Mexican humanistic Gestalt psychotherapy

Domain III · Humanistic, existential & experiential · Myriam Muñoz Polit · 1985 · Mexico City

What it is

This is a training tradition and institute rather than a separately manualised therapy. Muñoz Polit (born 1948 in Guayaquil, Ecuador; died 26 January 2025) held a doctorate in Human Development from the Universidad Iberoamericana. She founded the IHPG in 1985 and directed it until her death. She…

Format

• No published phase protocol, session count or criteria for moving between phases was found for IHPG psychotherapy. The structure below combines three things: the emotional-process model, the Gestalt cycle of experience as taught in Mexican Gestalt, and the formats the IHPG runs. A suggested course…
• Feelings fall into three groups:

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• What it is. This is a training tradition and institute rather than a separately manualised therapy. Muñoz Polit (born 1948 in Guayaquil, Ecuador; died 26 January 2025) held a doctorate in Human Development from the Universidad Iberoamericana. She founded the IHPG in 1985 and directed it until her death. She also founded the journal Figura Fondo in 1997. The IHPG reports more than 20,000 graduates and campuses in…
• How change happens. Emotion is the organism's immediate, integrating awareness of its relation to the environment. It joins a bodily reaction to a quick appraisal of the situation. Unpleasant sensations and emotions signal possible danger or an unmet need. Sensations, emotions and feelings put the person in contact with their needs, and the natural next step is action to meet them. Problems arise when this process…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• a change in voice or affect.
• anxiety rising. Offer contact.
• embarrassment. Model playfulness.
• a feeling of relief and completion.
• defensiveness. Frame it as an experiment.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.