The Lodz Gestalt School was pleased to host a workshop led by world-renowned Gestalt therapy specialist Peter Philippson: “Shame and Guilt.” Participants from all over Poland came to explore issues of shame and guilt from different perspectives.
“The good news is that people who experience shame and guilt do not have psychopathy,” Peter shared. Throughout the seminar, Peter sought to support both sides of the emotion. His key message was: “Life is about good and bad moments. Therapy is about finding the resources to get to the good moments.” Participants benefited from both the theory and practice conveyed by Peter. “The basic task in therapy is to explore relationships without imposing a specific way of making contact,” said Peter Philippson.
Peter often referred to the history of Gestalt therapy, and especially to its first stage, when it was shaped under the influence of psychoanalysis (1940s and 1950s). According to P. Philippson, shame is the other side of the polarization of aggression. Shame arises when a person does not accept something in himself, while guilt arises from committing something wrong. Shame speaks of the need to react with disgust.
During Peter Philippson’s workshop: “Shame and Guilt,” workshop participants explored their philosophical concepts and practical views on occupation and life, looking through the lens of these emotions. They admitted, the science of Gestalt therapy can be deeply philosophical. They also dealt with working with the relational field in therapy, and Peter conducted a demonstration session and organized small group work.
The cultural shame of Poles was particularly explored by the participants and Peter. The topics of sexuality, religion and patriarchal background came up. The two seminars, on shame and aggression, were interrelated, as these issues are two sides of the same coin.