Words of Life

I was reading a book about Gestalt this week and found myself captivated by the author's opening words. "To write a book (about psychotherapy) is daunting. I painfully experience the chasm between the vividly alive encounter with another human being and the pale, static representation of the written word as it gropes towards some partial signification of our shared meanings in evolving dialogue."

She goes on. "I veer between the impossibility of doing justice to the fullness, the vibrancy, the immediacy of my client in his or her unique and idiosyncratic unfolding way of being and a desire to answer the questioning eyes of (those) wanting to read about it. I thrill to the passionate, rich, full-blooded intelligence of Gestalt practice and chafe at the shackles imposed by the covers of a book."

Wow. I was stimulated and inspired by the writer's paradoxical ability to convey the powerful contrast between life encounters/experiences and written accounts/ideas in such a rich and en-riching way. What an amazing gift.

She goes on. "Gestalt is, above all, about the whole - smells, tastes, intuitions, the surrounding environment, the historical context, the plenetary hologram. And all of those coexist like an excellent poem wherein the artistry is never fully discovered, yet all the symbols and words and cadences and shapes, interweave in a tapestry vibrating with life and tragedy and humour." (Petruska Clarkson, Gestalt Counselling in Action)

The language is vibrant, creative, poetic, descriptive, evocative and tantalising, drawing the reading into an encounter with an idea, an experiment and a real possibility of personal, relational and contextual transformation. I thank God for the gift of language, the God who is Word-made-flesh, the God who bridges vision, idea and reality within in his very being.