Inquiry Abstract

This dissertation explores the experience of Eros in therapeutic settings between clients and therapists who are gay. Qualitative research, with an action research approach using ontological and epistemological considerations in a relational, post-modern, positivist paradigm with collaborative enquiry, hermeneutic and phenomenological research approaches using mixed methods is used to collect, analyse and collate data.

Key themes that emerged when exploring and working with Eros are contact, shame, and loss. This dissertation explores the value of contracting, care and attention and how this can support this exploration. It posits the possibility of deepening a therapeutic relationship by attending to Eros in our practice and its impact as therapists.

Inquiry Host

Patrick McElligott

Host Bio

Patrick is a Gestalt Psychotherapist with over 15 years of experience in the youth, voluntary, and community sectors, focusing particularly on individuals with diverse genders and sexual orientations. He is currently a Senior Counsellor at the University of Limerick, where he is dedicated to providing a safe, inclusive, and authentic space for clients. In his role, Patrick facilitates both support and social groups, as well as individual sessions, addressing a wide range of personal and interpersonal issues.

Patrick’s professional background is multifaceted, encompassing qualifications in psychotherapy, supervision, training, group facilitation, and mediation. He is also a qualified Electrician and a Reiki therapist, integrating these diverse skills into his holistic approach to therapy. Patrick’s approach to therapy is grounded in the belief that self-expression and narrative are central to the healing process. He views psychotherapy as a means to explore and reflect upon life experiences and foster self-compassion. Through his work, Patrick strives to create transformative spaces where individuals can explore their identities, heal from past experiences, and move towards a more authentic and fulfilling life.

Inquiry Abstract

Abstract for MA Gestalt Psychotherapy (2023) for the Gestalt Institute of Ireland. Engaging in qualitative research on embodiment, as a therapist and a woman the initial question that emerged for me was ‘How can I build and support tolerance for the unknown in coming home to my body?’ In the socio-cultural context of western civilisation, cognitive accomplishment and certainty are lauded as goals. This bias, influenced by cartesian philosophy, denies much of what it is to be an embodied, dynamic, participating being. As I engaged with the research process my question evolved. What emerged was a new, if related question; “How does the embodied presence of the therapist support when there is trauma in the field?”. Our reasons for leaving our embodied selves very often involved trauma of one kind or another. To come home to our bodies we require support and in the climate where trauma is experienced and where its impact continues, support is rarely available. More than having a sense of satisfaction in answering my research question, I feel that through turning my gaze with others towards what had previously eluded me, I have been initiated into an experience of embodiment which, to use Todres words, ‘is full of fertile excess, intimate with crossings and bridges, textures and relationships that are the “stuff” of understanding’.

Inquiry Host

Kate McCarthy

Host Bio

Kate originally trained in Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy. Subsequently she did the Sensorimotor Trauma Training.

However it was really through her research master’s in Gestalt that she got a sense of coming home to her body. She has worked as a core tutor on a four year psychotherapy training programme and supervised students in training for a further two years. She works in private practice as a psychotherapist and supervisor and also does some work with women in Direct Provision. She feels passionately about her work.

Inquiry Abstract

This research arose out of my desire to become a better therapist.I used the vehicle of research to support me to stay with the aspects of my practice that were causing me difficulty, to learn about and from them, to inquire with others about their own practice, all with the goal of improving skills and capacity as a gestalt practitioner.

My interest lies in the aftermath of childhood trauma – its impact on therapeutic ground, embodied presence, and contact in the therapeutic relationship.

The research is about listening to the whispers of what is not yet explicit, staying present to what emerges through the cycles of inquiry.It is about the impact of trauma on embodied presence.It is about exploring how I and my co-inquirers can lose our ground in the therapeutic relationship, and exploring how each of us find ground again in the clinical setting.It is about ebb and flow, the dance of availability and contact in the therapeutic relationship and what supports this dance.

Inquiry Host

Sharon Murphy

Host Bio

Sharon is a Gestalt psychotherapist based in South Kilkenny.  She works both in-person and online and offers a warm, compassionate space where clients can explore the issues that have brought them to therapy.

Sharon deeply believes in the transformative power of the therapeutic relationship and works collaboratively with clients to enhance awareness and support new ways of living more fully and meaningfully.  Her approach is both creative and holistic, integrating body work, metaphor, symbols, and imagery into the therapeutic process.

Sharon brings a diverse and rich professional background to her work. With over 25 years in personal development and complementary therapies, she is a qualified and seasoned facilitator, mentor, and trainer. She has a wealth of experience in cancer care, supporting both individuals living with a diagnosis and those affected by the diagnosis or loss of a loved one.

In addition,

Sharon has spent over a decade working in social care settings. She has supported children and young people facing challenges in the education system and assisted families navigating these difficulties. Sharon has also worked in the disability sector, providing therapeutic support to adults with intellectual disabilities, as well as professional supervision to the social care staff who support them.