the arc of tomorrowwith erik andersenThe reference library
A practical collection on family and systems constellations: the orders, movements and entanglements that shape a field.
37 pieces retained from the original archiveOne of the fundamental requirements for yourself as a facilitator and your client to benefit from a constellation, is a strong observing self. Because it is such an experiential technique, a strong sense of self is important. Inner parts work can be a very effective intervention for developing…
ReadUsually in a constellation, when we are representing for somebody else's constellation, we represent for a single role. The facilitator may take us out of that role, put a marker in our place and move us on to another role. In which case, we will need to come back to ourselves, walk around…
ReadPolyvagal Theory Polyvagal theory is a useful model that helps us understand how we are wired to protect AND connect, and to get to know our nervous systems. The theory was developed by Stephen Porgess. It hypothesizes that the autonomic nervous system (ANS) is organised hierarchically into…
ReadIn preparation for today's class, Cathy and I did a mini constellation where Cathy represented and facilitated my constellation. We wanted to explain and explore what my family is carrying and trace it back to ancestral fields and into the ancestral realm. Because I'm born into my family, it's a…
ReadWhat is the knowing field? The term knowing field is used to refer to a field of information experienced phenomenologically, whereby through participation in a constellation, participants and facilitator alike become conduits for information they would not normally have or know (Hellinger,…
ReadHealing Sentences Credit: an anonymous user on the internet. Healing Sentences are the language of the Soul. They are simple, expressed truth, and acknowledge what is. The power of the healing sentences lies in their simplicity as they move us from the story and opinion to simply stating what is…
ReadStarting a peer group for family constellations can be a powerful way to build a community of learning, support, and healing. Here are some guidelines to get started: 1. Define the Purpose Clarity : Be clear about the group's purpose. Will it be for practicing family constellations, discussing…
ReadLet us look at healing sentences from the point of view of systems and examine some of the core sentences with a systemic lens. Covered in a previous lesson, the ancestors, our parents, are bigger than us. A healing sentence, in all its variety and multitude, is constructed to establish this…
ReadAn understanding of systems is important to successfully work a client’s Family System and to draw a distinction between family, organisational and other systems. A system operates differently to what the modern mind is used to, it does not operate on cause and affect. Note the controls on the…
ReadQuestions and Answers Dear Constellator, welcome to the question and answers page! My hope is for all Q&A to be in one spot for us to easily find. Hopefully it will be easy enough for us to flow with and you enjoy posting here. Please feel free to ask any question - Erik and Cathy will get back…
ReadIt was Bert Hellinger that developed Family Constellations. He drew from many sources like Gestalt and family theory and Zulu family dynamics when he was living here in South Africa in KwaZulu-Natal. Through observation, he developed the idea that there are certain structures that enable love to…
ReadArchived information for the Classical and Organic Constellations course, including links to related articles and recordings. Obsolete payment and banking details have been removed.
ReadTo create safety for the constellation’s client or within a constellations group or workshop, there should be certain agreements and boundaries. These include: Confidentiality After a constellation, no more representative information is given. This requires containing the impulse to share…
ReadNavigating Family Systems is an art that takes practice. In my view, it requires the attitude of a meditator. In meditation, we allow whatever arises in the body to be there. We do not hold on to pleasant sensations nor do we push away unpleasant sensations. Likewise with emotions, we find in…
Read“Isn’t anyone else blown away by this? How is it that we can experience being someone else in a Constellation? How is it possible?” This was a comment made by a psychology student when I participated in my first constellation. Those who are new to Constellations are often anxious they will not be able to […]
ReadThe below is an extract from: Unraveling Family Secrets. Bert Hellinger interviewed on Family Constellations, By Humberto del Pozo in Santiago de Chile, September 1999. What is the dynamics you have seen in working with addicts? When there is addiction, for example alcoholism, we have very strange family constellations. In such a family the wife […]
ReadThe below is an extract from: Unraveling Family Secrets. Bert Hellinger interviewed on Family Constellations, By Humberto del Pozo in Santiago de Chile, September 1999. Can you give us examples regarding those whose misfortune or death brought the family an advantage or gain? In constellations with the descendants of those who had acquired great wealth, […]
ReadThe below is an extract from: Unraveling Family Secrets. Bert Hellinger interviewed on Family Constellations, By Humberto del Pozo in Santiago de Chile, September 1999. [These are the views of BH in 1999 and not necessarily those of Erik Andersen] What about Aids? To be infected with the virus or contract AIDS is not a […]
ReadThe below is an extract from: Unraveling Family Secrets. Bert Hellinger interviewed on Family Constellations, By Humberto del Pozo in Santiago de Chile, September 1999. [These are the views of BH in 1999 and not necessarily those of Erik Andersen] What are the patterns you have observed in relationship to homosexuality? I’ve observed three patterns […]
