A client reports a tingling sensation in her hands whenever she talks about marriage. A gestalt therapist would probably encourage her to...

• A. Stay with the feeling
• B. Change the topic
• C. Suppress the sensation
• D. Distort the perception

Answer: (A)

Gestalt therapy centers on present awareness and the way bodily sensations signal what the person is experiencing in the moment. When the client notices a tingling in the hands as soon as the topic of marriage comes up, the therapist would guide her to stay with that sensation and explore it rather than move away from it. By staying with the feeling, she can uncover what this reaction is trying to tell her—perhaps fear, ambivalence, a sense of threat to autonomy, or unresolved feelings about commitment. The practice is to observe, name, and describe the sensation in the here and now, and to follow where it leads in experience and insight. This approach helps increase self-awareness and integrate conflicting feelings, rather than avoiding the topic, suppressing the sensation, or twisting the perception of the situation.