Dorothy Charles has been teaching Gestalt at Esalen since the 1980s, carrying forward a lineage deeply connected to the work that Dick Price once practiced and taught. For Charles, Gestalt is a way of meeting one another with enough presence, honesty, and support that something old can finally be seen, felt, and integrated. “We develop in relationship and we heal in relationship,” she says, echoing Gregory Bateson’s insight that “it takes two people to know one person.” In this work, participants explore both “what happened that shouldn’t have happened” and “what did not happen that should have happened.” Within the supportive field of the group, old wounds can be witnessed in a new way: as openings into deeper contact, repair, and growth.
Find even more videos on our Youtube channel.
Join Dorothy June 22–26, 2026 for Photo Gestalt: Exploring Self Through Family Photographs.