Vikram Kolmannskog in conversation with Chris O'Malley: Beyond Binaries: Embracing GSRD

On Saturday 4 November 2023, Vikram Kolmannskog leads the British Gestalt Journal's annual Seminar Day. Here, British Gestalt Journal Assistant Editor and Secretary of Gestalt Publishing Ltd Chris O'Malley, asks Vikram a few questions ahead of the day.

Good morning Vikram, and thank you for taking the time to talk to me ahead of the British Gestalt Journal online Seminar Day this autumn on Saturday 4 November. Many of us became aware of you through your book The Empty Chair: Tales from Gestalt Therapy,  but there's a lot more to you than that, I know. You're a professor at the Norwegian Gestalt Institute; you trained as a lawyer with a specialisation in human rights and as a social scientist with a doctoral degree in law; you've written fiction described as ‘capturing a heady contemporary sense of what it is to be queer, cosmopolitan, spiritual and sexual.’ You have several research interests, as I understand, including climate change in ecology, Buddhist and other spiritual practices including mindfulness as well as, of course, GSRD themes. So, it's great to have this chance to just have a chat about GSRD and the Seminar Day.

Thank you, Chris.

Great. Well, you recently co-edited the book Queering Gestalt Therapy (subtitled: An Anthology on Gender, Sex and Relationship Diversity in Psychotherapy). It seems like GSRD's time has come and I wonder how that fits with your broader background, as I described. There is a connection to the theme of social justice, I believe, so I'm just wondering how it fits for you?

Thank you for that question. How does it fit for me? I think in a lot of my work, ever since I was young I've been very concerned with social justice and activism and I think that's why I went down the human rights law route first and then I felt I had to kind of choose but what I feel more and more with Gestalt therapy, one of the things I enjoy about Gestalt therapy, is that we can also include that wider field. It's not a psychotherapy, just the internal, but it's really looking at what happens between us and various factors.

That's something that I think is one of the reasons I feel very at home in Gestalt therapy because I bring with me my interest, my passion, my sadness, my grief, my joy, for the natural world and what we're doing to the natural world. Also, in social issues, such as Gender, Sex, and Relationship Diversity and normativity, and oppression. So, yes, I think it does really fit well with my overall passions, to see how we can reduce unnecessary suffering and increase joy.

I think joy is a word that I want to use more. I think we can focus on joy and there's a lot of joy to be discovered for everyone in Gender, Sex, and Relationship Diversity.

The inclusivity of it comes across to me when you say that. I was thinking that somebody said ‘All theory is personal.’ I can't think whether that was Lynne Jacobs or somebody else, but that really sort of strikes me that it fits with you to a high degree.

I think some people want to know the difference between LGBT+ definitions and communities and GSRD. What do you see as the fit or the difference there? 

I was curious now when you started saying that [acronym], when you started on the ‘L’, where would you end, right? That's one thing, the LGBTQIA+, it can go on and become a whole alphabet soup because we want to include all kinds of marginalised sexualities, gender is in there, so that's one reason for this new concept or new way of phrasing it: Gender, Sex, and Relationship Diversity. But then what I think Gender, Sex, and Relationship Diversity also really clearly includes is the diversity of everyone, so it's also heterosexuality. Heterosexuality is then part of this diversity whereas with LGBTQIA+ it's all of us marginalised sexual identities etc. I believe it was Pink Therapy, in the UK especially, headed by Dominic Davies I believe and Meg-John Barker, who came up with this term first. It was Gender and Sexuality Diversity and then broadened to Gender, Sexuality and Relationship Diversity, and then when we were working on this book Queering Gestalt Therapy one of my co-editors was in touch with Dominic to just talk about this concept and Dominic told us that the latest iteration is Gender, Sex, and Relationship Diversity because sex can then be inclusive of intersex as well as meaning sexuality.

So, now what we're using is GSRD to stand for Gender, Sex and Relationship Diversity so it's basically incredibly inclusive, right? The only thing it's saying is that there is a diversity when it comes to gender and sex in relationships and that's often overlooked or there are active forces trying to oppress, so that it becomes not the diversity.

To exclude. 

