A decade of life and contemplation on the topic of development flows into this book. This, along with the author's growing skepticism towards a stage-based thinking in Gestalt therapeutic practice, has led to a text where theoretical considerations are now intertwined with practical life experiences, and philosophical insights are connected with experiences from psychotherapeutic practice. From the question of the significance of development for the here and now of present life, the question inevitably arose of what maturation and maturity could actually mean today. The search was for the image of humanity that lies behind every psychotherapeutic intervention and consciously or unconsciously guides therapeutic action. The direction in which my work on these topics has developed has changed over the many years.