Systemic and Family Constellations

An example of an approach where one session really matters. In most cases, even a single successful constellation work will give impetus to a new solution or, at least, change the client’s attitude to the problem.

In some cases, I leave the opportunity to perform minor constellation works sequentially – in this case, we are decomposing the problem situation with the client step by step. 

This is especially relevant when we do not have much of emotional and energy resources available, which is often the result of a traumatic event or prolonged exposure to adverse factors. In this kind of treatment, it is important to avoid making the process ‘too much’ or ‘too fast’. The main focus here is on the stress response. Together with the client we develop a level of tolerance that allows us to approach the solution of the therapeutic problem without overloading the nervous system.

When working with Systemic Constellations, I pay attention to body signals, maintaining safety and having choice. Client may ask to pause or end the work at any time, take a break for cookies and a cup of tea, or postpone the continuation to our next meeting.

Body-Oriented Modalities

In the event of a recent adverse event such as:

• acute physical trauma (please check with your doctor before scheduling a session to make sure there is no immediate medical intervention required, bodywork does not replace medicine)

• emotional overload – an aggravated reaction to an event of a working nature, a stressful situation in the family, or other context, subjectively experienced as severe stress

a session of body-oriented therapy (CranioSacral Therapy, Integrative Bodywork) makes it possible to calm the stress reaction, to properly integrate excess energy. Even one session done on time can bring significant relief.

Lasting Issue: Prolonged Treatment

A long-term change of state, or continuous presence of an intense stress factor, usually requires medium or long-term work

Often we are dealing with symptoms that continue to be present for a relatively long time. Such difficulties require, as a rule, consistency and regularity in the approach. Weekly, biweekly, or at least once a month; The recovery process will most likely take some time. For chronic symptoms (persistent pain or tension, prolonged stress, etc.), it is unlikely that one session will completely resolve the problem.

There are some exceptions to this rule, though:

Sometimes significant efforts have already been made to solve the problem (client tries the techniques on his/her own or in other therapeutic modalities). The state of things indicates that everything is “almost ready” for changes, but something was missing to achieve a result. In such cases, a body-oriented therapy session may serve as the “missing link” to start a larger process. Such sessions sometimes have striking results, they are accompanied by states that are associated with transformational experiences. In some cases, after such a session the shift in therapy is so significant that the problem recedes.

Traumatic stress. Accompanying the Recovery Process After a Traumatic Experience

Traumatic experiences significantly affect our response to stress. Safe situations could be perceived as sources of severe threat, and sometimes the opposite happens: the nervous system does not respond adequately to threatening circumstances. Affected person “freezes” in a dangerous context or continues to act as if nothing happened, as if there is no threat at all. If there has been a long-term exposure to adverse, threatening circumstances, there are especially pronounced changes in the area of ​​​​normal reaction to stress.

Accompanying recovery after a traumatic impact, body-oriented work makes it possible to normalize, optimize the stress response – small problems no longer cause an exacerbated reaction, also the pattern of ‘complete ignorance’ of possibly threatening situations fades.  The work improves adaptability, flexibility in everyday contexts.

Judith Herman (1992) identified specific therapeutic goals for the different stages of recovery from trauma and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. At the first stage, therapeutic work is mainly dedicated to the restoration of safety. The second stage is devoted to the internal processing of what is connected with the trauma itself, the recognition and re-processing of what happened. Work at the third stage is related to safe and healthy reconnection with the outside world and other people.

Accompanying recovery with body-oriented work is possible at different stages of this extended process. Many experts point to the effectiveness of body-centered approaches for restoring access to internal resources, among the most famous, the importance of working with the body is emphasized by Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk in his landmark text on trauma therapy “The Body Keeps the Score.” Meanwhile, it must be highlighted here that body-oriented work is not a substitute for psychiatric interventions or conventional psychotherapy.

