SYSTEMIC WORK

The making of a family constellation is a form of alternative psychotherapy that was reintroduced in Western Europe by the German Bert Hellinger. He encountered this approach as a missionary working in South Africa. Hellinger's method is known as systemic work.

What does systemic work mean? By creating a system of origin, non-direct visible relationships between family members and any potential obstacles can be recognized and acknowledged, and if possible, resolved.

Among the forms of systemic work, the Family Constellation is the most well-known. However, you can do much more with systemic work. In which system would you like to gain more insight and clarity? Where is it flowing, and where is it not? Where are the obstacles?

- In your work, relationships, or finances
- In an organizational setup
- In your desires and obstacles
- In the issues of a country, continent, or global problems
- In environmental issues, diseases, etc.

Family Constellation

In a family constellation, you examine people and events within your family. How are you connected to them, and how are all the others connected to each other? What events have occurred that could influence you in your life here and now? What is happening from previous generations?

Before we begin with a constellation, we discuss with the questioner what question they have or what theme they want to explore. Together, we determine which people or themes to include in the constellation. The questioner asks individuals from the group to represent the relevant people or themes. The representatives sense within themselves where they want to go and what movement needs to occur.

Family constellations depict your family and themes in a tangible way, enabling you to gain new insights. For example, you may deeply feel for the first time what it does to you if your mother only had eyes for your sister, or if it felt like everyone was ignoring you. Often, the painful aspects are the themes that can obstruct your present. Seeing and feeling these can create movement in the present.

Family constellations are a part of systemic work. We assume that everyone is influenced by the systems they are a part of, whether it's your own family, the organization you work in, an association, a team, your social environment, or your relationships.

What can it bring you?

• Increased insight: a family constellation helps you better understand and place your problems. The family or system you grew up in has a significant influence on how you've developed as an adult.

• Awareness: the representatives take on their roles and convey how it feels for them. This can reveal previously unconscious or unspoken feelings.

• New perspective: after a family constellation, you may experience a completely new perspective on yourself, your development, and your relationships. It can be a powerful start to a process of healing and processing.