Yes. 

Okay, and the Seminar Day itself, I'm wondering how you're looking forward to that and what you're anticipating doing? In other words, I wonder what people might expect or anticipate in terms of input from theory, experiential exercises. What might people expect in that region?

Yes. So, Chris, if you don't mind, I'll just go back for a moment because what I also want to say about GSRD - and this fits again with my approach - is that to me this is about liberating and increasing joy for everyone. So, I do think it's important to focus on marginalised communities like LGBTQ+ and I am part of that. Our rights and our issues. But what I think GSRD really does is to show that straight people also have a lot of issues because of norms relating to gender and sexuality. This has been one of my concerns - that we are working to really liberate everyone and that's something that I want to bring into the Seminar Day as well. When I do introduce some of my research and when we do some experiential exercises that we are trying to look at this not just as an issue concerning someone over there [e.g.] ‘Oh, it's that marginalised community, we have to be more inclusive of them, or become more aware of how we are judging them.’ 

It is very much also about each and every one of us and seeing what biases, what assumptions, what oppression is going on in this body-mind and how can I perhaps become more aware of it? Maybe there will be shame, but hopefully there will also be some expansion for all of us.

I'm glad you took time to expand what you wanted to say because I was thinking about how this could be seen by the participants in terms of their own inclusion in the concept or not but I'm really hearing your theme of ‘liberate and joy’ which is speaking very powerfully to me.

There could be some difficulties too, and you talked about shame. Do you want to say any more about what people could find difficult or what you or anybody have found difficult to immerse yourself in this?

I've done experiments or experiential exercises with students, trainers and researchers around this. Sometimes this heteronormativity or the ‘norms’ that say we have to be a certain way in terms of our gender, sex and relationship preferences - that comes up. And it’s revealed that ‘Oh, I have some of that in me.’ Because of the very individualistic culture we're living in, we feel that ‘Oh, I am a bad person now because we're supposed to be more inclusive, we're supposed to not be heteronormative.’ Naturally, shame will come up. What I want to say to that - and I truly believe this, if we take the field paradigm seriously - is that that kind of individualistic fixation can relax somewhat because I believe heteronormativity, like racism and other oppressive forces, are forces in the field. It's really free-floating.

I'll mention here that I'm a big fan of Project Implicit, where you can take these tests to reveal your implicit biases. I first took that test a few years ago now - I've been out as a gay man for a long time and the test result revealed that I was quite heteronormative and homophobic so this is something that we, all of us [experience]. It's the water we swim in, it’s the air we’re breathing, I think. I want us to be able to explore this, and shame will come up naturally, but hopefully this way of viewing it as a field phenomena can relax some of that individualistic fixation of ‘Am I now a good person or a bad person?’ Well, heteronormativity arises naturally in me at times, as it will in everyone else too. To me, it is about becoming more aware and then we can release some of it.

It's really supportive to hear your personal experience around discovering what you were not aware of. Project Implicit sounds like something we could all access, is that right? It's online?

That’s right.

I was wondering about asking you about the [Seminar Day], but also I wonder what preparation people might do for the day? I didn't imagine that you would ask people to do anything specific, but that could be something people could look at?

Absolutely. Any chance I get, I recommend Project Implicit. It's free, it's online, and I think it's one of the biggest psychological studies/experiments existing. You can test your implicit biases and a lot of different issues such as: sexuality, sexual orientation, race, racism, I think body size. Various things, so it's very recommended. 


Apart from that, I think I'll do a little bit of promoting of this book! So, we're very happy with this new book Queering Gestalt Therapy, which you mentioned, where I'm co-editor, and that's something to read if people want to read something. But I'd also say, people learn in different ways and that's something I appreciate about Gestalt therapy and pedagogy - that you can also just show up without having done any preparation and we will do some exercises, I’ll introduce some theories and some of my research and then maybe you might want to read more afterwards. So, it's really up to people.

I'm enjoying what you said. We’ve called the day itself Beyond Binaries: Embracing GSRD. Are you going to be queering the Seminar Day? Is that what's going to be happening? Or do we need to do that all together? 