Approaches that offer subtle body work, such as CranioSacral Therapy, help restore natural regulation of states, relieve tension associated with trauma-related reactions. Systemic and Family Constellations provide access to content related not only to personal experience, but also to transgenerational, inherited layers or contexts, which are often the initial sources of intense and painful stress reactions and symptoms.

Different stages of the recovery timeline require different interventions. For a client it means that this type of work in most cases will take time and demand certain regularity. However, within other therapeutic modalities, there is little evidence of universal “quick fix” solutions in this field, as well.

Ask a question / Write to me directly:

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• Until the day of the event, cancellations or date changes could be proposed by the client at no additional value.

• If a session is cancelled or a change of date is proposed by the client on the day of event, the full price of the session has to be paid. If an emergency situation has caused the change of date or cancellation, these cases are to be discussed separately.

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I also see how the well-established contact may create confidence that allows to look deeper into the heavy contexts within ourselves, the contexts where we wouldn’t like to approach with a person that we cannot fully trust. This subtle matter of deeper confidence helps change the communication from purely professional service somewhere closer to more individual presence and empathy.

The line of work may include sessions of Systemic and Family Constellations, CranioSacral Therapy and Integrative Bodywork, other Body-oriented Methods. Tools that belong to the approaches oriented on work with Stress Regulation and Resolution of Trauma are also in use. The palette of methods is wide, and solutions within each session may vary, though they all follow one common logic.

Like building a new home for an individual soul, in harmony and trust within. While dealing with manifestations of stress, we seek for the ways to regulate the nervous system back to the optimum and to learn to calm down the unpleasant responses. When working with trauma, we approach our own individual experiences, and also we make steps to reprocess the outcomes of transgenerational trauma: traces of the events of our parents lives or the lives of our earlier ancestors.

The sessions are done online or in-person in the studio in Mile End in Montreal.

Read more about the continuous work here

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When it becomes too much, survival responses are to be triggered. We become reactive, we rush for action rather than observing the variety of available options. Through the lens of the ‘survival mode’ we perceive the world as an unfriendly or unpleasant place. Our stress response systems are organized wisely, but there’s too much pressure, so the resources are to be mobilized. Conscience is not involved into this process, it’s merely a sequence of reactive responses that build up a particular state. Sometimes we find ourself losing our inherent qualities, such as generosity and kindness. It happens often as a reaction to stress that has reached it’s max capacity.

What to do

It’s always good to give your body some more rest. To sleep for an extra couple hours when you feel you need to. To enjoy your time with the loved ones, or even with yourself. Find out which activities do calm you down, and let yourself be lazy sometimes. It’s the darkest time of the year, after all. Preparing for holidays as well as celebrating may help get some peace of mind, but only if the process is seen as a source of joy, not as a pool of obligations.

When stress continues, everything that’s been piled up in the darker parts of our internal rooms gets more and more activated. If you feel that your reactions are getting a bit out of normal, are you in the state of permanent fatigue, or constant arousal, – please don’t hesitate to contact me. Whether an advice on how to make it through the holidays with batteries at full, or how to manage the internal resources, whether a request to calm the state of the nervous system with a sequence of bodywork sessions, or find a good practice that might bring peace to the body and mind. I work online and receive clients in person as well.

Have a wonderful rest of the month and let us look at the future year as calm and resourceful.

Book an Appointment

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• Craniosacral therapy and integrative bodywork sessions are offered at the office.
• Systemic and family constellations are available in an individual setting online, as well as at the office.
• Work with internal resources, help in coping with stress — I will be happy to work with you online.

Precautions related to the COVID-19 pandemic:

Please do not hesitate to call me if you have questions regarding a particular therapeutic technique or a specific case or symptom that bothers you. I will find time to answer your questions before you need to come to the office in person.

• Medical face masks and sanitizer are available for clients’ safety.
• All surfaces, including a massage table, chairs and a table at the reception room are disinfected.
• Now when the work in person is not that intense, I use an opportunity to sanitize the surfaces on the eve of the visit of each client.

