Application of Systemic Constellations
What are Systemic Constellations?
Systemic constellations are a way of working with issues within human systems. Developed by Bert Hellinger, a German psychotherapist, they originally focused on family systems to disclose the deeper forces that unknowingly influence our thoughts, behaviors and emotional experiences through multiple generations. 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 systemic 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 Constellations approaches explore ways for understanding our relationships as well as giving us options to resolve our most complicated problems.
In Systemic Constellations, we set up a model of a system with volunteer representatives, objects or guided visualizations. In a typical workshop, participants are chosen to represent members or elements of the family or organization that is being addressed. In this process hidden and unexpected dynamics operating within the system are revealed and addressed in a way that aims to find a healthy and respectful place for all members of the system in question.
A powerful insight of Bert Hellinger is that each family system has a conscience that requires that all members be connected and remembered in a particular way. If someone in the system is not remembered correctly then younger members, out of love or the need to belong, can become “entangled” with their ancestors, particularly with those who have been excluded, forgotten or shunned or have experienced a difficult fate. Unconscious entanglements are behind many of the issues that are explored in these constellations.
During the process, we search for possible solutions that can release entanglements and restore order and balance to the family system. The process provides the client with a new image of their place in the family system with the proper honor to the ancestors and to the events. Exploring what is hidden in our family system can help us to heal our deepest wounds.
Systemic Constellations take place in an energy field that connects family, ancestors, organizational members, the natural world and all of humanity. This “knowing field” is a conscious energy that we can enter to experience the feelings and sensations that mirror those of the real family members they represent and everyone and everything to which we are connected.
British biologist Rupert Sheldrake explains this field phenomenon, which he calls a “morphogenetic field,” as an organizing force that accounts for patterns of behavior in social groups, such as schools of fish and flocks of birds. Dr. Albrecht Mahr first used the term “the knowing field” to describe this energy field as it applies to human family systems. He referred to the experience through which volunteers in a constellation session access information about a family system as “representative perception.”
During a Systemic Constellation, representatives begin to take on the essential qualities of who or what they are representing, and begin to sense thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations through the “knowing field”. They are able to reveal what is true even if they have no prior knowledge of what has occurred historically.
A key part of the Systemic Constellation process is the use of healing sentences that speak the essential truth of entanglements or issues. There can also be powerful sentences that bring a resolution and a compassionate restoration of balance to the system. Bert Hellinger created many sentences that are still effective, but new ones are created spontaneously during the process. Healing sentences are transformative when spoken in the right moment.
Organizational Constellations are an evolution of Family Constellations that can reveal the hidden dynamics in companies and other kinds of organizations and communities. Organizational facilitators can set up representatives to look at leadership issues, conflict resolution between colleagues, dynamics between founders and successors, relationships between various stakeholders, challenges of innovation and organizational restructuring. This approach can also be used to discover a deeper understanding and resolution for larger social, cultural, ethnic and racial issues by shifting perceptions, creating new insights and uncovering different forms of action for moving forward.
Nature Constellations can explore the relationship between human systems, natural systems and the earth. They explore the interconnectedness between the health of human systems and the larger natural world. These constellations often include elements of indigenous peoples’ insight into nature, shamanism, ecology and other environmental perspectives. They can include global environmental issues, individual relationships with nature, using resources, dynamics with animals and plants, and insights and wisdom from being in nature that support a deeper understanding of family systems.
Systemic Constellations are an innovative approach to the hidden dynamics that influence our lives that has a solid foundation originally developed by Bert Hellinger. They are continually applied in ways that reflect the creativity and insight of each facilitator and their growing understanding of the natural laws that govern human systems and the complexity of human life on planet earth
Educators are discovering the transformative impact of Systemic Constellations in addressing learning challenges and barriers within school environments of all levels
Innovative educators are adopting a body-based educational approach that emphasizes “empathy intelligence,” guiding students towards personalized learning experiences.
Marianne Franke-Gricksch, author of “You’re One of Us! Systemic Insights and Solutions for Teachers, Students, and Parents,” draws from her background as a teacher and psychotherapist to highlight how systemic concepts foster new and effective learning methods while promoting creative collaboration among students, educators, and parents.
Furthermore, educators and parents are observing that Family Constellations are valuable tools for addressing conditions traditionally seen as obstacles to learning, such as autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit, and hyperactivity.
