Integrating the Gestalt Model of Self With Psychedelic‐Assisted Psychotherapy

Abstract

ABSTRACT This theoretical integration paper employs a conceptual analysis methodology to synthesize the Gestalt model of self‐as‐process with Psychedelic Somatic Interactional Psychotherapy (PSIP). Unlike traditional psychedelic therapy models that defer therapeutic engagement to postsession integration, PSIP emphasizes an active, directive therapeutic approach during the medicine session itself. Through an examination of core Gestalt principles, particularly figure/ground, field theory, creative adjustment, paradoxical theory of change, and the Gestalt model of self‐as‐process, this paper introduces a novel contribution: the “healing function” of the self, a dynamic role that emerges in response to trauma resolution processes within psychedelic contexts. Findings suggest that Gestalt's process‐oriented view of self complements PSIP's interactional and somatically grounded methods, aligning with emerging understandings of the neurobiological mechanisms involved in psychedelic‐assisted therapy. A clinical vignette illustrates the application of this model in an outpatient setting. The paper concludes by outlining ethical and clinical implications for psychedelic therapy in an outpatient setting.