Gestalt Therapy Barcelona
Gestalt Therapy Barcelona
There are moments in life when one wakes up in the morning and it is terribly difficult to get out of bed, emotions run high and relationships with the world and/or oneself do not flow. There are also times when we feel a pain in our soul that we no longer know how to manage, or a deep feeling of unsustainable loneliness invades us.
Whatever may be driving us, being able to recognize and accept the fact that one may need an external support is a great act of honesty, generosity and love towards oneself.
WHAT IS THERAPY FOR?
Therapy is a moment you dedicate to yourself, in a space that makes you feel welcomed, respected, safe and free from judgment. A space where you can be just you, share what you think or feel, or simply be silent if that is what you want at that moment. Knowing that everything you share will stay between you and me.
Between the two of us we will discover who you are and how you relate to the world. We will shed light on the emotions you may be feeling, such as anguish, anxiety, pain, grief or anger, as well as on your joys. Together, we will discover how you may find your way back to yourself and welcome all aspects of your life through understanding, compassion, forgiveness and love.
Between you and me we will discover your needs and how to meet them by developing new tools and self-support strategies that will help you to live a more accomplished and fulfilled life.
Above all, I want to value your courage. Since if you are reading these lines, I understand that you are considering taking action in what is happening to you. And this is the first step towards feeling better and being able to live the life you wish. Congratulations! I also want to tell you that it will be an honor for me to walk by your side along this path should you choose me.
And there I found her!!! When I didn’t know which way to go, and I couldn´t figure things out. She helped me with her kindness, her calmness, her energy!!! She helped me look at thing I didn’t want to see, and helped me to channel and close chapters that I had difficulties to move on from. I could say a lot of positive things about Katja…Instead, I just wish to say thousand thanks for being there Katja.
WHEN IS IT THE RIGHT TIME TO GO TO THERAPY?
- When you have emotional issues: Fears, jealousy, grief, self-esteem, insecurities, complexes, discouragement, anxiety, depression, anger, frustration, sadness, stress, obsessions, confusion, emotional blockages, boundary issues, affective dependencies …
- When you have Relational issues: Social skills, development of communication skills for conflict resolution, empathy, assertivity, emotional self-control …
- When you are going through life transitions, changes and/or losses: mourning, separation and divorce processes, or moving from your city or country, motherhood, empty nest, menopause, andropause …
- When you have issues with your professional life: discouragement, difficulties in relating to colleagues, work stress, burn-out syndrome, job reorientation …
- When you are going through an existential crisis.
- If you need Couples Therapy: Stress, fights, mistrust, communication issue, jealousy, infidelity, lack of desire, boredom, disappointment, or just need to voice a conflict in the couple to be able to relate in a healthier way.
What is Gestalt therapy?
It is a humanistic psychotherapy created by the psychiatrist Fritz Perls, his wife the psychologist Laura Perls and the sociologist Paul Goodman, that relies on concepts such as the “here and now”, awareness and responsibility for one’s own life.
Gestalt therapy believes in the self-regulation that every organism has in order to adapt to its environment and satisfy its needs, hence relying on the ability of people to reconnect with their own resources (self-support) to reorient themselves towards their own self-fulfilment.
To do so Gestalt Therapy takes in account “how” and “what fore” life experiences and actions have come to be, and how these impact in our way of relating to he world or to oneself.
WHAT BENEFIT MAY YOU RECEIVE FROM GESTALT THERAPY?
You will gradually learn how to identify, recognize and understand the different parts of yourself, learning how to be aligned with your mental, emotional, physical and spiritual aspects. So that these may become your inner compass and help you to be in tune with yourself and with the world.
Awareness of the three (or four) main “levels” of existence (body, mind and emotion, and eventually spiritual) will help you to be conscious of what happens in the “here and now”, to recognize the real need emerging from the different situations you are experiencing, giving you the possibility to filter the noise in your head or your feelings and thereby helping you to choose/decide. You will gain tools to learn to accept what you feel (legitimising it), regain self-esteem, ability to set boundaries, and trust in yourself and in the world..
We will be working with different techniques such as breathing, movement and body techniques, meditation, visualization and others, all aimed at facilitating your awareness of thoughts, emotions and sensations.
WHAT OCCURES DURING A SESSION WITH ME?
First of all we will meet for a half an hour free session to get to know each other. This session will give you the possibility to let yourself feel if you want us to work together and, give me the possibility to evaluate if my expertise enables me to walk with you through your process.
The guidelines and rhythms of the sessions will be defined jointly, although I usually propose weekly sessions for at least the first 3 months.
Depending on how you are, I may propose to introduce Body and Emotional Release Therapy within your Gestalt Therapy process, depending on your needs and what you decide. Decisions will always be made between the two of us according to the needs that arise.
I offer face-to-face sessions in my practice in Barcelona as well as online-sessions.
So if you have difficulties in attending face-to-face sessions, whether it is because you live in another city, or you travel a lot, or your need to take care of a dependent person, because you live in another country, or need special discretion or privacy, or any other reason don’t hesitate and try online therapy with me. You will be surprised just as how effective they may be.
I also would like to remind you that my sessions can be in English as well as Spanish, French, German, Italian, or Catalan.
Further details
What does Gestalt Group Therapy bring you?
Group Therapy makes you realize that you are not alone and that other people suffer your same issues or difficulties, or have undergone similar life experiences. You become aware that whatever life experience one has had, it can be shared.