Community and social justice activists are increasingly turning to Systemic Constellations as a tool to delve into broader systemic forces affecting society
Through the systemic lens, these activists recognize that today’s headlines and social issues are deeply intertwined with historical realities such as slavery, ethnic cleansing, discrimination, oppression, and exclusion.
In community contexts, the focus of Systemic Constellations shifts to the collective or group impacted by historical forces. Practitioners conduct interviews and research to uncover historical insights relevant to current challenges within the system.
Ultimately, facilitators, in collaboration with the group, aim to unearth forgotten or overlooked elements that hinder progress, fostering transformative change both within the community and for individual healing.
Psychotherapists are increasingly recognizing the value of Family and Systemic Constellations in their practice
Originally developed by Bert Hellinger, a German psychotherapist renowned for his work with profound emotional struggles like anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and addiction, Family Constellations shed light on the impact of inter-generational trauma often underlying what we classify as “mental illnesses.”
Today, a wide range of mental health professionals—including psychologists, social workers, licensed counselors, and addiction specialists—utilize Family Constellations to address diverse issues such as autism, addiction, phobias, and depression.
Hellinger’s approach integrates diverse healing traditions, including insights from Zulu indigenous practices, which he encountered during his time as a Catholic priest and missionary in South Africa. He also drew from family systems theory, sociometry, psychodrama, family loyalty concepts, hypnotic techniques, Transactional Analysis, and Neuro-Linguistic Programming.
This multi-dimensional approach is applied experientially with individuals, couples, families, and in therapist-to-therapist clinical supervision settings. Clients, viewed within the context of their familial, social, ethnic, and geographical backgrounds, explore topics such as war, genocide, divorce, miscarriages, stillbirths, abortions, and early parental loss—all of which touch on human attachment and trauma, transcending social, political, and religious boundaries.
Alternative practitioners are discovering the complementary benefits of Family and Systemic Constellations
As more alternative practitioners seek innovative methods to facilitate holistic healing for their clients, they are discovering the complementary benefits of Family and Systemic Constellations.
Practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine, chiropractic care, energy healing, yoga, qi gong, tai chi, shamanism, meditation, homeopathy, naturopathy, and other modalities are effectively blending their expertise and perspectives with Family and Systemic Constellations sessions.
These practitioners find that Family and Systemic Constellations offer profound effectiveness by moving beyond the cognitive realm, enabling clients to transcend their known narratives. This shift opens pathways to explore the fluidity of emotions, initiating a potential movement towards healing. As each client becomes ready, they can access the expansive soul dimension—a serene, expansive space beyond previous stages.
Organizational coaches are harnessing the power of Systemic Constellations to delve into strategies, relationships, and beyond
Expanding from family constellations to organizational settings, Systemic Constellations prove exceptionally effective in addressing challenges within organizational development, leadership training, executive coaching, and business strategy.
These constellations illuminate the emotional dynamics within an organization, encompassing its people and historical context. Through penetrating sessions and workshops, hidden dynamics that perpetuate complex problems can be revealed, leading to surprisingly swift breakthroughs.
Coaches and consultants leverage this methodology to gain insights into:
– Essential relationship dynamics
– Strategic viability
– Customer needs assessment
– Organizational design
– Strategic planning
– Leadership evaluation and management derailment
– Decision-making processes
– Conflict resolution strategies
By employing Systemic Constellations, coaches and organizations navigate complex issues with greater clarity and efficiency, facilitating transformative change and growth.
Medical professionals are increasingly turning to the Constellation approach to address various forms of illness
Medical professionals, including doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers, are increasingly turning to the Constellation approach to address various forms of illness.
Physicians, whether practicing allopathic medicine or other healing traditions, are recognizing the profound impact of generational trauma and unresolved pain—stemming from war, significant loss, genocide, slavery, and natural disasters—on physical health.
The emerging field of epigenetics lends credence to the insights of Family and Systemic Constellations, suggesting that genetic changes passed down by parents can manifest as specific illnesses or persistent unexplained symptoms in future generations.
Pioneers like Stephan Hausner, an osteopathic physician in Germany, have documented the healing of physical illnesses through Family and Systemic Constellations, as evidenced in his book “Even If It Costs Me My Life: Systemic Constellations and Serious Illness.”