What happens when you participate in systemic constellations? The constellation method is an intuitive process in which we transform the inner picture we have of a problem into a spatial description. Systemic constellations can help you look at a situation you are personally involved in from a meta-position. You can use them as an intervention when you are stuck and want to have a look at what is going on.
When we are sick, we go to the doctor hoping to be cured. But it’s not the doctor who actually heals us. He cannot repair a broken bone when our leg is broken. Only the healing forces of our body can weld the broken bone. The doctor can do a lot to support this process. For example, to bring the bones into a better position, he or she may put the leg in a plaster cast to allow healing to take place. He may also prescribe minerals and medicines to support the healing process. But the healing itself is done by the body itself.
It’s the same with our soul. Life has a healing energy and we have this incredible ability to heal ourselves, to move past difficult and traumatic experiences and build from them new strengths. There are many ways we can support healing processes and I am happy to learn and discover more and more about the healing power of the soul. One method that I have been working with personally for over 15 years and which still fascinates me is Systemic Constellations.
The Constellation Method: Bringing Inner Images to Life
The constellation method is an intuitive process in which we transform our inner picture of a problem into a spatial description.
Systemic Constellations: Unveiling Hidden Dynamics for Transformation
Systemic Constellations are a way of exploring the subtle dynamics present in all systems, which influence us at a soul level, affecting the way we behave, feel and make decisions. The dynamics of a system come, in large part, from our awareness, and they affect our lives in dramatic ways. Constellations can help us gain a new perspective on these dynamics and change them for the better.
Healing Beyond Symptoms: My Journey Through Systemic Constellations
Several years ago, I had some health problems, repeated kidney and bladder infections. Treatment with herbs, herbal teas and antibiotics helped me to eliminate the symptoms for a few months, but the infections returned. They started quite suddenly, at a very stressful time in my life, and even after my life had settled back into calmer waters, my health did not improve. I was very surprised because I didn’t have kidney or bladder problems until I was in my forties. I was under the impression that these symptoms had a deeper course and were not just related to my own experience. I went to a colleague for a Systemic Constellation.
After a solution-centered conversation, which clarified my intention and helped identify the relevant parts of the system that should be represented, we decided to start with the elements: me, my kidneys, my personal life and my professional life. Both sides we approached as potential sources of stress. The constellation was carried out in a group. I chose a representative for each element and sat them in the room. As a client, I sat as an observer during this first phase of the constellation and listened to the representatives’ observations. The dynamics in the constellation made it very clear that ‘my personal life’ was an important resource. The representatives representing “me” and “my kidneys” felt the presence of “my personal life” as understanding and caring. This was consistent with my real life experience and perception. The ‘professional life’ also had a positive impact. It was important to find the right place and distance so that it was not overwhelming. When this was found, ‘professional life’ was in a good balance with ‘personal life’. I could again relate to this very well. I enjoyed my work, but sometimes I found it difficult to find a good balance because I had two young children and wanted to spend quality time with them. Giving my ‘work life’ the right place – not too far away and not too close – was very important for my balance.
We were a bit lost, because everything now seemed to be in harmony and yet the representative of “my kidneys” was not feeling strong and healthy. It was obvious that something was missing in the system and the facilitator brought in another element, which I didn’t know what it meant. So she called it “something important”. When I observed this movement, I had a strong feeling that this element represented my father. The person who represented “me” in the constellation also mentioned this (although I hadn’t said the thought out loud). It never crossed my mind before this moment that my father could have anything to do with my health problem. I had a very good and warm relationship with my father, who had died a few years before. Yes, I missed him, but I was at peace with his death. He was in his 80s when he died, and the energy of his life had faded in his later years, and I had the chance to say goodbye to him when the time was right. I was very surprised by the connection with him in the context of my health problem. What I had completely forgotten was another fact: my father had kidney cancer in his 60s. He had an operation and has lived ever since with only one kidney without further complications. I had simply forgotten about it because it was not something that affected his life, he died of old age many years later.
Healing Through Systemic Constellations: Releasing Unseen Burdens
What became clear in the dynamics of this constellation was something else. Out of love and loyalty to my father, I had taken on something that was not healthy for me. On an unconscious level I expressed my love for him by becoming like him, taking on his health issues and carrying them for him. Of course, this makes no sense when we speak with the mind, but when we speak with the soul, it has a much deeper meaning. Now that the unconscious dynamic became clear, it was easy to find a new and better way to express my love and loyalty to my father and to take the burden off my kidneys, which have suffered for so long. In constellation we can do this by giving back a symbolic object to the place to which it belongs. It became obvious to all who observed how things fell into place. When I stepped into the constellation in the final picture and took the place of my representative, I could feel the balance, the loving connection with my father who was now free of any burden. This helped me to integrate the new image into my body as a new experience. A new reality. This constellation took place ten years ago and since then I have not had kidney problems.