The mere fact of realizing that your are not alone and that others have gone through similar stuff as you, can often be a mind changing insight that provides great relief.
Every group member becomes a mirror for the other increasing thereby self-awareness and development of new skills to relate with others and with oneself. This way you will gain new perspectives on how to deal with your difficulties and/or emotions.
Sometimes participating in group-workshops is initially uncomfortable, as you may feel shy at the idea of talking about your difficulties in front of strangers. However, discovering that others may experience similar emotions or feeling, or live same kinds of situations, often produces a feeling of belonging and complicity while reducing the sense of loneliness that often appears when we grieve.
This feeling of belonging helps group members to gradually open up and express their emotions while feeling supported, understood and accompanied.
In addition, it is important to know that one of the main rules of group workshops is that the information handled is completely confidential and cannot leave the group.
On the other hand, Gestalt workshops usually propose activities of “playful experimentation”, so that the group members not only share by verbalizing their thoughts or feelings but above all through experience. Activities can be experienced by sharing with others or alone.
As a group member you are are free to decide if you want to participate in the activities. Important will be your awareness of what you are experiencing in relation to yourself or to the group, while making your decision to participate or not, as well as during the activity. What you may be experiencing could be a reflection of what is going on in your relation with the outer world.
More details
What Is Emotional and Body Release Therapy?
Emotional and Body Release Therapy is a therapy performed on a stretcher that combines a set of therapeutic techniques (cranial-sacrum therapy, Polarity, and Shiatsu) to release locked up emotions and energy blockages by loosening body tissue.
Emotional and Body Release Therapy relies on the fact that our physical body is the “materialized” expression of our energetic and emotional body. And that by connecting with our body through touch you become aware of that emotional and energetic part of yourself that is not conscious. Connecting with the body has a soothing effect on the nervous system, quietens the mind, makes you feel more grounded, gives you a more complete perception of yourself and a greater sense of wholeness.
Every life experience we go through is held in the memory of our tissues. Through the years our bodies adapt to all impacts we receive no matter if physical or emotional. Touch is another form of encounter allowing a different way of bonding that generates trust.
Mobilizing the tissues and loosening them up allows to release what is locked up, facilitating the emergence of entrenched emotions and the memories associated with them, while the nervous system relaxes, the muscles loosen up, and somatic pain subsides.
WHEN CAN IT BENEFIT ME TO HAVE EMOTIONAL AND BODY RELEASE THERAPY?
- Situations of stress and/or depression
- Emotional overflow
- Relational difficulties
- Burnout, insomnia, …
- Trauma
- Anxiety
- Muscle tension
- Difficulties in disconnecting your mind
- Hyperactivity, High blood pressure
- Babies with Insomnia, crying, anxiety
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF EMOTIONAL AND BODY RELEASE THERAPY?
- As you leave the session, you will feel relaxed and calm. Fatigue contained in your tissues may surface throughout the day. In that case it is advisable to listen to your body and to rest as much as your body may require. Rest is one of the body’s most powerful mechanisms to regenerate and release both emotional and physical toxicity.
- You may gradually notice that the days following the session those same situations that use to trigger your toxic emotions are easier to handle then before, as some of these emotions have been released during the session
Further details
What is Bach Flower therapy?
Bach Flower therapy is a system of 38 natural remedies, discovered by Dr. Edward Bach, that I often use to help balance emotional and/or mood disorders, that come up during the therapeutic processes.
I also provide solely flower therapy sessions to whoever is interested. In this case, we will meet monthly to conduct an interview and define the flowers you need, depending on how you are at the time of our meeting.
HOW DO BACH FLOWERS WORK?
- They operate on the energetic field of our body.
- They gently restore the balance between mind and body by casting out negative emotions and allowing the body to heal in doing so.
- They can make it easier to adapt to changes and new life situations.
- They can help to restore self-confidence and to cope with fears and insecurities.
- They can help to manage difficult life crisis (grief, breakups, losses, separation, etc.) acting as a balm in moments of emotional intensity.
- They help Improve self-esteem.
- They help to balance emotions, feelings and moods such as fear, uncertainty, depression, melancholy, hatred, resentment, jealousy, envy, lack of interest, despair, anguish, sadness, frustration, anger, etc.
- They can help to clear the mind allowing to prioritize ideas and thoughts easing decision-making.
- They can help to accept and transform those parts of us that cause suffering to ourselves and/or others (aggressivity, tendency to worry excessively, self-contempt or towards others, continuous need for attention, tendency to flee from reality, intolerance, submission, arrogance, victimisation, etc.)
Bach Flower Remedies are made from wild flowers and are safe for the whole family, including pets.
FURTHER DETAILS
In a drop of water are all the secrets of the ocean; in one aspect of you are all aspects of an existence.
What do clients say about me?
I decided to see Katja with a certain urgency related to a particular issue. I left our first session really relieved and in a few days we were working really deeply on the matter and gradually my fear faded giving place to a certain excitement.
Katja has the gift to connect deeply with your feelings, even if you don’t speak them out, she reads beyond your words and your gestures, she instantly puts herself in your skin. Sometime she phrases things you yourself are not able to phrase. This makes you feel at ease and in good hands. On the other hand her attitude is very natural and welcoming, absolutely not distant, just the contrary. She shows herself as an equal to you, never above.
I went to see here for that particular matter but I decided to continue working with her on other issues. She has always been of great help. I always recommend her when I have the opportunity.