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 Sometimes no matter how much someone has worked on an issue, the problem

persists in spite of all well-intentioned efforts.  A constellation focuses on a much

bigger picture than other forms of psychotherapy or other helping modalities.

 

 Family Constellations begin with the idea that difficult problems don’t necessarily originate from a person’s biographical past from birth to present, but are often rooted in painful, unresolved issues out of the family’s generational history.  One of the main concepts,“Orders of Love”, describes how certain issues become embedded in

the unconscious of the family lineage.  Disturbances in these orders, as well as the sense of belonging essential for a feeling of well-being, often manifest in dysfunctional

patterns that persist in the family system over generations.  A family member may

become “entangled” in the difficult fate of an ancestor and unknowingly draw suffering into his or her own life.  This occurs when a current family member, usually a child,

unconsciously identifies with a family member from a previous generation who has

been excluded, forgotten, or met with a tragic fate that was not acknowledged or resolved in their lifetime.  It is as if the child sacrifices himself for the sake of restoring

wholeness to the greater family system.  Another main concept in this method is that

everyone has a right to belong, including both “good guys and bad guys” as long as

they are blood relatives, inlaws, or anyone who has had a significant role in the life

of the family.

 

 Of course, this acting out of another’s fate never resolves anything and is considered

“blind love”  —  loyalty to the family's history without awareness.  The concept of “entanglement” is core to this process in which the facilitator identifies who or what

the client is identified.  Such entanglements may show up in the form of the disease,

relationship problems of many sorts, bad fortune, addiction, depression, suicide, or any

of the whole range of difficulties across the human spectrum.  A major purpose of a

constellation is to reveal the hidden and compelling dynamics which have influenced

the family and created the entanglement(s).  Healing comes from acknowledging the

reality without judging it, thereby freeing the entangled person so (s)he is no longer

“needed.”  Another important purpose, where possible, is to create a “resolution picture” which helps restore balance and strength.  From here “enlightened love” can emerge for the client over time.