Yes, I think let's queer it together! Yeah, let's queer it together.

Sounds great. Is there anything else that you'd like to say about the day itself? I'm really looking forward to it now, getting a real flavour of what we might be in for. What would you like to add?

I'm looking forward to it as well. You never know what it’s going to be like. I have certain things that I want to introduce and and will facilitate for all of us, and then I'm curious to see who shows up and what we're gonna do together.

Great, so not too much of a spoiler. We've got a little bit of a taste of what we might be in for and what we might look out for. Vikram, it’s been really great that you've shared your time and given us a flavour of what's ahead so thank you very much for that. For now, have a good day and look forward to seeing you again in November. 

Thank you, Chris, and happy Pride, if you're celebrating. 

Yes, thank you very much, and to you.

About Vikram Kolmannskog and Seminar Day 2023
Vikram Kolmannskog is a writer and professor at the Norwegian Gestalt Institute University College. He is the author of several books including short stories and the collection ‘The Empty Chair: Tales from Gestalt Therapy'. Vikram has also trained as a lawyer with a specialisation in human rights, and as a social scientist, holding a doctoral degree in the sociology of law. Vikram is interested in and involved with Gender, Sex and Relationship Diversity (GSRD) in clinical practice, training, and research. Among his several publications on the topic is the recent book 'Queering Gestalt Therapy' (Routledge, 2023) which he co-edited and contributed a chapter to.

Participants at British Gestalt Journal Seminar Day 2023 can expect to learn about some GSRD-related concepts and research, and become more aware of how pervasive heteronormativity is, including in the therapy room. The day will include mini-lectures, experiential exercises and reflections, dialogue, and a Q&A.


British Gestalt Journal Seminar Day 

Beyond Binaries: Embracing Gender, Sex and Relationship Diversity 

with Vikram Kolmannskog 

Saturday 4 November, 11am - 4pm 

Zoom 

£30 + booking fee 

Book now via Eventbrite

Claire Asherson Bartram on Networking at the Hamburg Gestalt Research Conference 2022

Introduction

I became aware of research when working for my doctorate at Metanoia Institute where I focused on mothers in stepfamilies. As a researching Gestalt practitioner, I was excited to discover qualitative research methods that were based on the same understandings and philosophy as Gestalt therapy. Through research and the heuristic methodology I employed (Moustakas, 1981), I was able to make sense of what was happening in my own work and become more knowledgeable, confident and aware of personal identifications that restricted and/or liberated me (Asherson Bartram, 2012, 2013). 

Hamburg was the fifth Gestalt research conference, with previous conferences held in Cape Cod, Rome, Paris and Chile, and the third I had attended personally. I go to these conferences for several reasons: to keep my understanding of research fresh, to be aware of how Gestalt research is developing (that is both in the research conducted by Gestaltists and research on Gestalt practice), to actively be part of a worldwide network of Gestalt practitioners and to take the opportunity of seeing the world beyond where I live in London, UK.

When going to a conference I try to explore the city and country in which it is hosted. Thus, in Chile, myself and four other attendees took the time to visit the Atacama Desert, a landscape of salt lakes and volcanoes, alpacas and flamingos. In Paris, I visited my former sister-in-law, and walked every day to the conference venue. In Hamburg, I shared a large flat with five friends and again walked the city.

The sense of being part of the wider community supports me in my relatively quiet working life. Conferences enable connection with other Gestalt practitioners. Much of this happens in those in-between spaces where chance conversations take place; when delegates spill out of conference halls and the regime of timetables and agendas to reception areas, streets and cafés. Through these unplanned meetings, I have gained valuable long-lasting friendships. People who I meet year after year in a variety of places, and others who I work and create with. 

An example is the formation of my writing group, which happened at the Paris conference where, when overloaded with information from presentations and speeches, I took a break. In a small café I met with others attending the conference and, over croissants and coffee, enjoyed talking about how, in the Gestalt community and beyond, research can seem daunting and dull; how it can be presented in ways that are difficult to take in and which appear antithetical to a Gestalt spirit of creativity, liveliness and experiential immediacy. We considered how we might promote a fresh spirit and flavour at these conferences and present Gestalt-informed qualitative research to be included alongside quantitative explorations. We espoused research methodologies arising from the same school of thought as Gestalt, valuing detailed observation, mutual relating and recognising the influence of the researcher on all aspects of research, data, participants and collaborators. Creative research explorations which focus less on measurement and more on description; where the researcher might change their perspective or understanding as part of an illuminative (Moustakas, 1981) and often personal process. 

