The 5 top things you should know about family & systemic constellations

Constellation work is one of the coolest things you may have never heard of.

And no, it has nothing to do with astrology. Constellations are an embodied tool for systems knowing and systems change. In constellation work an individual is looked at in relationship to others in the systems of which he or she is a part, such as the family system or workplace system.

Below are the top five things you should know about constellations. Or if you already know you’re interested in constellation work you can schedule a free consult.

1. Constellations are a power tool for creating change

Constellation work is used to facilitate big change fast. It is effective at relieving the worst suffering or unworkable stuckness. It’s efficient, precise, and gentle. It excels at uncovering the cause of a situation and then promoting a resolution.

What’s more, when the system being constellated moves into resolution, the original cause of the stuckness or suffering almost always becomes a strength and a resource.

2. Constellation work is versatile

Because constellations work systemically, they can help resolve personal issues for an individual, group issues for families or work teams, and organizational issues for companies or other institutes. It’s even been used to examine community and national issues.

Some of the applications constellations are used for include:

  • Resolve family issues from the past and not pass them on to your children
  • Change a relationship… with your partner, family members, boss or coworker
  • Change your relationship with things like money or business
  • Get to the root of physical illnesses so that they can heal
  • Find the cause of things like anxiety, depression and end suffering
  • Improve team cohesion and performance
  • Discover and remove systemic blocks to business success
  • Resolve seemingly intractable organizational conflicts easily
  • Test the systemic impacts of organizational change initiatives before implementing them

3. Constellations often work where nothing else has

The type of systemic issues that constellations resolve are widespread. Nearly everyone has some sort of systemic trauma in his or her family. Yet most change modalities don’t event know these types of issues exist. Many people come to constellations as a last resort after exhausting their other options.

4. Constellations often benefit others in the system besides the client

The resolution often appears to ripple out and affect other people related to your issue (family members, coworkers). Because the cause of a systemic issue lives outside of any one individual the resolution does too. Both the cause and resolution reside in the system of relationships between one or more individuals.

One doesn’t have to be a client to benefit. Participating in a group constellation on behalf of a client seems to have good effect for all in attendance. Witnessing and embodying the dynamics and resolutions in other people’s constellations translates meaningfully into each person’s own unique situation.

5. Constellations are easy to access

In many cases constellation work can be completed in a private session. Sometimes a client situation calls for a group format. Both private and group formats can be accessed by skype so distance is not an issue.

[Bonus] 6. Constellation work can seem totally weird and out there, until you get some experience of it, and then it makes total sense

Constellation work is very different than most forms of work we’re used to. It has its roots in phenomenology, family systems therapy, and indigenous Zulu traditions. Bert Hellinger, a german psychotherapist and former priest, developed this method while working as a family therapist.

Because it is so different than more familiar modes, it’s often easier to understand constellation work by experiencing it versus reading about it. So what are you waiting for? Drop us a line and let us know you’re interested in coming to an upcoming constellation or even having a constellation done for yourself.

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