Considered a classic by thousands in and outside the Gestalt therapy community, Don't Push the River is described by John Rowan in the AHP "Guide to Humanistic Psychology" as: "A marvelous book, exemplifying what it would be like to live with Gestalt awareness all the time." The book is a first-person account of Stevens' investigations of Gestalt Therapy, 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. In this autobiographical journal, the author reflects on a three-month period in association with Fritz Perls while living at the Gestalt Institute of Canada in 1969 and discusses how these other philosophies integrate with and enhance Gestalt therapy. While they were together at his "Gestalt Kibbutz" on Lake Cowichan in British Columbia, Perls described Stevens as "a natural born therapist. One of the best Gestalt therapists there is."
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