Referring to the theory of the self presented by Perls, Hefferline and Goodman in Gestalt Therapy (1951), this work examines the Gestalt concept of spontaneity and its clinical implications. Spontaneity is a quality of good contact, of full experience. When s/he is fully present in the here and now with the other, the therapist is in the better condition to grasp what occurs at the contact boundary with the client and to respond to it in a spontaneous way. With this understanding, the spontaneity of the therapist, that is never separated from responsibility that the role of caring implies, becomes a fundamental tool of therapy.
Keywords: Spontaneity, awareness, concentration, contact boundary, responsibility.