Gestalt Therapy And The Art of Being With What Is
One thing I know is that life happens. Sometimes that happening is joyful, passionate and bright and sometimes it brings discomfort, uncertainty, and unexpected change. One of the most truly powerful and transformative skills therapy can help you cultivate is the ability to be with what is, even when it feels uncomfortable.
Facing Life’s Discomforts
Picture a tree in a storm. Its branches bend and sway, yet its roots hold firm. This is the resilience we develop when we learn to face our emotions fully, rather than avoiding or suppressing them. Each challenging feeling is an invitation to practice presence, courage, and compassion for yourself.
Being with what is allows you to explore your boundaries, recognise your strengths, and make conscious choices about how to respond. It’s not about controlling life, but about strengthening your capacity to move through it with awareness.
This practice of allowing emotions to move through you rather than resisting them is echoed in many therapeutic teachings. In Letting Go, the late, great Dr. David R. Hawkins describes surrender as a pathway to inner freedom.
Similarly, contemporary therapist Tina Gilbertson’s Constructive Wallowing invites us to stop judging our feelings and instead give them compassionate space. Both perspectives align beautifully with therapy’s intention: learning to stay present with what is, even when it’s uncomfortable.
The Art of Emotional Resilience
Emotional resilience isn’t about staying calm all the time — it’s about trusting your capacity to move through difficulty without losing connection to yourself.
When you allow emotions to arise, be felt and pass naturally, you expand your ability to stay grounded amid change. Therapy supports this by helping you notice patterns of avoidance, self-criticism, or control, and replace them with curiosity and acceptance. Over time, you strengthen your inner roots — that steady centre you can return to, even when life feels stormy.
Reflective Prompt: Observing Without Fixing
Take a moment to notice a recent time when you felt uncomfortable.
How did you respond?
Could you practice simply observing — like the tree in the wind — without needing to fix or escape the feeling?
If you’re curious about how Gestalt therapy can help you build resilience, presence, and self-compassion, you’re welcome to get in touch or explore more on my therapy blog.
