Family Constellation is a fast, effective, and powerful method to recognize family entanglements. These may actually be the roots of some problem you are suffering in the relation with people you are dealing with: friends, people at work, neighbours... Surprising insights into our own attachments to feelings that actually belong to some ancestor bring about a profound understanding of our present situation. This allows for a deep relaxation to take place.

Bert Hellinger, the founder of Systemic Family Constellaton, studied philosophy, theology, education and much later psychology, and is now (at 80!) still traveling worldwide to instruct therapists. He assumes that in every family system there exist certain “systemic orders of love”. When these orders are violated, usually due to emotional errors that he calls “blind love”, family members suffer throughout generations. In a constellation the source of the problem jumps to the eye of the observer. Once the unconscious situation has been made visible, it can be healed. With the help of an experienced therapist the person can let go of the emotional bonds that no longer make sense in her present life situation.

We get a group of people together who are interested in healing their family situation. One person that we Hill call “X” creates the constellation of his or her family, choosing representatives for his or her relatives from the group.

“X” positions the people in the room in relation to each other according to his or her feelings in that moment: a living model of X’s family is created. The therapist goes around asking the representatives how they feel in their position. It is found that the feelings and thoughts of the representatives are very similar to those of the actual family members. During the constellation we gain insight into the hidden family dynamics. The persons are shifted around until a healing balance is achieved, where everybody feels acknowledged, strong, and in peace with the situation.

Surprisingly, love can flow again between the members of the family represented, usually after one session already, and amazing changes occur in peoples´ daily lives during the weeks and months after the family constellation. Not only person X benefits from the session. By representing someone and feeling into that person’s situation, peoples’ own issues are touched and can be healed.

Friederike Steinhagen, a teacher, author and therapist with over 20 years of experience in the field of family consultations, uses the Systemic Family constellation in her counseling for pupils and adults, in combination with other tools like kinesiology, crystals, and flower essences.

She is exited with the sudden changes her clients experience. What she loves especially about family constellation is that through your intention to heal your situation you can reach out into areas that seemed to lie beyond your influence. For example, stubborn family members open up, communication gains a new quality, parents and teenagers can relax into a joyful acceptance of one another.

Apart from workshops, Friederike offers individual family constellations in Spanish, English, and German, so problems can be dealt with any time without the need to call a group together.