Phenomena Journal, upon invitation from the Editor-in-Chief Raffaele Sperandeo, MD, PhD, invites authors to submit manuscripts for a Themed Issue on Gestalt Trauma Therapy, with a focus on phenomenological, clinical, methodological, and interdisciplinary perspectives.

Contemporary Gestalt therapy has developed an increasingly refined understanding of trauma, viewing it as a rupture in the continuity of experience, a disturbance in the field, and a profound interruption of contact. This Themed Issue aims to gather contributions that explore innovative ways of understanding, treating, and transforming traumatic experience within and beyond the therapy room. 

Types of Articles (as defined by Phenomena Journal)

You may submit manuscripts for any of the following peer-reviewed article types (where appropriate for the topic) according to the Journal’s guidelines: phenomenajournal.com

• Original Research – full empirical studies presenting new data and findings (up to 12,000 words).
• Brief Research Reports – shorter empirical studies, preliminary or negative findings (up to 4,000 words).
• Systematic Reviews – rigorous evidence syntheses (up to 12,000 words).
• Narrative Reviews – state-of-the-art overviews (up to 12,000 words).
• Mini Reviews – concise reviews of current developments (up to 3,000 words).
• Hypotheses and Study Methods – theoretical, conceptual, and methodological articles (up to 12,000 words).
• Clinical Study Protocols – protocols for planned clinical research (up to 12,000 words).
• Clinical Trials – reports of interventional clinical studies (up to 12,000 words).
• Clinical Case Reports – detailed clinical case descriptions (up to 3,000 words).
• Data Reports – datasets together with methodology and context (up to 3,000 words).
• Policy Briefs – concise policy-oriented evaluations (up to 8,000 words).
• Commentaries – focused commentary on specific studies (up to 1,000 words).
• Opinion Articles – evidence-based perspectives and discussion (up to 3,000 words).

Suggested Topics

Contributions may address, but are not limited to:

• Phenomenology of traumatic experience and contact processes
• Trauma and field dynamics in Gestalt therapy
• Developmental and relational trauma
• Embodied, perceptual and creative interventions
• Dissociation, shame, and contact interruptions
• Methodological innovations in trauma research
• Mixed-methods, phenomenological and practice-based studies
• Integrative approaches bridging Gestalt therapy with complementary trauma models (e.g., DBT, sensorimotor approaches, EMDR, DBR, attachment-based frameworks, ego state work)
• Clinically-oriented protocols and integrated therapeutic models
• Intercultural, social, and political dimensions of trauma

All submissions will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process.

Submission Guidelines

Full Manuscript: Submit by 27 January 2026 to phenomenajournal.com
Please indicate the article type (e.g., Original Research, Mini Review, Clinical Case) according to Phenomena Journal’s classifications.

Info at [email protected]

Timeline

• 27 January 2026 – Submission deadline
• June 2026 Issue Publication