Paul Rebillot
Creator of The Hero's Journey self-discovery process.
Paul Rebillot (May 19, 1931 – February 11, 2010) was a figure in the human potential movement, known for developing a self-discovery process called The Hero's Journey. He wrote *The Call to Adventure: Bringing the Hero’s Journey to Daily Life*.
Rebillot was born in Detroit, Michigan. He studied philosophy and education at the University of Detroit, then earned a master’s degree in Communication Arts with a drama focus from the University of Michigan. Before and after his studies, he worked in theater as a writer, producer, and actor. During a year of military service in Japan, he produced and directed radio for the U.S. Army’s Far East Radio Network. There, exposure to Japanese culture—especially Noh theater—shaped his later use of ritual and gesture.
Back in the U.S., he built an experimental theater department at San Francisco State College and worked with Japanese mime Mumako, deepening his understanding of ritual gesture and meditation postures. In 1968, after a year teaching theater at Stanford University, he founded the Gestalt Fool Theater Family in San Francisco, a commune and radical performance group that blended theater, ritual, and therapy.
In 1971, following a severe existential crisis, Rebillot went to the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California. There he worked with Stan Grof and John C. Lilly, trained in Gestalt practice with co-founder Dick Price, and studied group process with Will Schutz. He also met Joseph Campbell, whose ideas about monomyths and heroic transformation influenced him. These encounters formed the basis of his later work. In 1972, he worked on psychiatric wards in Turlock and Martinez, California, sharing his own experience of mental suffering and recovery. In 1973, drawing on Campbell’s work and integrating Gestalt practice, movement, meditation, ritual, group process, drama, art, and music, he structured The Hero’s Journey.
In 1974, while still leading workshops and Gestalt trainings at Esalen, Rebillot brought The Hero’s Journey to Europe. He worked at centers in France, the Netherlands, and Ireland, attracting participants from teaching and caring professions. Europe became his primary base for over thirty years. In 1987, a Laurance Rockefeller grant helped him write a book on the Hero’s Journey, and *The Call to Adventure* was published in 1993 with a foreword by Stanislav Grof. He had earlier contributed a chapter
- born
- May 19, 1931, Detroit, Michigan
- died
- February 11, 2010, San Francisco, California
- field
- Human potential movement, Gestalt therapy, experiential education
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- The Hero's Journey workshop; author of The Call to Adventure: Bringing the Hero’s Journey to Daily Life
Lore & Background
Paul Rebillot was born in Detroit, Michigan, and initially studied philosophy and education at the University of Detroit, followed by a Master's in Communication Arts specializing in drama at the University of Michigan. He worked with theater companies as a writer, producer, and actor. His military service took him to Japan for a year, where he produced and directed radio programs for the U.S. Army's Far East Radio Network. Exposure to Japanese culture, particularly Noh drama, later influenced his use of ritual and gesture. After returning to the U.S., he developed an experimental theater department at San Francisco State College and worked with Japanese mime Mumako, deepening his understanding of ritual gesture and meditation postures. In 1968, after teaching at Stanford University's theater department, he founded The Gestalt Fool Theater Family in San Francisco, a commune and radical performance group combining theater, ritual, and therapy.
In 1971, following a severe existential crisis, Rebillot went to the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California. There he worked with Stan Grof and John C. Lilly, trained in Gestalt Practice with Esalen co-founder Dick Price, and studied group process with Will Schutz. He met Joseph Campbell, whose ideas on monomyths influenced him. In 1972, he worked on psychiatric wards of community hospitals in Turlock and Martinez, California, sharing his own experience of mental suffering. In 1973, drawing on Campbell's work and integrating Gestalt practice, movement, meditation, ritual, group process, drama, art, and music, he structured The Hero's Journey. In 1974, he brought this workshop to Europe, where he worked for over thirty years at various centers. In 1987, he received a Laurance Rockefeller grant to write a book, and in 1993 published The Call to Adventure: Bringing the Hero’s Journey to Daily Life, with a foreword by Stanislav Grof. He retired from European work in March 2008 but continued training and consultancy from San Francisco until his death in 2010.
Reader's Guide
Paul Rebillot's significance lies in his synthesis of theater, Gestalt therapy, myth, and ritual into structured inner journeys aimed at personal transformation. He was particularly struck by the lack of significant rites of passage in contemporary society, believing that without shamans or ritual masters, modern individuals must find their own paths through life stages. His work emphasized personal transformation through ritual enactment, using myth as a mirror for facets of the self. He believed that experiencing a myth from inside, and from all points of view, could reconnect individuals with themselves. His background in theater convinced him of the power of bodily gesture and movement to transform mind and heart. He added group processes, where members support each other's inner journeys, which he considered one of the most healing aspects of his work.
Rebillot's legacy includes numerous inner journey structures beyond The Hero's Journey, such as The Lover's Journey, Owning the Shadow, and Death and Resurrection. He inaugurated the School of Gestalt and Experiential Teaching in Switzerland in 1988, a four-level professional training program, and later started programs in North America and Germany. He appointed students to carry on his work, leading to the formation of schools in Ireland, France, and Germany dedicated to promoting, delivering, and safeguarding his methods. His approach continues to influence experiential therapy and personal development practices.
Did You Know?
- Paul Rebillot served in the U.S. Army in Japan, where he produced and directed radio programs for the Far East Radio Network.
- He founded The Gestalt Fool Theater Family in San Francisco in 1968, a commune and radical performance group.
- His book The Call to Adventure: Bringing the Hero’s Journey to Daily Life was published in 1993 with a foreword by Stanislav Grof.
- In 2006, he initiated a project with nine students to develop a journey based on the life of Abraham, resulting in the workshop In the Footsteps of Abraham.
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