Beyond phenomena: Facing the reality of the social world

In this essay, I argue that gestalt therapy's anti-realism can make it difficult for our tradition to account for things that exist independently of individual human perception, such as social structures, institutions, and material resources. I suggest that the skillful navigation of many of the most pressing issues facing contemporary psychotherapeutic communities - including issues of equality and social justice - depends on a collective capacity to acknowledge the independent reality of the social world, on the one hand, and phenomenal experience, on the other hand. I join a growing group of authors who believe that contemporary realist philosophies (e.g., critical realism) could provide a flexible and encompassing meta-theoretical framework for gestalt therapy, as they accommodate both ontological realism, as well as the epistemological relativism that is so central to the practice of gestalt therapy.