My T identifies as more of a follower of Rogers, but he does utilize quite a few of Gestalt techniques as well. I personally like it versus CBT because often times in CBT my therapists would lead me to talk about things that felt unsafe to me, and boundaries are difficult.

I don't know for certain how a pure Gestalt therapist feels about past experiences, but I talk about the past a lot! As I do, T will point out my present reactions to the conversation. "You just looked at the clock." "Why did you make that face?" "I see you bouncing your foot a lot."

Don't be afraid to talk about whatever is important to you in the moment. Often times in my sessions T will ask me a question, and in the context of the conversation I'll say, "oh, that made me think of X event from my childhood." It's still staying in the present, but I don't walk into session saying "well, time to talk about my mom." It's just about whatever feels pertinent at the time. This is probably why my session yesterday was so weird to me.

Is it chaos? Yes, but in hindsight I'm seeing connective themes and growth.