The Architecture of Loss and Creativity: From the Mind of a Gestalt Expert & Leadership Consultant

Shrinks Rap

Rafael Cortina interviews another Gestalt icon - Morgan Goodlander

Morgan Goodlander is a public speaker, president of the San Francisco Gestalt Institute, and leadership counselor. He has worked in 17 countries and has managed educational programs for the Esalen Institute. Rafael Cortina continues his mission to introduce us to extraordinary thought leaders and influencers throughout the Gestalt world. Many luminaries continue to be pulled into Rafael’s gravitational field and you may ask yourself, when does the man rest?

In this humorous and riveting podcast, Morgan Goodlander describes growing up Gestalt. He was influenced by a family friend of his dad’s. A man he jokingly refers to as “Socrates.” While others his age were probably more concerned about going to prom and mastering the SAT’s, Morgan had deeper concerns. As a teenager, Morgan was exploring how to apply the theory of Gestalt therapy to his own life. Later on, he observed that it is Gestalt therapy that works best for his clients.

Morgan opines about the repetitive nature of loss throughout history. He explores the role that creativity plays in finding elegant solutions to redundant problems we all face. Problems that are embedded in common losses. He noted that the key losses we must overcome include the loss of our sense of belonging, of prestige, and of the sense of having or being enough. Both Rafael and Morgan discuss the basic tenants of Gestalt in their own dialectic. The role of personal responsibility, experiencing life in the present moment, leading from within, understanding the dialectic between self and others, as well as the dialectic between self and our environment, and learning from our repetitive experiences. Morgan paints the picture of what it is like to be stuck in a “Ground Hog Day” vortex. After listening to this episode, you may think about how to step outside of the self-limiting (ontological and phenomenological) dimensions of life - - that stop you from seeing infinite possibilities for creativity and change.
To connect with Morgan and to learn mora bout him click here
For his YouTube channel click here

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