in meditation by itself. As Lowen has commented: As and adjunct to the bightened process awareness of "how" and "what" which Gestalt therapy promotes, T'ai Chi increases this awareness through the pleasure of rhythmic movement. The integration of methods may result in a meaningful wholistic approach toward a clear, present-centered mind; an alive, pleasurable body-in-motion; and an identity focused on that which transcends mind and body but pays deep homage to both.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

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