I work with many clients, in person or online, who want to understand their present circumstances. After all, the point of Gestalt therapy truly is to be aware of your environment and your current behaviors. The problem I see, however, lies with many people focusing on  trying to become too aware of the details without absorbing the emotions and energies associated with particular situations.

For example, someone may focus on the color of a room’s paint when they should really be responding to how they feel about the room itself. Does the room, maybe even the paint, spark an emotion within and what is the emotion associated with?

One exercise you can do at home deals with concentrating on the environment, not the details, to achieve an “ah ha” moment. Here’s how to start. First, you need a pen and a paper. Next, sit yourself in the middle of your bed. Be still. If you can, set your cell phone alarm for three minutes and try to be as still as possible within those three minutes.

Now, write down five things about the three minutes of stillness using “I” phrasing. For example, “I couldn’t stop thinking about a problem at work no matter how hard I tried.” This shows that you’re disassociated from your present because of tension or trouble at work. Or, “I feel tired” is a good one. You can then accept you’re tired in the present moment, which will lead you to examine why you’re tired. Perhaps you woke up early or couldn’t sleep because of a problem you’re currently dealing with.

The key to discovering more “ah ha” moments within your life is to focus more on your feelings and less on the details of your environment. If you focus on what you feel within an environment, you will learn more about being present within it versus recalling décor details.

If you want to explore how to move forward with this exercise, or other techniques, please contact me. I can provide confidential online services to further discuss your specific circumstances.