Let’s take a closer look
Family Constellations is a therapeutic approach that taps into the hidden dynamics within family systems to bring about healing movements, new insights and personal growth. Developed by German psychotherapist Bert Hellinger in the late 20th century, this method focuses on exploring and honouring unresolved family conflicts, inherited traumas, and deep-seated emotional patterns that span generations. For many, the process is life-changing, offering profound insights and emotional relief. But how do Family Constellations actually work?
What Are Family Constellations?
At its core, Family Constellations work is based on the idea that our lives are influenced by more than just our personal experiences. Unresolved issues, traumas, and emotional patterns from previous generations—often unknown to us—can have a significant impact on our current emotional state, relationships, health, finances and overall well-being. These unhealed wounds within the family system are what Hellinger referred to as “entanglements.”
Family Constellations aim to uncover these hidden dynamics by looking at the whole system rather than focusing solely on the individual. Whether the problem lies with family relationships, personal struggles, or other recurring life challenges, the process aims to bring these entanglements to light and create space for healing.
The Setup: How a Family Constellation Session Begins
A Family Constellation session typically begins with a group of participants sitting in a circle, facilitated by a trained practitioner. This work can also be done in private sessions, in person and online, but here we are looking at a workshop exploration. The person seeking healing, known as the “issue holder” or “seeker,” presents the issue they wish to explore. This could range from relationship struggles to health problems, emotional trauma, or unresolved grief.
The facilitator then asks the seeker for some basic information about their family, such as significant life events like divorces, deaths, or traumas. However, the seeker does not need to go into lengthy detail, as the deeper dynamics will emerge through the process itself. You do not need to know much information, just your truth and some dates, if known.
Representation: Bringing the System to Life
Once the issue is established, the facilitator will invite other participants from the group to stand in as representatives for the seeker’s family members or key elements of the issue. The seeker selects individuals from the group to represent specific people (e.g., a mother, father, sibling, or even abstract concepts like “fear” or “illness”) and places them in the room.
This process creates a living map of the family system. The representatives are asked to stand still and allow themselves to experience any sensations, emotions, or movements that naturally arise. There is no pretending, acting or trying to make anything happen – just knowing are you hot/cold, happy/sad, etc. Interestingly, the representatives—who often have no prior knowledge of the seeker’s family—begin to feel and express emotions or bodily sensations that seem connected to the roles they are playing.
This phenomenon is often referred to as “surrogate perception” or accessing the “knowing field.” While it may sound strange, many people find it astonishing how accurately representatives embody the emotional and relational dynamics of the family members they represent.
The Process: Uncovering Hidden Dynamics
As the Constellation unfolds, the facilitator guides the representatives to express their emotions and feelings. This often reveals hidden dynamics, such as unspoken grief, unresolved trauma, or emotional entanglements that have been passed down through generations. It might become clear that certain family members were excluded, disrespected, or carried the burdens of others in the family.
The facilitator uses this information to offer healing statements or actions, such as acknowledging a family member’s rightful place in the system or releasing inherited emotional burdens. These small but meaningful acts can shift the energy in the system, leading to profound emotional release and healing for the seeker.
Integration: The Impact on the Seeker
The beauty of Family Constellations is that healing can occur both for the individual seeking help and for the group as a whole. While the seeker benefits from the direct exploration of their family system, other participants often/always find parallels to their own lives. Even witnessing the process can lead to unexpected insights and healing.
Once the constellation comes to a natural conclusion, the facilitator invites the seeker to reflect on the experience and let the movement that is started, continue for weeks and months afterwards. The insights gained during the session may not only help resolve the specific issue but can also have a ripple effect, influencing other areas of the seeker’s life.
The Healing Power of Family Constellations
Family Constellations is a unique and powerful modality that works on a deep, often unconscious level. By uncovering and acknowledging the hidden dynamics within a family system, the process allows emotional healing to take place. Whether it’s addressing old family conflicts, releasing inherited trauma, or gaining new perspectives on relationships, Family Constellations can offer profound relief and clarity.
The work is not just about understanding your family but also about stepping into your full potential, free from the burdens and unresolved traumas of the past. For many people, the process is life-changing, offering a path to wholeness and balance.
Conclusion
Family Constellations work by revealing the invisible ties that bind us to our family systems, often showing us how our lives are shaped by generational trauma and unresolved emotions. Through this powerful and experiential process, participants gain insight into these hidden dynamics and are able to create space for healing and transformation. It is a somewhat magical or mysterious experience, and also based on being authentic and embodied in service of truth and peace.
While it may seem unusual at first, the profound impact Family Constellations can have on emotional and psychological well-being has led countless individuals to embrace it as a life-changing therapeutic tool. If you’re looking to resolve deep-rooted issues in your life, this transformative approach may be worth exploring.
Lucy Ascham trained with The Centre for Systemic Constellations in 2019-
2024 and bring a compassionate, insightful approach to the work, guiding
participants through the process of uncovering the hidden dynamics within their
family systems so they can come to peace and agreement with what is.
Whether you are new to Family Constellations or have experienced its
transformative power before, Lucy is here to support you on your journey. Working in private sessions in Sheffield, Manchester and online Worldwide. Workshops in Sheffield, Manchester, London and Somerset.
