Family constellation

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A reduced variant of family constellations using a system board . Primarily relevant are the distance, angle and direction of view among the persons presented.

Family constellation (also family constellation) describes a procedure in which people are constellated (constellated) on behalf of members of a client's family system in order to be able to recognize certain patterns within that system from a related perceptual position. The family constellation is based on the assumption that internal-fundamental relationships also work internally and spatially - depending on the form, functional to dysfunctional . Constellations are not role-playing games.

procedure

Family constellations usually take place in groups of ten to twenty people. Someone who would like to solve a personal issue contacts us to have a list carried out for them. The constellation manager asks this client about his situation, his system (present and / or system of origin) and his concerns.

For some family members (who are assumed to be essential for the client's concern), deputies are then selected from the seminar group present , who are positioned in relation to one another. There is also a representative for the client himself, who stands for his own ego ( focus ) and is spatially related to the other represented family members. By means of the intuitive positioning of representatives, the client to a certain extent "turns" his inner image with regard to unconsciously depicted relationships (among each other and in relation to his focus ) outwards into the room (first image ).

Because systemic constellation work is based on the assumption that symptoms are developed in a loyal relationship (to individuals from the family system) and that “entangled” relationships (within the original image) point to it spatially, these system relationships , because they are from outside, can be experienced internally at a distance become (dissociated through the representative of one's own focus ).

From their position, the representatives can develop feelings and thoughts that correspond to those of the persons represented from the client's family system. This phenomenon is called representative perception . The relatives of the client become, as it were, psychically present in the space of perception structured in this way. Here can entanglements (dysfunctional system dynamics) are recognized: For example, tasks that (unconsciously) have been imposed on the client ( "delegation") or a dysfunctional system dynamics that the client unconsciously originally (out of loyalty and "Pride" into one of the system) self ( intrinsically ) developed. Different entanglement patterns can be seen during the constellation work - but in order not to follow the “wrong track”, disclosure tests are ideally carried out on the assumed core system dynamics in family constellations ; only then can one proceed in the direction of initiating a solution. The internal process of classic constellation work is - if this is done - in three steps:

  • Interview with the client (about his symptoms and unusual features in his family)
  • Disclosure (testing of the respective core system dynamics and illustrating loyalty relationships)
  • Solution (initiating intervention)

In addition to the family constellation in a group, there is also the possibility of figuratively depicting the spatial correlations and relational dependencies among the family members (see also family board).

requirements

For the meaningful course of a family constellation, it is crucial that the respective client has a serious concern (suffering). To prepare for your own family constellation, it is advisable to deal with your own system of origin and also to prepare a genogram in advance (including any unusual features within the system).

Participation in family constellations as a substitute generally requires normal physical and mental resilience. A family constellation does not have a priori psychotherapeutic effect. B. can apply to a conversation. If family constellations are offered, then, in general, the expert intervention of the appropriately trained constellation manager is required for psychotherapeutic effectiveness. The goal of the constellation work (in a modified variant also for individual sessions) is not generally and a priori a therapeutic one. At the same time, the depth effect that a setup can have should not be underestimated.

