Erving Polster received his Ph.D. in 1950. In 1953, he began learning Gestalt therapy, as it was being formed by the Perls, and their circle in New York.
In 1956 he began to conduct Gestalt workshops. In 1958 he became first faculty Chairman of the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland and remained in that position until 1973, when he and his wife, Miriam, moved to San Diego. There they formed the Gestalt Training Center-San Diego, where for 25 years they taught Gestalt therapy. People came to San Diego from all over the world to attend their training programs. They traveled internationally since 1968, giving lectures and workshops and presenting at conferences. One of Erv’s unique offerings is to demonstrate the principles and procedures through live therapy sessions in front of professional audiences.
Erv and Miriam authored a widely read text, Gestalt Therapy Integrated, published in 1973.
He also wrote Every Person’s Life Is Worth a Novel, spelling out the kinship between the novelist and the psychotherapist. One of the book’s perspectives is that the stories created by novelists are extracted from a background of ordinary humanity. This source of storyline and revelation has much in common with the personal background, from which therapists evoke stories from their patients. By the evocation of these stories, people are led to rediscover the importance of neglected events and overlooked characteristics, restoring self-value.
His next book was A Population of Selves, published in 1995, in which he explores the means for establishing personal identity. His portrayal of a variety of selves provides a base for people to experience their internal range of characteristics while joining these characteristics together to feel a dependable identity.
Another book, From the Radical Center, is an anthology that traces the evolution of ideas that he and Miriam presented over a 45-year period. In 2006, he authored Uncommon Ground: Harmonizing Psychotherapy and Community, transposing the medical model of office therapy into large group formats. The book envisions the creation of lifetime assemblages of people, guided by designed exercises targeted to enhance attention to the common aspects of how people may best live their lives.
At 102 Erv is still writing and teaching, having published several more books.
I studied with Erv and Miriam in 1997; that was a precious experience, which gave me fuel on both a personal and professional level. Both of them were very gracious, very knowledgeable, and both had a great sense of humour.
Here is an interview with Erv when he was 95:
https://www.psychotherapynetworker.org/article/erv-polster-how-aging-changes-therapy/
Here is an interview with him on Humans of Gestalt:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PVG9JgpTQQ
Here are 44 videos with Erv, available for monthly subscription on the Zeig website:
https://catalog.erickson-foundation.org/topicarea/gestalt
