Ana Pribicevic

My approach to therapy is rooted in Gestalt psychotherapy, a modern and highly effective form of therapy that emphasizes the "here and now." This means we focus on your present experiences, emotions, and thoughts, helping you become more aware of how you interact with the world around you and how those patterns affect your well-being.

I take a phenomenological approach, which means we explore your unique perspective without imposing assumptions or judgments, allowing for a deeper understanding of your feelings and behaviors. This method helps you reconnect with yourself in an authentic way, leading to profound insights and personal growth.

In Gestalt therapy, we also work with the body, recognizing that physical sensations are closely connected to our emotional and mental states. This mind-body connection is a key aspect of healing, as it allows for a more holistic approach to your therapy.

I truly believe that everything can be healed and transformed through authentic contact. This means that the therapeutic relationship itself—based on trust, openness, and genuine connection—plays a pivotal role in your healing process. By fostering this meaningful contact, we can work together to address your struggles and empower you to create lasting change in your life.

Gestalt therapy is particularly effective in helping people navigate the emotional challenges of culture shock and reverse culture shock because it emphasizes awareness, presence, and integration of both the mind and body. When dealing with cultural transitions—whether adapting to a new culture abroad or reintegrating into one’s home culture after living abroad—Gestalt therapy provides a safe space for clients to fully experience and understand their emotions in the "here and now."

Here is how Gestalt therapy can help in these situations:

1. Focusing on the Present Moment ("Here and Now"): One of the key principles of Gestalt therapy is its focus on the present moment. Many people experience culture shock or reverse culture shock because they are either dwelling on past experiences or anxiously anticipating future challenges. By focusing on the "here and now," Gestalt therapy helps individuals stay grounded in their current emotional experience. This encourages clients to become more aware of how they are reacting to their surroundings, reducing the intensity of anxiety, confusion, or frustration.

2. Awareness of Thoughts, Feelings, and Behaviors: Culture shock often brings up intense emotional reactions, such as feeling disconnected, misunderstood, or frustrated. Through Gestalt therapy, clients learn to identify and express these feelings, bringing awareness to how their emotional responses may be influencing their actions. This awareness helps them understand the roots of their discomfort and can make it easier to manage and navigate these transitions.

3. Exploring the Mind-Body Connection: Gestalt therapy works with the body, recognizing that emotions often manifest physically. When experiencing culture shock, individuals may notice changes in their body language, posture, or physical reactions (e.g., tension, fatigue, headaches). By becoming more aware of these physical sensations, clients can better understand how their bodies are reacting to stress or cultural dissonance, helping them to release emotional blockages and develop healthier coping strategies.

4. Phenomenological Approach (Understanding the Individual’s Experience): A core aspect of Gestalt therapy is the phenomenological approach, which means that the therapist seeks to understand the client's unique experience without imposing assumptions or judgments. When dealing with culture shock or reverse culture shock, everyone’s experience is different. Gestalt therapy allows the individual to fully express their personal perception of the cultural transition, helping them make sense of their feelings of alienation, confusion, or loss. This personalized exploration creates space for healing and growth.

5. Addressing Unfinished Business: Culture shock and reverse culture shock can often bring up unresolved emotions from one’s time abroad—things that were left unprocessed or unresolved. Gestalt therapy helps to address this "unfinished business" by allowing clients to confront these emotions in a safe, structured environment. This helps them let go of past frustrations or disappointments, making it easier to adapt to new environments or reintegrate into their home culture.

6. The Power of Authentic Contact: Gestalt therapy places a strong emphasis on authentic contact, which refers to building a genuine, present, and non-judgmental relationship between the therapist and client. This therapeutic relationship becomes a model for how the client can build healthier, more meaningful connections with others. As clients learn to connect authentically in therapy, they are better equipped to bridge the cultural gaps they experience when interacting with people from different backgrounds or when returning home after a long time abroad.

7. Gestalt therapy also addresses the concept of personality function—the idea that who we are, and how we function in the world, is not static but shaped through our experiences and interactions. For individuals living abroad, this concept becomes particularly relevant, as the experience of immersing oneself in a new culture often leads to profound shifts in how one perceives themselves, their identity, and their place in the world.

When living abroad, people often undergo a process of transformation. The challenges of adapting to a new culture, language, and environment can encourage individuals to step out of their comfort zones, reconsider their values, and develop new aspects of their personality. In Gestalt therapy, we view this as an opportunity to build a new personality or an evolved sense of self that better reflects the individual’s experiences and needs.

In conclusion, Gestalt therapy provides an ideal framework for individuals going through culture shock or reverse culture shock, as it helps them work through the changes and growth that come with living abroad. By focusing on the present experience, body awareness, authentic contact, and personal identity, Gestalt therapy fosters a deeper understanding of oneself, enabling individuals to embrace the personal transformation that comes with living between cultures and building a new, authentic personality.