What are family constellations? 

Systemic constellations are a method of working with problems within human systems. Developed by Bert Hellinger, a German psychotherapist, it originally focused on family systems to reveal the deeper forces that unconsciously influence our thoughts, behaviors, and emotional experiences across generations. The founder of this method, Bert Hellinger, studied and treated families for more than 50 years and observed that we “take on” destructive family patterns of anxiety, depression, anger, guilt, loneliness, alcoholism, and even illness as a way of “belonging” or “blind love” in our families.

Bound by blind love, a child often sacrifices his own interests in a vain attempt to ease the suffering of a parent or other family member.

Family constellations create a model of the family system to reveal and transform hidden patterns that are difficult to understand and change.

Over time, this systems approach has been applied to other human systems, including organizations, our connection to nature, and larger issues in our communities and the world. Together, these systemic constellation approaches explore ways of understanding our relationships as well as offering options for solving our most complicated problems.

Working with systemic constellations reveals dynamics that bind a person to their relationship system in a dysfunctional way and that constrain coping strategies and personal development, thus preventing the person from living their life in balance.

Constellations bring clarity to context dynamics, to understanding connections in the family system, and to settling in a place of inner strength.

Family constellations can be worked both individually and in groups, having the power to change the pain and unhappiness that comes from past generations. Family Constellations connect to our family and ancestors through an energy field to uncover and release these hidden dynamics. The work focuses on helping you discover what needs to be seen, what can be left behind, and what you can honor.

Your intention is enough to identify and heal problems, and the constellation field will lead you to exactly the right place. You will also feel at the soul level, how situations and states related to your problem are balanced.

What happens in a systemic constellation workshop and how does it help you?

Working with family constellations allows us to break these patterns so that we can live healthier, happier, more fulfilling lives. In a moment of insight, a new life course can be set in motion. Breaking these patterns also increases your vibration level and consciousness level, bringing you closer to your essence.

In a group session, a client identifies a problem, pattern, or symptom and describes what they are looking for as a resolution. A discussion takes place about important people and events in the client’s life and in the lives of parents and grandparents. The “field” that surrounds each family allows participants to explore this life phenomenon. In this process, the hidden and unexpected dynamics operating within the system are uncovered and addressed in a way that aims to find a healthy and respectful place for all members of the family system with new understanding and awareness. You can thus gain a unique perspective to make new choices or follow unforeseen paths.

Clients choose representatives from among the group participants to represent important family members, (sometimes) including a representative for themselves, and place them in a spatial relationship to each other according to their inner image. The therapist asks each representative for feedback on sensations, feelings and physical awareness. These statements confirm or modify the original hypothesis. Often, additional representatives are added for people who have an impact on the dynamics of the system. The therapist may ask the representatives to say certain sentences or complete certain rituals to help the client move toward a resolution.

Some constellations lead to a picture of resolution that brings release on the physical and emotional levels and changes the perspective on life in a positive, inner growth way.

Constellations show what is in the client’s subconscious, and as things fall into place, the dynamics of the constellation change and move toward balance. There are situations in which this does not happen as expected. It is important that every step that has been taken is honored so the process works. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t a good or successful constellation. A constellation sometimes works for 6 months, bringing new awareness to the surface and thus life gets a new meaning. Our purpose is to release that which no longer serves, that which opposes transformation and growth.

My way of working is to facilitate each constellation according to the client’s needs and intentions. During my work I developed my own way of working, thus working with rituals, family constellations, constellations with nature, with diseases or with abstract elements.

There is also the possibility to work with constellations for animals both in an individual and group setting.

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