Sacred Soul Medicine – The Beauty and Benefit of Constellations
By Diane Parks and Julie Tomlinson
What is a constellation?
Bert Hellinger developed the Family Constellation approach in 1978. Constellations reveal hidden entanglements and unresolved trauma that maintain painful generational patterns. These patterns wound our individual and collective family souls. Constellation work allows for movements that release the grip of these entanglements and deepens understanding. This process helps to heal soul wounds, find reconciliation within our relationships and restores the flow of love.
How does it work?
Constellations are an experiential process. With the support of others, constellations tap into an energetic “knowing field” to create a living portrait of what is being explored. This process shines light on the existing entanglements, the patterns that hold them in place, and if there are underlying traumas contributing to them. Constellations create shifts in the energy field, space to receive new perceptions and restores the natural abundance of love and compassion.
What is the Constellation process?
In advance of the workshop, interested clients request a constellation. The facilitator then has a brief exchange with the client to understand and clarify the focus and goal of the constellation. The facilitator uses what they learn to determine the constellation set-up. Doing this in advance eliminates the need to “tell the story” during the workshop and maintains the focus on the constellation itself.
During the workshop, the client selects participants to represent the factors identified and individuals in the relationship to be explored. Once all representatives are selected, the client intuitively places them in the knowing field, a large space in the center of the room. Little if any information is given to the representatives. The constellation begins as the representatives start to respond to sensations and impulses informed by the field.
What is the role of the representative?
Workshop participants have the opportunity to represent in constellations. The role of the representative is to report with as few words as possible what they are noticing in their bodies. Representatives do not act or role-play. Instead, they “sense into” their representation and move as they are compelled to. The in-form-ation communicated is not judged or interpreted by the representative. It is the client’s role to receive what is being shown by the representative. Representatives may be asked to represent emotions, illnesses, historical forces, internal struggles, parts of a system, etc., not just people.
Representing in a constellation is not passive. Both the client and the representatives experience the healing and shift in energy a constellation brings. Many representatives report that they often know in advance when they will be asked to do a representation. Many report a personal connection to the representation they are providing and experience a loosening of their own entanglements and a shift towards peace and reconciliation.
What is the knowing field?
The knowing field, a term created by Albrecht Mahr a leader in Family Constellation work, is the phenomenological energy field accessed during constellation work. This field of energy informs the facilitator, representatives, client, and those witnessing the constellation. The field provides wisdom and support for the best interests of all participating. The knowing field is what brings the constellation to life!
