Gestalt therapy is a psychotherapeutic approach that focuses on developing awareness of one's true self. It views humans holistically rather than as a sum of parts. The goal is to help clients become aware of what they are experiencing in the present moment through experiments designed by the therapist. Major principles include holism, phenomenology, figure formation process, and organismic self-regulation. The therapist aims to help clients address unfinished business from the past and overcome resistances to full contact in the present through awareness, acceptance, integration, and taking responsibility for their choices rather than trying to control others.