Empty chair technique

Speak to them, not about them1

Gestalt therapy prefers direct experience to talk; addressing an imagined parent is one of its "experiments".

Two sides, two chairs1

The client can move between chairs to voice both sides of an inner argument.

Closing unfinished business1

A stated aim is finishing what was left unsaid, such as feelings never expressed to someone.

Talking to a parent, not about them1

Rather than talking about a critical parent, the client imagines the parent present, or the therapist standing in for them, and talks to that parent directly.

Telling a parent what was missing6

Clients told an imagined parent "maybe I needed you to hug me and tell me that it was still okay instead of yelling at me" and "I deserve to have mom who loved me".

Asking for acknowledgement6

Another said to the other chair: "I would like you to acknowledge the damage that it cost".

Grieving a loss7

A client grieving a lost relationship said to the chair "I lost you. I lost a part of myself. I have never recovered", and afterwards "I am sad but I am glad. Do you know what I mean?"

Two chairs: the critic6

From the critic's chair clients said "you're not worth anything" and "you're not living up to what I expect you".

Two chairs: the criticised self6

From the other chair: "Stop putting me down", "I have a right to be myself", "I'm tired of it".

Two chairs: the critic softens6

As the critic softened: "I'm gonna stop making you these demand on you" and "I understand that you were trying to find somebody that loved you".

Not only people1

The chair can also hold an aspect of one's own personality or a feeling, and acting out feelings in it can help someone prepare for a new job.

Gestalt therapy1

Fritz Perls, Laura Perls and Paul Goodman developed Gestalt therapy in the 1940s and 1950s; early groups used a "hot seat" with one person worked with in front of others.

Psychodrama5

Jacob Moreno's psychodrama, an influence on Gestalt, used enactment techniques such as role reversal, where the client plays the other person.

Empty chair for unfinished business2

In emotion-focused therapy, lingering hurt towards a significant other is worked through in an empty-chair dialogue, aiming to let go of resentment and unmet needs.

Two-chair dialogue for self-criticism2

When one part of the client attacks another, the critic and the criticised self speak to each other from two chairs.

Two-chair enactment for blocked feelings2

When clients block their own feelings, a two-chair enactment works on the way they interrupt themselves.

Adapted for trauma2

Modified empty-chair techniques are used for complex trauma.

Deeper experiencing3

A 2023 meta-analysis found one session of chairwork deepened experiencing more than empathic responding (Cohen's d = .90).

Similar symptom change in one session3

Single sessions gave large symptom change, but no more than other methods (d = .02); over several sessions chairwork added a modest benefit (d = .40).

Trials across many problems4

A 2025 review of 22 randomised trials found effects from small (d = 0.20) to large (d = 1.73) for depression, trauma, OCD, social anxiety and eating disorders.

Criticism of early demonstrations1

Critics called some of Perls' brief demonstration workshops "hit-and-run" therapy: showmanship with little follow-through.