FAMILY CONSTELLATIONS
according to Bert HELLINGER
The Family Constellations method makes it possible to resolve family difficulties, which one has in relation to the members of one's family, or in relation to one's own life patterns. It offers a concrete approach to tackle a situation that makes us suffer, by suggesting a reorganization within the family system.
Bert HELLINGER has developed his own systemic family therapy method, aimed at uncovering and treating the underlying influences between the different parts of a given family system.
Here are some examples of the application of Family Constellations:
Here are the main theoretical points of Family Constellations:
The Family-System:
The family is a human or animal system, where all the members are coexisting and interdependent, whether or not they live under the same roof, whether they are close or distant.
There are two types of family system:
- the family system of origin: parents, brothers and sisters, grandparents, uncles and aunts, etc
- the current family system: spouse, children, blended family, etc …
The Principle of Belonging :
The principle of belonging to one's family system is fundamental to the method of Family Constellations. All members of the same family system are an integral part of that system, whether they consider themselves to be part of it or not, and whether they are welcome or not. This principle of belonging applies not only to living members of the same family, but also to deceased members of previous generations. When a member dies, he disappears from the scene of life, but retains the place he held in his family system.
The Order of Things :
Relationships are harmonious within the family system when each member is in their rightful place, that is, in the rightful place, in the order of things. Tensions arise when one or more members are out of place, such as a child seeking to replace an absent parent with the other parent.
Transmission :
We notice that within the same family system, patterns of life are often repeated from one generation to the next. It’s as if there was a phenomenon of transmission of experience and experience between members of the same family system, and this across the generations,
The Soul of the Family :
We observe that the family functions according to the archaic laws of the clan and that it has a family soul. This records all significant wounds that have existed between the living or deceased members and between its members and the outside. A principle of compensation seeks to balance moral debts within the family, across generations, and vis-à-vis the outside world.
The Wounds of the Soul :
Here are examples of events that are often recorded as injuries to the family soul: premature death of a member (at birth, in childbirth, in war, accident), exclusion of a member (rejection, forgetfulness, silence, shame), difficult fate of a member (infirmity, mental illness, premature death or widowhood, misery), harm caused by or to a member (rape, murder, distorted inheritance).
At the end of the constellation, the family system treated presents a new and healthier order, with favourable repercussions on the life situation of the constellant and on the other members of the family concerned.
Bert HELLINGER has developed his own systemic family therapy method, aimed at uncovering and treating the underlying influences between the different parts of a given family system.
Here are some examples of the application of Family Constellations:
- conflicts between members of the same family (between generations, same generation) or within the couple
- arrival or departure of a family member (birth, death, adoption, separation, divorce)
- financial disputes, inheritance issues
- illness (physical or mental) or accident of a family member
- destructive life patterns (addictions, professional or sentimental failures, etc.)
Here are the main theoretical points of Family Constellations:
The Family-System:
The family is a human or animal system, where all the members are coexisting and interdependent, whether or not they live under the same roof, whether they are close or distant.
There are two types of family system:
- the family system of origin: parents, brothers and sisters, grandparents, uncles and aunts, etc
- the current family system: spouse, children, blended family, etc …
The Principle of Belonging :
The principle of belonging to one's family system is fundamental to the method of Family Constellations. All members of the same family system are an integral part of that system, whether they consider themselves to be part of it or not, and whether they are welcome or not. This principle of belonging applies not only to living members of the same family, but also to deceased members of previous generations. When a member dies, he disappears from the scene of life, but retains the place he held in his family system.
The Order of Things :
Relationships are harmonious within the family system when each member is in their rightful place, that is, in the rightful place, in the order of things. Tensions arise when one or more members are out of place, such as a child seeking to replace an absent parent with the other parent.
Transmission :
We notice that within the same family system, patterns of life are often repeated from one generation to the next. It’s as if there was a phenomenon of transmission of experience and experience between members of the same family system, and this across the generations,
The Soul of the Family :
We observe that the family functions according to the archaic laws of the clan and that it has a family soul. This records all significant wounds that have existed between the living or deceased members and between its members and the outside. A principle of compensation seeks to balance moral debts within the family, across generations, and vis-à-vis the outside world.
The Wounds of the Soul :
Here are examples of events that are often recorded as injuries to the family soul: premature death of a member (at birth, in childbirth, in war, accident), exclusion of a member (rejection, forgetfulness, silence, shame), difficult fate of a member (infirmity, mental illness, premature death or widowhood, misery), harm caused by or to a member (rape, murder, distorted inheritance).
At the end of the constellation, the family system treated presents a new and healthier order, with favourable repercussions on the life situation of the constellant and on the other members of the family concerned.