Barry Stevens (therapist)
Encyclopedia
Barry Stevens, born Mildred Fox, (1902–1985) was a writer and Gestalt therapist
. She developed her own form of Gestalt therapy
body work, based on the awareness
of body processes. For the human potential movement
of the 1970s, she became a kind of "star", but she always refused to accept that role.
She worked - among others - with the psychotherapists Fritz Perls
and Carl Rogers
. Bertrand Russell
and Aldous Huxley
were among her friends.
Fritz Perls
described Barry Stevens as "a natural born therapist."
. It shows the author during a period of several months in association with Fritz Perls
at Perls' Gestalt Institute of Canada at Lake Cowichan, Vancouver Island
, in 1969. Barry Stevens describes both Gestalt therapy theory and practice and her relationship with Fritz Perls in a sensitive way. Thus creating a vivid image of Perls in the last months of his life.
In addition she explored Zen Buddhism, the philosophy of J. Krishnamurti, and American Indian religious practices
in an effort "to deepen and expand personal experience and work through difficulties." "We have to turn ourselves upside down and reverse our approach to life." Alternating with episodes from her earlier days, it became a "best-seller" in the circles of humanistic psychology.
Her earliest published work is "Hideaway Island" a loosely autobiographical novel about a woman on the far end of Long Island.
She met Nakata Yoshimatsu, a former valet of Jack London
, in Hawaii in the 1930s, and helped him to write down his recollections.And she wrote an article about Nakata that was published posthumously in 2000.
John O. "Steve" Stevens founded Real People Press, a publisher of works on psychology and personal change in 1967, in order to publish a book by Carl Rogers
and Barry Stevens entitled "Person to Person".
He published books on Gestalt therapy; he was responsible for the compilation of Gestalt Therapy Verbatim, the media event that brought Gestalt therapy to public attention in the late 1960s. And he is also the editor of the 1973 book Embrace Tiger, Return to Mountain: The Essence of Tai Chi by Chungliang Al Huang
, to which he and Barry Stevens wrote the preface. He later changed his name to Steve Andreas.
Gestalt therapy
Gestalt therapy is an existential/experiential form of psychotherapy that emphasizes personal responsibility, and that focuses upon the individual's experience in the present moment, the therapist-client relationship, the environmental and social contexts of a person's life, and the self-regulating...
. She developed her own form of Gestalt therapy
Gestalt therapy
Gestalt therapy is an existential/experiential form of psychotherapy that emphasizes personal responsibility, and that focuses upon the individual's experience in the present moment, the therapist-client relationship, the environmental and social contexts of a person's life, and the self-regulating...
body work, based on the awareness
Awareness
Awareness is the state or ability to perceive, to feel, or to be conscious of events, objects or sensory patterns. In this level of consciousness, sense data can be confirmed by an observer without necessarily implying understanding. More broadly, it is the state or quality of being aware of...
of body processes. For the human potential movement
Human Potential Movement
The Human Potential Movement arose out of the social and intellectual milieu of the 1960s and formed around the concept of cultivating extraordinary potential that its advocates believed to lie largely untapped in all people...
of the 1970s, she became a kind of "star", but she always refused to accept that role.
She worked - among others - with the psychotherapists Fritz Perls
Fritz Perls
Friedrich Salomon Perls , better known as Fritz Perls, was a noted German-born psychiatrist and psychotherapist of Jewish descent....
and Carl Rogers
Carl Rogers
Carl Ransom Rogers was an influential American psychologist and among the founders of the humanistic approach to psychology...
. Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, OM, FRS was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, and social critic. At various points in his life he considered himself a liberal, a socialist, and a pacifist, but he also admitted that he had never been any of these things...
and Aldous Huxley
Aldous Huxley
Aldous Leonard Huxley was an English writer and one of the most prominent members of the famous Huxley family. Best known for his novels including Brave New World and a wide-ranging output of essays, Huxley also edited the magazine Oxford Poetry, and published short stories, poetry, travel...
were among her friends.
Life
Stevens was a self-described "High School drop-out, 1918, because what she wanted to know, she couldn't learn in school."Fritz Perls
Fritz Perls
Friedrich Salomon Perls , better known as Fritz Perls, was a noted German-born psychiatrist and psychotherapist of Jewish descent....
described Barry Stevens as "a natural born therapist."
Publications
Her publications include Don't Push the River (It Flows by Itself), a first-person account of Stevens' investigations of Gestalt TherapyGestalt therapy
Gestalt therapy is an existential/experiential form of psychotherapy that emphasizes personal responsibility, and that focuses upon the individual's experience in the present moment, the therapist-client relationship, the environmental and social contexts of a person's life, and the self-regulating...
. It shows the author during a period of several months in association with Fritz Perls
Fritz Perls
Friedrich Salomon Perls , better known as Fritz Perls, was a noted German-born psychiatrist and psychotherapist of Jewish descent....
at Perls' Gestalt Institute of Canada at Lake Cowichan, Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
, in 1969. Barry Stevens describes both Gestalt therapy theory and practice and her relationship with Fritz Perls in a sensitive way. Thus creating a vivid image of Perls in the last months of his life.
In addition she explored Zen Buddhism, the philosophy of J. Krishnamurti, and American Indian religious practices
Indian American
Indian Americans are Americans whose ancestral roots lie in India. The U.S. Census Bureau popularized the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Indigenous peoples of the Americas who are commonly referred to as American Indians.-The term: Indian:...
in an effort "to deepen and expand personal experience and work through difficulties." "We have to turn ourselves upside down and reverse our approach to life." Alternating with episodes from her earlier days, it became a "best-seller" in the circles of humanistic psychology.
Her earliest published work is "Hideaway Island" a loosely autobiographical novel about a woman on the far end of Long Island.
She met Nakata Yoshimatsu, a former valet of Jack London
Jack London
John Griffith "Jack" London was an American author, journalist, and social activist. He was a pioneer in the then-burgeoning world of commercial magazine fiction and was one of the first fiction writers to obtain worldwide celebrity and a large fortune from his fiction alone...
, in Hawaii in the 1930s, and helped him to write down his recollections.And she wrote an article about Nakata that was published posthumously in 2000.
Personal life
Barry Stevens is the mother of John O. Stevens who is also a writer, Gestalt therapist and NLP-trainer.John O. "Steve" Stevens founded Real People Press, a publisher of works on psychology and personal change in 1967, in order to publish a book by Carl Rogers
Carl Rogers
Carl Ransom Rogers was an influential American psychologist and among the founders of the humanistic approach to psychology...
and Barry Stevens entitled "Person to Person".
He published books on Gestalt therapy; he was responsible for the compilation of Gestalt Therapy Verbatim, the media event that brought Gestalt therapy to public attention in the late 1960s. And he is also the editor of the 1973 book Embrace Tiger, Return to Mountain: The Essence of Tai Chi by Chungliang Al Huang
Chungliang Al Huang
Chungliang “Al” Huang is a notable philosopher, dancer, performing artist, and internationally acclaimed Tai Ji master and educator, having received the Republic of China’s most prestigious award in the field of education, the Gold Medal Award, from its Ministry of Education.As the Keynote speaker...
, to which he and Barry Stevens wrote the preface. He later changed his name to Steve Andreas.
External links
- "Memories of Barry Stevens" at The Gestalt Therapy Page
- Web site of Detlev Kranz, with pages on Barry Stevens and Gestalt therapy (in German, with short abstract in English, and bibliography of Barry Stevens' books and articles including translations into German)
- Memorial by Joe Wysong founder of The Gestalt Journal