Several of us were writing and we decided to support each other. Since coming together in Paris, we have been meeting regularly online and helping each other develop our writing and research projects, resulting in us collaboratively presenting at conferences. Our continued relationship is an unexpected outcome arising from our meeting.

A delayed event that eventually happened

At Santiago, Chile in 2019 it was announced that the next research conference would be held in Hamburg. The conference was due to take place in 2021, however, the COVID-19 pandemic took hold of Europe and travel restrictions, lockdowns and fear of infection caused it to be delayed. It was uncertain whether the conference would take place at all, and if it did, in what form: face-to-face, online, or with some form of compromise? A date was eventually decided for September 2022 but, in the meantime, many delegates and presenters had withdrawn and cancellations due to illness continued up to the start of the conference. The organisers, therefore, worked with a situation that changed and changed again. When people actually began arriving they expressed a mixture of excitement, relief and disbelief that it was now happening. About 100 people attended and presentations were either in person, online or a combination of both – less than imagined but enough for a lively gathering.

Conference setting

Hamburg is a city with many beautiful and grand buildings, large lakes, graffiti-covered walls, multi-national eateries and flea markets. The scruffy, trendy area of bars and restaurants where my colleagues and I were staying contrasted with the actual conference site: a wide street a mile away with a river and park on one side and impressive buildings on the other.

The Hamburg Chamber of Crafts (Handwerkskammer)[1] is a building in the Art Nouveau style. It has an enormous marble-floored central court open to five floors, with cast iron railings and an ornate drinking fountain in the centre. Statues and carvings feature on all floors; large leaded windows, picturing symbols for various crafts provide the light. The rooms in which the pre-conference meeting and workshops took place all have similar windows and wooden floors. The stylish small detail to be found everywhere is wonderful. It is a place worthy of a visit in its own right as an example of its architectural genre.

Pre-conference

Before the conference began there was a day’s meeting for those who were interested in building a research base within the European Gestalt community and in Gestalt training. Members of the EAGT (European Association for Gestalt Therapy) research committee were there, the president of IAAGT (International Association for the Advancement of Gestalt Therapy), along with the leaders of German Gestalt training organisations and a few trainees and independent practitioners such as myself. The meeting, at which three presentations were offered, was chaired by Vincent Beja with the aim of considering structures for the support and development of Gestalt research.

Vincent Beja presented two online resources for Gestalt researchers, both funded by EAGT. The first was The Gestalt Research Network[2], a social media network which has been developed as a hub for Gestalt Research. Here researchers can connect with others, seek collaborators and participants for their projects, and provide information on resources. Groups can be open or closed and the EAGT Research Committee is an example of a closed group, using the network as a base. At present on the site, there are four research projects inviting participants and several discussion groups. The network has the potential to be a valuable resource and central connection point for developing research and hosting communication between researchers. 

The Gestalt Research Database[3] has been developed over several years by David Pico, a Gestalt therapist from Madrid. Linked with the GTRN, this is a developing resource, currently holding 250 listings and information from past Gestalt research conferences, the programme of presenters and videos of keynote speeches. This is a work in progress with the potential to be expanded with the addition of many more publications. It has already proven to be a valuable resource for researchers and writers. 

The second presentation was a video made by Philip Brownell from his home in Wyoming. He has been hampered by an illness that has prevented him from travelling to the last two conferences, which is why he appeared in video form. Philip has thought through the stages of development for a Gestalt Research Organisation in detail, and this was what he presented. I felt heartened to hear him enthusiastically expressing enjoyment of his environment.

