York. He received his B.A. from Brooklyn College in 1942. After college Abe served in the
Army in various Mid-Western locations as a translator for Italian prisoners of war. Although
not speaking Italian prior to this assignment, his gift for languages allowed him to finesse
many potentially embarrassing situations. During a brief stint as an aircraft navigation
specialist he fared less well. After completing his Army tour he enrolled at the University of
Michigan, completing his PhD in Clinical Psychology in 1955. Shortly thereafter he moved
to St. Louis and started an active private practice. During the 15 years he lived there
he developed his signature flair for integrating diverse perspectives into his clinical work:
hypnosis, Gestalt, and later, mysticism. He trained with Milton Erickson, became an associate
editor for The American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, and subsequently a Vice President of
the American Hypnosis Society. In 1967 he moved to California to study at Esalen with Fritz
Perls, one of the formative figures in Abe’s life. During the 1970’s Abe was deeply involved
in the Gestalt Institute of San Francisco, teaching and training the principles of awareness,
authenticity, and spontaneous creativity that were at the heart of his approach to psycho-
therapy. Abe had many passions: Advaita mysticism, Schubert lieder, Rhodesian Ridgebacks
and Portuguese Water Dogs, tennis, and scrambled eggs. He is remembered by all for his
singular sense of humor and a talent for packaging great wisdom into memorable one-liners.
Abe is survived by his wife Ellen (Nina) Ham of Kensington, his son Todd Porter, his
step-daughters Jessica Mason and Jillian Jolie; his grandchildren, Amiya Mason, Kenzi Jolie,
and Chad, Lorna and Kathryn Porter; his nephew Larry Levitsky, and his nieces Marianne
Levitsky, Anne Rothman, and Barbara Bergeron.

Donations in memory of Abe may be made to the Bay Area Gestalt Institute.
Contact Lu Grey at lucannagrey@gmail.com for further information.

Published in San Francisco Chronicle on July 8, 2012