Its originators, Frederick S. (Fritz) Perls (1893–1970) and
Laura Perls (born Lore Posner, 1905–1990), were born in Germany
and studied psychology there. They fled Germany during the Nazi
regime, moving to South Africa and then to New York City. They
were both initially influenced by Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic
approaches and by Wilhelm Reich’s Orgonomic psychotherapy. Their
later ideas on Gestalt therapy broke with the psychoanalytic
tradition, moving toward existentialism and, ultimately,
humanism. In New York City the Perls founded the Gestalt Therapy
Institute in 1952. Their novel technique in therapy was to face
the patient, in contrast to the typical Freudian technique of
sitting behind a reclining person. The face-to-face positioning
permitted the therapist to direct the patient’s attention to
movements, gestures, and postures so the patient could strive to
gain a fuller awareness of his or her immediate behaviors and
environment. Another well-known approach introduced in Gestalt
therapy is the so-c