Finally, Peter Schulthess identified the resources necessary for research to take place: money, time, supervision and collaboration. He suggested creating networks beyond the Gestalt community, collaborations with universities, applying for grants and seeking professors who would be interested in supporting Gestalt Research projects. Also, the possibility of the EAGT forming an Ethics Committee that could approve independent research projects.

The remainder of the meeting was taken up with discussing these options and other thoughts around research in small groups and as a whole. I enjoyed being part of this and welcomed the opportunity to contribute my ideas in the smaller and larger groups.

Main conference

The plenaries were held in a room large enough to hold all the delegates, with space for at least twice as many as those who attended. Large windows made the room light and chairs were set out in rows, with a small stage at the front. The first thing to attract my attention was a colourful map of the world laid out on the floor. Little folded paper boats dotted the map, each representing a delegate, with a flag for the country they came from. There were people present from many different countries, with relatively few attending from the UK. I became obsessed with making my own paper boat and was enjoyably distracted for a while.

Workshops

As well as providing a focus for research taking place that validates and explores Gestalt practice, the conference served as a showcase for a variety of research projects that are currently taking place in the Gestalt world through a program of workshops.

These were listed daily on boards in the conference reception so that delegates could sign up for them. Crowds gathered round these boards in a lively, competitive atmosphere. Although there was some confusion due to many last minute changes and cancellations, there was an interesting variety of presentations. The venue provided plenty of good spaces for the workshops to take place in some of which were face-to-face, some online and some hybrid.

Keynote presentations

The conference keynote presentations – five in all – provided a lively and enthusiastic perspective on research into Humanistic Psychotherapy and Gestalt in particular; what has already taken place, and potential for future projects.

Wampold and Elliott

Bruce Wampold, author of The Great Psychotherapy Debate: The Evidence for What Makes Psychotherapy Work (Wampold & Imel, 2015) and Robert Elliot, author of Emotion-Focused Counselling in Action (Elliott & Greenberg, 2021), are both professors of counselling psychology. They featured throughout the conference as keynote speakers and part of panel discussions. These bright-eyed, senior, erudite men attracted me from the start. They frequently sat together engaged in enthusiastic conversation.

For his keynote speech, Wampold summarised his work, referring to ‘social healing in many contexts, the power of placebos, medicine and cultural healing practices’ (Wampold, 2022). His conclusion from many years of research is that psychotherapy effectiveness is largely due to qualities of the practitioner to be ‘competent, caring, attentive, genuinely empathic’ irrespective of modality.

Elliott, whose passion and excitement around research into psychotherapy seemed irrepressible, stated in the conference programme that, ‘research and practice can help each other … throughout my career I’ve loved both doing therapy and doing research on therapy’ (Elliott, 2022). He described research into his own practice to ‘make him a better therapist’ (ibid) which involved numerous research projects including case studies, clinical trials, meta-analyses and research.

Peter Schulthess
Past president of EAGT and SVG, board member of ASP (Association of Swiss Psychotherapists) and the Network Gestalt Therapy Switzerland and chair of the Science and Research Committee of EAP, Peter Schulthess presented the difficulties of setting up a control group for psychotherapy studies. He described in detail a Swiss process and outcome research project which resulted in a manual with ‘100 interventions from 10 different modalities, including Gestalt’. This has been written up and published in British Gestalt Journal (2021). He also discussed controversies around fidelity scales (Fogarty, Bhar et al., 2016).

 

Margherita Spagnuola Lobb

Researcher, international trainer and Director of the Istituto di Gestalt HCC Italy and writer of The Now for Next in Psychotherapy (2013), Margherita Spagnola Lobb outlined characteristics of Gestalt therapy research based on its three epistemological root: phenomenology, aesthetics of contact and the organism/environment field. Her focus was on ethical aspects of Gestalt therapy research, and the need for outcome research and the responsibility to show what we do while discovering new territories to advance our humanity (ibid, 2022). 

 

Christine Stevens

Editor of British Gestalt Journal, Christine Stevens was the final keynote speaker. Recognising that researchers need support, critical feedback and peer collaboration she proposed a network model, which consists of small case study research groups that can provide Continued Professional Development (CPD)[4]. Her vision is of a practical approach to research that is doable within a psychotherapists’ working life. It would require minimal resources, and people could make use of the online network that is already in place as a platform for networking.

