Family Constellation — A Therapy Beyond Words

Abstract

Family Constellation, a psychotherapeutic approach associated with the name Bert Hellinger, has become a popular yet also controversial form of systemic therapy in the German‐speaking therapy community. ‘Family Constellation’ (Familienstellen) means the individual client's physical‐emotional positioning and re‐positioning of substitute family members in relation to each other, with help of a therapeutic group. Family Constellation is a one‐session approach that addresses family‐of‐origin issues. The therapeutic process is highly experiential, utilising multiple sensory modalities. Hellinger locates his model within phenomenology, and his practice has roots in several therapy schools. His model offers complementary therapeutic techniques in our ‘languaged’ world of family therapy.

Exploring Cultural Issues for Constellation Work in South Africa

“…Issues relating to perpetrators, trauma and healing (Carnabucci & Anderson, 2012) were further significant topics. CW is acknowledged in organisational contexts and emphasised in international CW literature (Birkenkrahe, 2008;Stiefel et al, 2002).The study also confirmed that apartheid, race, racialised identities, relationships between perpetrator and victim, and sexual abuse and violence/crime (Payne, 2005) are important themes across cultural groups in CW. Culture and the cultural context (Dykstra, 2004) are viewed as influencing healing and constellations.…”

“…Others (Ruppert, 2000;Weber, 1994) focus on symptoms, psychiatric disorders, disability, infertility victimisation, perpetration of war crimes, fostering, adoption and couple problems. Carnabucci and Anderson (2012) discuss perpetrators, justice, trauma and healing as topics in CW whilst Stiefel et al (2002) use it in organisational settings and Birkenkrahe (2008) for business-related solutions. For South Africa, Payne (2005) highlights that CW is an intervention to deal with the individual, the family and the ethnic conscience of apartheid, by focusing on relationships of victims and perpetrators, government and regimes, war, sexual abuse and crime.…”

“…It has become an international interdisciplinary movement, starting with the pioneering work of Bert Hellinger in the 1970s, and has gained the interest of European psychologists, family therapists and counsellors (Stiefel, Harris & Zollmann, 2002). Constellation work (CW) has been defined from cultural and inter-disciplinary perspectives (Levine, 2005;Payne, 2005;Ruppert, 2000;Schusterman, 2003;Van Kampenhout, 2003) and in this article is presented as a therapeutic intervention.…”

“…Family constellation work is a therapeutic group process that integrates components of family systems therapy (Schweitzer, Bornhäuser, Hunger & Weinhold, ; Weber, ; Weinhold, Hunger, Bornhäuser & Schweitzer, ), existential phenomenology and ancestral beliefs (Cohen, ; Mayer & Hausner, ). It has become an international interdisciplinary movement, starting with the pioneering work of Bert Hellinger in the 1970s, and has gained the interest of European psychologists, family therapists and counsellors (Stiefel, Harris & Zollmann, ). Constellation work (CW) has been defined from cultural and interdisciplinary perspectives (Levine, ; Payne, ; Ruppert, ; Schusterman, ; Van Kampenhout, ) and in this article is presented as a therapeutic intervention.…”

Constellation work principles, resonance phenomena, and shamanism in South Africa

“…As in Europe (Stiefel et al, 2002), CW has gained interest on a practical level within South African contexts.…”