Fritz Perls, a Jewish psychiatrist and psychotherapist, was one of the three key figures studied by Richard Bandler and John Grinder in their development of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). His work heavily influenced the Meta Model, which was shaped around his distinctive questioning techniques, as observed by Robert Dilts.

Perls himself drew inspiration from Wilhelm Reich, Jan Smuts, and Alfred Korzybski, incorporating their ideas into his groundbreaking Gestalt Therapy, which he co-founded with his wife, Laura Perls.

Understanding Gestalt Therapy

Perls explained Gestalt Therapy with an analogy:

“You can, for instance, tear a house down into bricks, windows, and so on. When all that remains is rubble, you can count the pieces, but it is no longer a house. The meaning comes from the relationship between the parts and the larger context—this is the essence of a Gestalt.”

(From his lecture, Finding Self Through Gestalt Therapy).

Key Concepts That Influenced NLP

Perls’ work contributed several foundational ideas to NLP, including:

• The role of physiology and breathing in emotional states and awareness.
• Sensory experience over introspection, emphasizing external awareness.
• Nonverbal communication, where gestures and body language reveal deeper messages.
• Spatial sorting, where physical movement and positioning influence emotional processing.
• Working with parts and resolving inner conflicts, a method for addressing internal incongruence.
• Focusing on “what” and “how” rather than “why”, to create actionable awareness.

Notable Quotes by Fritz Perls

• “Anxiety is excitement minus oxygen.”
• “I am not in this world to live up to other people’s expectations, nor do I feel that the world must live up to mine.”
• “Dependency enslaves us, especially when it controls our self-esteem. If you constantly seek encouragement, praise, and validation from others, you make them your judge.”
• “A neurotic person struggles to appreciate themselves, so they tear themselves apart in hopes that the world will acknowledge them.”

Perls’ approach to therapy emphasized self-awareness, direct experience, and personal responsibility—principles that remain deeply embedded in NLP.

Fritz Perls Video