ReadThe below is an extract from: Unraveling Family Secrets. Bert Hellinger interviewed on Family Constellations, By Humberto del Pozo in Santiago de Chile, September 1999. What if someone is murdered in a family? I will give you an example. It was in a supervision group. A therapist set up a client. The father had killed […]
ReadThe below is an extract from: Unraveling Family Secrets. Bert Hellinger interviewed on Family Constellations, By Humberto del Pozo in Santiago de Chile, September 1999. What laws govern the behavior of those who belong to the family soul? As I said before, the family members behave as if they all share a common soul, or […]
ReadThe below is an extract from: Unraveling Family Secrets. Bert Hellinger interviewed on Family Constellations, By Humberto del Pozo in Santiago de Chile, September 1999. What kind of solutions can be found for a client? What constitutes the phenomenological approach here? The phenomenological field of vision ranges from a narrow point of view to a […]
ReadThe below is an extract from: Unraveling Family Secrets. Bert Hellinger interviewed on Family Constellations, By Humberto del Pozo in Santiago de Chile, September 1999. How many times do you have to repeat a Constellation? No repetitions. It is done once. The Constellation shows it and then a healing movement can start operating. But it […]
ReadThe below is an extract from: Unraveling Family Secrets. Bert Hellinger interviewed on Family Constellations, By Humberto del Pozo in Santiago de Chile, September 1999. I’m not clear what you mean when you say, “recognize his love and honor his fate.” When a child dies, the other members of the family tend to become afraid […]
ReadThe below is an extract from: Unraveling Family Secrets. Bert Hellinger interviewed on Family Constellations, By Humberto del Pozo in Santiago de Chile, September 1999. You have said there are dynamics conducive to recurrent patterns of accidents or misfortune. Will you please tell us about the dynamics in such cases? Serious illnesses, suicides or suicide […]
ReadThe below is an extract from: Unraveling Family Secrets. Bert Hellinger interviewed on Family Constellations, By Humberto del Pozo in Santiago de Chile, September 1999. How is it that somebody is selected to represent an excluded person? The force that operates to select somebody to represent the person excluded, that is the family conscience and […]
ReadThe below is an extract from: Unraveling Family Secrets. Bert Hellinger interviewed on Family Constellations, By Humberto del Pozo in Santiago de Chile, September 1999. Can you share with us some of your experiences with former partners? Yes, from experiences I had recently with persons who have suffered a loss in favor of somebody within […]
ReadThe below is an extract from: Unraveling Family Secrets. Bert Hellinger interviewed on Family Constellations, By Humberto del Pozo in Santiago de Chile, September 1999. Are your therapeutic methods also applicable with people who are severely ill? Yes, specially in cases where the problem or illness is caused by systemic implications, or when it is […]
ReadThe below is an extract from: Unraveling Family Secrets. Bert Hellinger interviewed on Family Constellations, By Humberto del Pozo in Santiago de Chile, September 1999. Who are those included in the family consciousness? A circumscribed number of persons belong to the family consciousness: 1. the children, including stillborn children and those who have died early, […]
ReadThe below is an extract from: Unraveling Family Secrets. Bert Hellinger interviewed on Family Constellations, By Humberto del Pozo in Santiago de Chile, September 1999. I have seen you require very little information from the client before asking him to set up his Family Constellation. Is that enough? How come? Yes, for the perception is […]
ReadSome kabbalah enthusiasts and I get together once a week to meditate on the spheres and tone the holy names on the Tree of Life. This sort of meditation is part of the meditative kabbalah and is know to be healing. Archangel Raphael is placed at the middle of the Tree, Tipheret. His name comes […]
ReadThis is a beautifully written article by Tanja Meyburgh of African Constellations. Tanja is a very experienced constellations facilitator and psychologist. There are some powerful healing sentences at the end of the article that I encourage you to use. One possible method is to visualise each ancestor starting with your mother, then father, then grandmother […]
ReadFamily Constellations called me to it. My exposure to the method began many years ago in South Africa, in part due to my quest for physical healing and in part due to my need know in a way deeper than doctrine and ideology, information and books. I learned meditation, yoga and Kabbalah in my own […]
ReadIn all constellation work, the onus is on the Facilitator to make sure that a client is well resourced after the workshop. The impact a constellation has can be quite profound on an individual and they may need to discuss the process with the facilitator afterwards or with a therapist if they go into overwhelm. […]
ReadAs of April 2018, the way I like to work is to be sensitive to the Knowing Field first and to allow healing sentences to intuitively form within me, then to use known interventions second. That said, there are certain patterns, dynamics and natural laws I have noticed in constellations work. I use a combination […]
ReadFacilitating Classical & Organic Constellations A week before this programme took shape the Ancestors made their Presence felt. What follows is largely their doing. Learn the fundamentals of Classical Family, Systemic, and Organic Constellations. Develop your facilitation skills for one-on-one and small-group sessions with clients, in person and virtually. By “organic” we simply mean following […]
ReadWhat is a family constellation? by Tanja Meyburgh (website) What is a family constellation? Systemic Family Constellations were developed in the form that I use them by Bert Hellinger in the 1990’s as a culmination of his life journey and work. Born in Germany his biography took him through experiences in his own family, as […]
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