Her influence on the future of therapy and our lives as world citizens
Online memorial
September 20, 2025
See your local time below
Who Donna Orange was
Donna Orange, PhD, PsyD, was a philosopher and relational psychoanalyst who dedicated her life to study and teach philosophy, history of psychoanalysis, and contemporary relational psychoanalysis. She has become significantly involved in dialogue with Gestalt psychotherapists.
Donna Orange’s friendship with Gestalt therapists
She met Gestalt therapy in the 90es, thanks to her friendship with Lynne Jacobs with whom she shared a love for intersubjective systems theory. The epistemology of Gestalt therapy was not far from Donna’s interest in bringing a Levinasian attitude into psychoanalysis. From her initial teaching at the Pacific Gestalt Institute, she started to teach internationally in other Gestalt therapy institutes, especially at the Italian Istituto di Gestalt HCC. At the same time, she engaged in a long term study group with a few members of the New York Institute for Gestalt Therapy. Her courageous honesty, easy humor, ability to teach complex material in clear, understandable language, her big heart, made her beloved. She expanded our notions inherent in Gestalt therapy using a different language, which allowed us to understand more of what we were doing already.
Donna Orange’s contribution to humanity and psychotherapists
Along with Stolorow and Atwood, Donna created the intersubjective systems theory, as meta-theory of psychoanalysis. According to it, personal experience always arises, continues, and transforms in relational contexts. Both therapist and patient influence each other. It calls upon therapists to bring the whole of themselves in their engagement with the patient. That is, therapists need to meet their patients not merely through thinking, but also emotionally or soulfully.
Donna also brought also the “ethical turn” into psychoanalysis, and psychotherapy. Drawing from Levinas’ thought, she gave an innovative glance to the “other”, that allows all psychotherapists to go beyond the narcissistic mentality of responsibility.
This Memorial is aimed to honor Donna’s legacy for Gestalt therapists, collecting testimonies from those who knew her and offering a living memorial to those who would like to know her.
Contents
Introduction
Margherita Spagnuolo Lobb
The heart of a gestalt therapist
Lynne Jacobs
The welcoming “face” of a radical ethics: Reflections on Donna
Dan Bloom
Donna: A revolutionary thinker and a committed human being
Margherita Spagnuolo Lobb
Small groups work: What did you learn from Donna’s writings, workshops or today?
Reconvening and reports
Ruella Frank
Final panel: In what way, if any, did Donna’s teaching influence you to become a Gestalt therapy trainer or therapist?
Those who have invited Donna to their institutes
| Starting time | Closing time |
| 8 AM Los Angeles (UTC -7) 11 AM New York (UTC-4) 5 PM Rome (UTC+2) 1 AM Melbourne (UTC +10) | 12 Noon AM Los Angeles (UTC -7) 3 PM New York (UTC-4) 9 PM Rome (UTC+2) 5 AM Melbourne (UTC +10) |
Memorial promoters
Language
English
Registration
You can join the memorial for free. Register using the following button.
After registration, you will receive the Zoom link the day before the event.