Family Constellations Workshops and Retreats

What is a Family Constellation?

The classical constellation is an opportunity to explore questions or difficulties someone may be experiencing, such as estrangement from their family or a symptom that has not resolved through other interventions or counselling methods. I then suggest that people in the circle stand in as family members and set up a ‘real-life’ image of the client’s family system and their place in it. As participants step in, I guide the representatives to sense what is happening in their physical bodies and all around them, encouraging them to focus on their sensory experience in the moment. Who do they see? Who is obscured from their sight? What do they notice? Are they drawn to or repelled by someone in the circle?

I closely observe everyone’s placement and the interactions between them. The positions contain a wealth of information for me as the facilitator. Sometimes, the information held in the positions, the spaces between, and the physical bodies of the representatives allows me to form a hypothesis or stay open to further developments. I may also ask the representatives what they are experiencing in their positions to see if there is additional information I haven’t observed. I might suggest movements, such as repositioning to a more fitting place, or offer healing or ‘seed’ sentences that help a dynamic between two people to be communicated or become visible. These are short, clear, and soulful sentences that impact both the client and the process.

The main aim of the constellation is to make the dynamics visible, giving the client a broader understanding of how their difficulty may fit within the family or trans-generational system. Hidden dynamics may be revealed, and an expanded view of the issue can help the client see how they are part of relational systems. The symptom can then be understood in a wider context, illustrating what role their difficulty may play in striving to bring balance to the family system, even across generations.

The constellation often enables the client to experience an ‘opening up’ or a sense of compassion for family members. Where there has been anger, difficulty, or animosity, a deeper understanding of the system can reveal underlying feelings of pain, love, and longing. This understanding opens the client to a new way of relating to their family. We do not seek solutions or next steps, but the potential to see and act in more empowered ways often arises from a deeper movement within the soul.