A note from Christine Price announcing

The Gestalt Practice Library and Resource Center

Dear Christine,

Fifty-three years ago, I landed in a Gestalt and Rolfing workshop at Esalen Institute. Richard Price was the primary leader. As a senior in high school, I read Fritz Perl's Gestalt Therapy Verbatim and had a cathartic experience, although at 17 years old, I didn't know that term. Nine months later, I found my way to Dick’s group by good fortune and maybe a dash of divine guidance. When I saw Dick reflecting in his gestalt practice style, it was love at first open seat. As I celebrated my 18th birthday there, I found my heart’s home and life path.

Through practicing and teaching, I have been a student of this process ever since - first in my partnership with Dick and, after he was gone, through the work itself. His form of gestalt has been my guide and a guide for many who show up to notice, turn toward, and meet the inner and outer world with curiosity and open heart.

When Dick died, I inherited a large number of audio tapes: recordings of seminars and lectures taught by friends and colleagues at Esalen, many at his invitation. Also left behind were a few precious videotapes of Dick reflecting open seat sessions and teaching in his funny, warm, and deeply present way. Since then, more gestalt practice work has been recorded in audio and video. As the technology improved and became more available, our storehouse of audiovisual materials grew.

These tapes were stored in garages, attics, and under counters for the last 50 years… that is, until Sharon Terry showed up and digitalized them one by one, and sometimes two by two or three by three!

Due to this labor of love, we now have four terabytes of digital material “in the cloud,” created from more than 30,000 VHS and cassette tapes.

Last spring, we incorporated the Gestalt Practice Library and Resource Center as a nonprofit. We are viewing, sorting, indexing, editing, and dreaming of ways this treasure can be available and useful to you and to others. We have a big vision and hope to have a grand opening - or even a good one - sometime this summer. At that point, you can become a member of the library.

Dorothy Charles, Sharon Terry, and I are the founding board members. A group of amazing volunteers is helping us sort and tag audio recordings. We received seed donations to get us started and just applied for our first grant. Now, we need to fundraise in earnest.

To get a real sense of what we are doing, read this. Here are some little appetizers of library materials. If you would like to follow the developments of this project, add yourself to our mailing list. If you're willing to make a financial contribution to help establish this historic archive and bring forward a working library that offers both didactic and experiential resources related to Dick Price and gestalt practice, we need your support.

With gratitude and anticipation,

Chris

PS: If you like watching more than reading, here is a video greeting.

Photo: Memorial Ting, Esalen Institute, dedicated to Richard Price. Credit: Rudi Price (?)

Tribal Ground LLC is Christine Price's company, the home of Gestalt Awareness Practice.

Relational Gestalt Practice is Dorothy Charles' approach to and synthesis of gestalt work.

Tribal Ground Circle is the joint venture of teachers of Gestalt Awareness Practice, Relational Gestalt Practice, and other approaches significantly incorporating gestalt practice in the tradition of Richard Price.