Final comments

This was a rich conference, with an overall theme of supporting practitioners to become researchers, to validate our work and to generate new understandings. It satisfied me in my love of travel, inspiration and continued involvement with both research and the Gestalt community.

I left with the inspiration to consider how I might find the motivation to do research of my own and what that would be. As an independent private practitioner, not connected with a school or training organisation, I find little support or incentive for creating research projects. It is also hard to imagine how others such as myself would find the motivation to engage in research, which takes time, money and effort. Why would we want to? Individually it is probably unlikely to happen, however, with the support of a collaborating group, as suggested by Christine, there seems more possibility. For me the questions remain: is it desirable to integrate research into our practice? And, if it is, how can we open our Gestalt practice and culture to incorporate it?

References

(2022). Gestalt for Future - Creating a Network for Research: Conference Program. from https://research-conference-hamburg2021.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/program-international-conference-gestalt-28-08-22.pdf.

Asherson Bartram, C. E. (2012). Gestalt and Heuristic Research. British Gestalt Journal, 21(1).

Asherson Bartram, C. E. (2013). Narratives of mothers in stepfamily situations : an exploratory investigation. Middlesex University.

Elliott, R. (2022). Gestalt for Future; Creating a Network for Gestalt, Conference Programme. 2022.

Elliott, R. & Greenberg, L. (2021). Emotion-Focused Counselling in Action. London, SAGE Publications Ltd.

Finlayson, L. (2022). Art Deco Roots in Hamburg. Retrieved 13th September 2022, from https://artdecosociety.uk/2022/07/24/art-deco-roots-in-hamburg/.

Fogarty, M., Bhar, S. Theiler & O’Shea, L. (2016). What do Gestalt therapists do in the clinic? The expert consensus. British Gestalt Journal, 25(1).

Moustakas, C. (1981). Heuristic Research. Human Inquiry: A source book of New Paradigm Research. J. R. Peter Reason. Chichester, New York, J. Wiley.

Shultess, Crameri et al. (2021). Developing a manual for identifying interventions in psychotherapy to measure treatment adherence in research. British Gestalt Journal, 20(1), pp. 19-30.

Spagnuolo-Lobb, M. (2013). The Now for Next in Psychotherapy; Gestalt therapy recounted in post-modern Society. Italy, Istituto di Gestalt HCC.

Stevens, C. (2022). Practitioner Case Study Research Project. The Gestalt Therapy Research Network, 2022, from https://gestaltresearchnetwork.org/group/7/stream.

Stevens, C., Stringfellow, J., Wakelin, K. & Waring, J. (2011). The UK Gestalt Therapy Core Research Project: the findings. British Gestalt Journal, 20(2).

Wampold, B. E. (2022). Gestalt for Future; Creating a Network for Gestalt, Conference Programme. 2022.

Wampold, B. E. & Imel, Z. E. (2015). The Great Psychotherapy Debate; the Evidence for What Makes Psychotherapy Work. New York, Routledge.

Notes

[1] A description and pictures of this building can be found online: ‘(a) grand building (with) several impressive features. In particular the various staircases, where light-coloured steps and walls contrast with black decorative railings in a visually pleasing geometric pattern. A series of art glass window representing various Hamburg artisans and tradesmen … feature prominently in the great hall’ (Finlayson, 2022).

[2] https://gestaltresearchnetwork.org

[3] https://gestaltresearch.org/

[4] See Christine Stevens’ article in this volume


Dr. Claire Asherson Bartram has been working for over thirty years as a Gestalt therapist, group facilitator, clinical and academic supervisor, based in North London. In 2009 she completed her doctorate on stepfamilies which explores the experiences of mothers. For ten years she was a committee member of GAUK (Gestalt Association of the United Kingdom) and was a founding member of UKAGP.  She has been involved in organising AAGT’s Process Groups for over ten years. Her interests include stepfamily and family relationships, transformational processes in therapy and research, research methodologies which are compatible with Gestalt and acknowledgement of the self in academic writing.  


Address for correspondence: clairebartram21@gmail.com