I will be glad to see you. Please leave some time for a preliminary call by phone or online.

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Grounding is developed by those who are engaged in physical work, and therefore are well aware of their motor and physical features. On the contrary, it may be almost absent for those who mainly operate mental structures, or objects and projects that do not require “here and now” presence. In the second case, natural communication with the body including the sensation of grounding, is often distorted or broken. Meanwhile, one can restore these ties. Visible increase of joy of life feeling as well as the contact with reality in its beauty will confirm such a change. Grounding always refers to the context of here and now.

Leaders are often well-grounded: in order to be able to influence other people with your will, you might need to feel your base.

“What can grounding offer us? It gives balance, ground under your feet, a possibility to stand, to contain life, a possibility to be able to discern, to stay in reality, on earth, even when things get hard or are very powerful.“

Merete Holm Brantbjerg, co-founder of bodynamic analysys

In our everyday speech we label the people who are not well-grounded as dreamers. On the contrary, “both feet on the ground”, would characterize someone we rely on. When we are “all in the air” in the difficult situation, we subconsciously turn away from presence and therefore make the situation even more difficult or dangerous. If this happens to you sometimes, that is something to work on.

Daily exercises focused on the body and bodily sensations (most accessible and ubiquitous are yoga and qigong) helps regain the sense of grounding. Working with a helping practitioner, craniosacral therapy or dance-movement practice will be extremely useful as well. A massage session may increase your grounding capacity, though not in all cases. It would be better to check the relevance of the particular service in advance.

In my resource programs, as well as in the individual online sessions, Grounding is among the first qualities we learn to restore and manage. 

I used several theses of Merete Holm Brantbjerg to create this text. Here is the link to one of her articles

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We can support other people when we ourselves are stable.

Stress is the body’s natural response to unusual circumstances. In a short period of time, arousal helps to cope with the threat. The negative effects of stress are associated with prolonged states of arousal and lasting mobilization.

Pay some attention to how you feel. Bodily sensations will be your evaluation criteria. 

Start with the perception of weight. In a state of severe stress the sensation of weight becomes very imprecise (when raising your hand for example, or feeling the weight of the body on the chair – can you really feel the weight?)

Observe your breath

You may notice that you talk abruptly

The tempo of your speech. If it is faster than usual, that is a clear sign of arousal.

The tone of your voice. Is this your ordinary voice, or has it changed from regular? Maybe you notice that you are speaking a bit too loud?

How to deal with the situation of severe lasting stress?

If you are not limited in movement, walk more. It helps to ground yourself up, feel yourself more rooted in the moment.

Switch off the news and social networks. Watch the minimum. Once or twice a day, only the information that’s important for you.

If you’re supposed to stay home (quarantine) – do the work with your hands. Anything from caring for plants to embroidery. When I start feeling that I am all in the air I work with the wood and do something simple. Works that demand fine motor skills help to center and calm yourself down.

Tidy up, organize what’s next to you.

Perhaps you have long been planning to clean the closet. Take care of this. Would it be good to iron the shirts?

If you like cooking, cook something that is not too complicated, though not too simple. Something that is of certain interest for you. Pay attention to the nuances.

People often eat to cope with arousal. Eating is an effective way to ground yourself up, but certainly not the friendliest for your body.

Choose one or two people you trust the most, those likely to be more resilient than you. Talk to them, ask how they cope with a difficult situation, share your ways. Contact those in your family who are away from you. Find out how they are doing. Call a couple of your friends in other cities.

When communicating, do not blame others for what is happening. Even if there is someone to blame, better think about what you can do.

A sense of humor is an essential criterion for your resilience. A healthy sense of humor and the ability to laugh, primarily, at yourself.

Remember: to support others, you yourself need to be stable enough.

Modern body-oriented psychology associates the capacity to cope with the stress with these three qualities: the ability to be in a grounded state, the ability to center, and the ability to manage boundaries.

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