Gestalt Core Concepts: Layers of Neurosis

Fritz Perls thought of the way that people choose to avoid awareness of themselves, and broke this down and described the way this is done as five different layers. The five layers are:

• The phony
• The phobic
• The impasse
• The implosive
• The explosive

In Perls’ mind, each of these layers needed to be worked through and stripped away if a client is to achieve real growth. So what are the layers, what do they mean or represent?

The phony – this refers to the fake or inauthentic way that people act with other people. This can often be seen in the games that people play day to day (as Berne has written about in his TA approach) and the way people make small talk to avoid delving into anything too deep.

The phobic – at this layer people resist seeing the real them. This includes aspects of oneself that might cause emotional disturbance or pain. As a result of this aspects of the real self are denied, and self-acceptance is forfeit.

The third layer is the impasse layer, which is frequently accompanied by feelings of emptiness or nothingness. This can also be accompanied by a feeling of being stuck, and an attitude of avoidance. People in this stage tend to try to manipulate the environment and people around them, rather than dealing with their problems. Perls’ thought this was an important layer, and saw it as the source of many problems in therapy.

The next layer is known as the implosive. This layer occurs when a client allows themselves to come into contact with feelings they might have pushed away previously – feelings of deadness. This layer happens as a result of pushing through the previous layer, and the self that emerges is often seeking cmopletion of some sort. One of the reasons this is sometimes referred to as the implosive layer is that important aspects of self are often pushed inwards or imploded, to keep them out of concious awareness.

The final layer – explosive. This occurs when all the previous layers have been worked through. This is when the person often experiences catharsis, and this can be through grief, anger, joy and so on. This on it’s own isn’t enough though, and clients will need to continue onwards to make sure growth continues.

That’s all for today. I think I may do a little more on Gestalt next time, before moving on to a different topic, but we’ll see. If there’s anyone reading this who has a suggestion or recommendation for what to do next, let me know!

A.