Systemic Family Constellations interpret roots of personal issues in their relation with the history of the system (e.g. family) where a person belongs.
What the practice focuses on
Online work in an individual setting (one-on-one) can be applied to a wide array of cases. From specific physical symptoms and health issues to creative self-realization and relationships. Career, wealth can be addressed as well as immigration problems. Main focus of the work is on the underlying patterns that derive from the family or a group that a client belongs to (or confronts with). Those who try Family and Systemic Constellations often report better understanding of themselves, their families and events. Constellations help develop clearer view of the place we take in our systems, make us feel more physically present in our bodies, grounded.
Read more: Testimonials
A different view
The capacity of the effects of trauma, or injustice, to pass through generations was a known phenomena even before Family Constellations (See, for example, Anne Ancelin Schutzenberger, in book reviews). Shamans used to say that in the world of the soul unlike the physical world, time does not exist.
The role of the excluded
Everyone in the system has the right to belong
Bert Hellinger
People, experiences, events that are denied the right to be part of the whole, excluded from view, have a significant influence on the system where they initially openly belonged. That which, for one reason or another, is rejected, forgotten or not noticed, gives rise to repeating scenarios. Strange, recurring circumstances, difficult-to-explain changes in relationships.
Repressed, unspoken and invisible often manifests itself as a symptom, a mistake made in public, or a repeated pattern of behaviour. Constellations shed light on what stands behind those events. This practice allows the wounds of collective dynamics to heal and helps the subtle process of reconciliation.
The process
During a Constellation, just like in shamanic rituals the boundaries between past, present and future are dissolved.
Daan Van Kampenhout. The Workings of the Soul in Shamanic Rituals and Family Constellations
Constellation could be done by involving other people, as in group constellations, or through the use of objects, figurines, or floor anchors, as is often done in one-on-one sessions.
The “excluded material” finds its place in the system and becomes what it was before it was excluded: emotions that were too difficult to bear are fully experienced; people whose actions or inactions made them outcasts are allowed to occupy their proper place — place in a team, family, or group.
Using the tools of a Family/Systemic Constellation to reconstruct the disposition that lies behind a difficult situation or a symptom, we can rework the original, often dramatic or tragic context so that hidden, excluded elements can finally take their rightful place.
Read more: Systemic and Family Constellations
Timing and Setting
A constellation session in an individual setting usually takes between 1.5 and 2.5 hours. Session are longer due to the sequential nature of the constellation, compared to working in a group.
Process Description
Session starts with a brief clarification of the theme of the work. Client’s request may be rather specific “I would like to address…, I have such and such a difficulty, problem, symptom” or look more like a direction: “I notice similar scenarios in my family”, etc. To concretize the focus of attention or highlight what seems to be more important or relevant, therapist may ask some additional questions.
One-on-one sessions are sequential, as opposed to group work, where representatives act more spontaneously and the picture unfolds synchronously. In addition, this form of work often seems safer: unlike working in a group, in a one-on-one setting, we can pause work if the content seems to be a bit too emotionally intense, allow the nervous system to calm down and then resume the process when it feels appropriate.
The session ends when we reach a new state, a different attitude towards the situation on which the work is focused – “problem transformation”, as it is sometimes called.
Client-Therapist Relations
Confidence is a necessary condition of this work. Before and during work, we try not to form expectations of greater results than those that a specific session or cycle of therapy can provide.
Disclaimer
Family Constellations and Systemic Constellations do not replace any kind of psychotherapy or medical treatment.