Our previous edition of the NGV Journal was about the topic of Love in Gestalt Therapy. While exploring the theme of love we discovered how different it can be in times of wars. This edition is an explorative journey of the therapeutic role of a gestalt practitioner living in a war setting and how it affects all areas of life: work, family, friendship, any other existential domains.

Lena, NGV Director:
“I work daily with a lot of people who are experiencing war in their home countries and/or suffering from war. I see how exhausted my colleagues are, both physically and emotionally. Practicing in circumstances with no heating, electricity and no hopes for a better life in the near future leads to no energy even for sharing. I feel it’s vitally important (for them and us!) to explore the phenomenon encountered by therapists as well as clients in times of war. This edition for me is an attempt to build connection, not formal verbal connection but much deeper – corresponding more to basic gestaltistic traditions, which are nowadays often forgotten.”

New Gestalt Voices invites contributions on the topic of war from a range of gestalt psychotherapy perspectives to explore whatever emerges in you as a person practising gestalt philosophy: whether you are a gestalt program trainee, a supervisee, graduate, trainer, supervisor or just a follower of gestalt events. For this edition we invite insiders of war situations worldwide to share your explorations on life, practice, profession, humanity, values.

We invite theoretical perspectives, as well as any other phenomenological explorations with gestalt focuses and insights. We welcome the felt sense expression of your experiencing war in your writing – through your therapy work, your life, creativity, writing, activism, teaching, disruption, engagement with politics, the environment, social justice, religion, organisations and organising.

As the topic of ‘war’ is often framed into specific humanistic visions by outsiders of the war settings, we particularly welcome contributions from voices that come from the field of war and/or those being in close relational connection to the field of war. 

SUBMISSIONS

We welcome a range of submission modes:
Articles (max number of words 5,000)
Poems, art, music or other creative offerings
Videos, podcast episodes, other multi-media submissions
Short reflections on the theme (up to 1,000 words)
Reviews or comments on books, films, poetry, images
Papers for dialogue

If you would like to talk to us with initial ideas you would be very welcome. For all correspondence and enquiries please email: Lena@newgestaltvoices.org

For the PDF Journal we ask that writers stick to the following pre-publication schedule. 

 For the July 2025 edition: 
Mid Jan 2025 – 1-2 page overview of article content
End March 2025 – First draft to editors
End May 2025 – Final draft to editors 

We look forward to receiving your expressions of interest.