Family constellations is a loanword that, as of 2016, has been gaining popularity at a remarkable pace, its recognition seemingly doubling every few months. Nevertheless, some definitions must be highlighted: Family Constellation is a visual image of a human soul, the purpose of which is to find a solution to a question of deep personal significance. At the same time, family constellation is also the process through which that solution is reached. Constellation work refers to the full range of methods and knowledge used to conduct constellations, and the therapist is the specialist or practitioner who guides the process.
A well-conducted family constellation is as mesmerizing for the observers as it is healing for the client who requested the work. After a brief conversation about the client’s issue and some basic questions about their family background, the therapist then invites the client to select representatives among the observers (who typically do not know the client) to represent the key people related to the problem. These representatives are not given detailed instructions about their roles. The client then positions them in the room, thus creating an initial image or “field.”
And then, something remarkable starts to happen. The representatives begin to adjust their posture, their tone of voice changes, and they start to report unexpected sensations or emotions — often ones they do not personally identify with. This tends to deeply affect the client. Even though observers may not fully understand the client’s personal story, the process is so emotionally compelling that the entire room seems to breathe in one dramatic rhythm.
The therapist makes a series of adjustments to the image: they may ask representatives to speak archaic-sounding phrases, to hand over symbolic objects (such as cushions), add new representatives in different roles, reposition people within the space, or instruct them to bow or take other symbolic actions. Gradually, the entire group — including the representatives, the client, and even the silent observers — reaches a state of deep peace.
The constellation comes to an end. During coffee breaks, conversations with participants reveal that many have experienced significant insights or emotional relief regarding their own life situations — be it non-functional relationships, unexplained physical ailments, or repeating misfortunes. For many, taking part as a representative becomes a regular and profoundly enriching experience. “There’s no need to go to the cinema anymore,” they might say. It is widely believed that participating as a representative also helps to relieve ancestral burdens, and many personal stories are shared in support of this idea.
The procedure is vivid and intense — at times it feels more like an indigenous ritual than something from a modern personal development workshop.
Yet family constellation is firmly rooted in various 20th century psychotherapeutic traditions — though it also carries a thread of connection to indigenous wisdom and ancestral healing.
When can family constellation be useful?
Family constellation helps to achieve good results in a wide range of areas — from workplace conflicts to being used as a complementary method in serious health issues. In every area of life, we operate within systems of people. On a subconscious level, we are always accompanied by our family of origin — another system of people. For these reasons, everything that happens in our lives carries a systemic meaning; our problems and solutions exist in contexts that can be revealed and transformed in family constellation through the visual image created in the room.
Some typical questions people bring to family constellations include the following:
- Conflicts in families and couples
- Unexplained and uncontrollable feelings of guilt, anxiety, anger, etc.
- Alcoholism, drug addiction, other addictions and codependencies
- Children’s behavioral difficulties and health problems
- Repetitive patterns of events and similar destinies across generations
How does family constellation work?
In many cases, family constellation works on a subconscious level. The final image that emerges during the constellation continues to resonate within a person’s inner being, often triggering changes that may unfold over several years. In the classical approach, no follow-up discussion takes place after the constellation — the process relies on the image that continues to work in the subconscious. In such cases, it is recommended to avoid analyzing what happened, especially with non-professionals.
However, nowadays family constellation is often used as part of a broader personal development program or a series of therapy sessions, where the insights gained during the constellation are also explored analytically. Sometimes, family constellation may reveal the need to develop certain qualities in life or to resolve a situation through conversation. In such cases, the therapist may offer practical life advice.
One unique way in which constellation work can be helpful is when neither conventional nor alternative medical methods have yielded results so far. After entanglements are released, treatments or interventions that had previously shown no effect may suddenly begin to work.