“The three elements — the three jewels — of Gestalt practice are awareness, choice, and trust. Trust in your power of self-regulation given the exercise of your ability to contact experience and to choose. Gestalt, more than being a therapy or perhaps even a practice, is simply an alternative way for people to be present with one another.
“Gestalt is a way of being present — with yourself, another person, or a group. It is likely to be more nourishing than the ways people typically interact, as it invites presence and availability for another’s experience, just as it is.”
As an explorer of spiritual and embodiment practices, Dick was dedicated to shaping Esalen Institute into a sanctuary for healing, growth, and exploration. His influence and curiosity fused Eastern wisdom, Western psychology, and lived experience within the Esalen community and beyond.
“My function [as reflector] is simply to be available in a particular way — to reflect and clarify whatever comes up in that person’s process. I am never defining how a person should be. The person remains responsible for their own experience. This is very unlike standard psychiatry, where you’re put, if not in jail cells, certainly in diagnostic pigeonholes.
Esalen Institute
55000 Highway 1
Big Sur, CA 93920
US: 1-831-667-3000
info@esalen.org
