RESISTANCE AND APPARENT NONMOTIVATION TO REHABILITATION ARE PARTICULARLY CHARACTERISTIC OF MANY DRUG-DEPENDENT PERSONS. RESISTANCE IS AN UNAVOIDABLE PROCESS IN TREATMENT AND IS NOT SPECIFIC TO DRUG REHABILITATION. GESTALT THERAPY HAS EMERGED AS A MAJOR FORCE IN THE MENTAL HEALTH FIELD, BUT MANY COUNSELORS ARE UNAWARE OF THE IMPLICATIONS OF SUCH THERAPY. IT IS THE THESIS OF GESTALT THERAPY THAT PERSONALITY IS BIPOLAR. FROM THE GESTALT VIEWPOINT, RESISTANCE IS ONLY ONE END OF AN INDIVIDUAL'S PERSONALITY; THE OTHER END MAY WANT TO BE FULLY INVOLVED IN REHABILITATION . GESTALT THERAPY IS AN EXISTENTIAL HELPING APPROACH THAT ASSUMES HUMAN BEINGS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO CHOOSE THEIR BEHAVIOR AND THUS DEFINE THEIR OWN MEANING IN LIFE. TO FACILITATE FUNCTIONING, GESTALT THERAPISTS ATTEMPT TO HELP PEOPLE FULLY USE THEIR FACULTIES OF AWARENESS. TECHNIQUES WITH RELEVANCE FOR THE COUNSELING PROCESS ARE SUCH PROCEDURES AS RECOGNITION OF RESISTANCE ON THE PART OF DRUG-DEPENDENT CLIENTS TO REHABILITATION IN AN INDIRECT FASHION, STATEMENT OF OPPOSITE LIFE GOALS FOR DRUG ABUSERS WHO ARE UNAWARE OF AMBIVALENT ATTITUDES TOWARD BEING REHABILITATED, AND ROLE PLAYING OPPOSITES (FANTASY). A CLINIC, AGENCY, OR THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITY CAN STRUCTURE ITS TREATMENT PROGRAM BASED ON THE GESTALT THEORY OF POLARITIES. PARADOXES AND CRITICAL FACTORS IN THE DRUG REHABILITATION FIELD ARE DISCUSSED. REFERENCES ARE CITED. (DEP)