Guang Zhou 07.-15.05.2009

Family Tree - the Eagle of Life

Bert Hellinger, Taipei 04.06

Int. Family-Constellation Congress

HELLINGER FAMILY CONSTELLATION
Hellinger Family Constellation: Considered one of the most respected psychotherapists in the world today, Bert Hellinger has revolutionized the heart and soul of family systems therapy by illuminating the hidden, and often destructive, loyalties within families. While much of psychotherapy concentrates on exploring the conflicts in one's childhood, Hellinger's work examines the tragedies in one's family spanning back several generations. Hellinger has observed that traumatic events, such as the premature death of a parent or sibling, a stillborn or a suicide, can exert a powerful force affecting later generations. Entangled with unhappiness from the past, we can find ourselves suffering with a former family member's feelings of anger, guilt, fear, anxiety, depression, chronic illnesses or unfulfilled relationships Hellinger developed Family Constellation Work, an effective therapeutic process that helps to restore peace and healing to family members entangled with the fates of those from the previous generations. Family Constellation Work is becoming one of the most rapidly expanding forms of therapy in the world and is practiced in more than 30 countries.
The Constellation Approach comes from a long tradition of systemic therapy, which looks at life as a whole versus isolated incidents of wounding or pain. By viewing family situations in the context of a larger whole, we gain insights into the deeper reasons that cause things to occur: why individuals are pushed out, denied a place or not spoken of; and why behavioral patterns appear to repeat, often unconsciously, over generations.
The family energy field or "family soul" as referred to by Bert Hellinger, serves as the basis for exploring and understanding relationships as well as eventually constructing solutions to issues that trouble our being. This family soul includes both the living and the dead and has a deep effect on the present generation.
The insights gained by coming into deeper contact with this family energy field enable a rebalancing of energies within the family. It is a way to work experientially on issues that affect us on multiple planes, including physical, emotional, and the deeper levels of consciousness. Leading us past societal ideas of morality to a holographic understanding of why events happen in the context of love and loyalty to the family, the Constellation Approach enables deeper, soul-level healing to take place. This method looks at the patterns within the family energy field. Bert Hellinger calls these patterns "orders of love." A few of these orders are that members of a family are bound together by a common conscience, everyone has the right to belong, gains and losses are balanced over generations and the solution to our presenting issue is based in acceptance of the greater whole in which we are a part.
What has been learned from working with family energy fields is that all groups have a collective conscience that has an unconscious influence on those within the group. A way of understanding this energetic phenomenon can come from looking at our connection and identification with the various groups we belong to. First and foremost, the strongest soul group we are attached to is our family of origin. After that, there is our connection to our heritage and the groups that represent our cultural background. These can include family religions, racial and ethnic backgrounds we were born into, the part of the country we live in and the nation or state we identify with. Each of these larger soul groups possess both a conscious and unconscious energetic influence on behavior.
What is a constellation? In the Constellation Approach, the client is invited by the facilitator to select representatives for the major figures in their family of origin and presenting issue. The client then places these representatives - silently and intuitively - in particular positions around the central working area. When complete, the client sits with the facilitator and the process begins. Some time is needed for each participant to feel the energies of those they are representing, and then the facilitator asks some, or all, of the constellation members what they are feeling. Often their responses appear to reflect an uncanny reality of the client's family situation, and a more complete picture of the family reality begins taking shape. In this way, the hidden entanglements of the family come to light. These entanglements reveal that in order to maintain balance in the family, we usually pay a very high price - a kind of "blind love."
The Process: When a client looks at and takes in the family constellation configuration, a veil seems to be lifted and deeper truths - ones they know on a subconscious level but cannot acknowledge in the larger context - begin to appear. At this point, the facilitator might move certain representatives to different positions in relation to each other, and then ask how the new positions have affected their feelings. When the "right" positioning is found, there is often a visible relief and relaxation on the part of the representatives, and the client may also begin relaxing and softening as the constellation moves.
This is known as the rebalancing aspect of the approach, the point of finding the hidden symmetry, or order, of the family system. This is a unique constellation pattern for the client that is comfortable and begins helping them feel at peace. Without an open acknowledgement and expression of this order, love cannot flow freely in the family system and presenting issues remain un-addressed and unresolved. At this point, the facilitator may stop the constellation or continue further. Occasionally the facilitator and client simply sit side-by-side and view the constellation. Often just acknowledging what is and seeing a different reality of the client's family is enough to begin a healing process. If the facilitator continues to the next step, the client may take their place in the constellation or stay seated.
The Use of Words: The following portion usually involves the client or the client's representative saying particular "statements of empowerment", (sometimes referred to as solution sentences) to representatives in the group. Eventually the language begins following an energetic pathway of sacredness and ancient healing methods with phrases such as "You are the right one for me," "I will bear it myself, and now you are free," "I will hold a place for you in my heart," or "I respect your fate, and I remain with mine." Such sentences hold enormous energy for healing our deepest level of soul injury. When words are used with reverence and truth, a resonance or vibration is felt within all constellation participants as well as the larger group. The sentences may be said to just one other representative with whom the client has the most energetic charge, or they may need to say things to all members of the constellation. When the right solution sentences are found, it is evident: a deep sigh is felt in the room and often tears and a heart opening experience happen for the client. These statements of empowerment and healing movements bring the family soul into a healthier state of conscious awareness, referred to as "enlightened love."
Insights: Some of the insights that seem to be consistently revealed are that children stay loyal to their parents, often repeat the same mistakes as their parents, have difficulty achieving a more fulfilling life than their parents and will take on similar fates as others have in the family.
A desire for connectedness to the family is one of the strongest motivating factors in consciousness, and when acknowledged and deeply felt a newfound strength is gained and the powerful life force energy of previous generations prevails. In constellation work, it is possible for members of the larger group to be deeply affected and touched by another's work, even if they don't create their own personal constellation.
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