Origins, similar processes and developments

  • The Austrian doctor Jakob Moreno elected deputies for the persons concerned in a conflict to be dealt with in the psychodrama . The representatives had to portray this conflict in their roles dramatically (in contrast to the family positions ).
  • The " family sculpture " developed by Virginia Satir ( Palo Alto Group ). This procedure already made use of spatial arrangements among the (sometimes real) family members, whereby the main focus was / is initially on the current relationship system of the family of the respective client and less on the spatial arrangement than on the way the physical sculptures or Attitudes that were / are reproduced or reproduced (from linguistic metaphorical references by the client in relation to problem descriptions). The created family sculpture (its external representation) enables the respective client to depict family relationships non-verbally and to understand (internal, partly linguistically represented) conflicts (from the image of the family sculpture). On this (symptomatic) basis, the process work (often reframing ) was carried out by Virginia Satir. In the “ family reconstruction ”, Virginia Satir then added the multi-generational perspective.
  • Applications from hypnotherapy according to Milton H. Erickson were formative for the use of language (semantics) within the family constellation.
  • Balance and order: Iván Böszörményi-Nagy , Geraldine M. Spark ( Invisible bonds. The dynamics of family systems ), USA 1965 (German 1973); see also parentification . The affiliation (attachment) to the respective system, supplemented to balance and order, can be traced back to Bert Hellinger .
  • The Structural Family Therapy ( Salvador Minuchin , 1967/77) focuses on dysfunctional border violations of subsystems with each other and within that of the client.
  • The family board is based on Kurt Ludewig and Thea Schönfelder . Thea Schönfelder was the first to use substitutes without stating gestures, sentences and without further information to obtain information for the first time.
  • During a course (Lindau Psychotherapy Weeks) by Thea Schönfelder , Bert Hellinger originally got to know the effects of a family constellation, with Ruth McClendon and Leslie B. Kadis (Carmel Institute for Family Business, California, USA) he learned the background of the method and developed it further. From 1999/2000 he developed the “Movements of the Soul” format, where either only some or all representatives are allowed to follow their internal movement tendencies (towards, towards or away from, etc.). In the case of a reduced variant of movements of the soul , only the representative of the client (focus) is provided - in expectation of “his” outwardly represented (inner) movement tendency.
  • The further development of the organizational constellation (by Gunthard Weber and Klaus Grochowiak ) was based on the findings from the family constellation. Globally, identical parameters (balance / order / affiliation) apply in systems, details differ. With regard to membership , the right to unconditional membership differs in the organizational system (careless exclusion is still considered a dysfunctional risk).
  • The development of the structure (by Matthias Varga von Kibéd ) abstracts (or decribes) a possibly personal (system) level. Constellation work on a vague (symptom) context level (for intervention and / or in the form of a first approximation) is therefore also fundamentally possible. The possibility of (intra-) personal abstraction already took place at Virgina Satir (“ Parts Party ”).
  • The method of identity- oriented psychotrauma therapy (IoPT) according to Franz Ruppert , which is used in both individual and group settings , also has origins in family constellations . Instead of setting up external systems, one works here with the internal system of one's own psyche and its components. The IoPT also makes use of the phenomenon of vicarious perception, but speaks of resonators instead of representatives.

reception

While the association Pro Psychotherapie rejects the classic family constellation according to Hellinger, the association declares that family constellations can have positive effects if they are “embedded in psychotherapy with a qualified therapist and used in a mix of methods”. Hellinger's methodology is also vehemently rejected by the German Society for Systemic Therapy, Counseling and Family Therapy . The psychologist and psychotherapist Michael Utsch explains that it depends on who is working with it and for what purpose. "As a diagnostic aid, it (Hellinger's family constellation) can be helpful in experienced hands, but it can also be dangerous as a rigorous instrument of interpretation."

According to Wolfgang Hantel-Quitmann , the classic family constellation is not about helping clients, but simply about "suggesting an insight into Hellinger's teachings and making them dependent on them". In contrast, the psychotherapist Martin Baierl explains: "As with most procedures, the quality of this work [family or system constellations] depends on the person who uses it."

The phenomenon of representative perception cannot be fully explained to this day, but Peter Schlötter was able to empirically prove in his dissertation (University of Witten / Herdecke, 2005) with a large-scale study (2800 individual experiments) that certain representative perceptions are reproducible beyond the individual Different people (representatives) tend to express the same perceptions in system constellations.

At the University Hospital Heidelberg one of which was in the period 2009-2013 German Research Foundation supported empirical study (208 participants, with the experimental group and control group) conducted on the effectiveness of constellations. This study indicates an improved psychological wellbeing of the participants after constellations (even if these are "only" due to placebo effects , which cannot be ruled out in principle).

literature

  • Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy, Geraldine M. Spark: Invisible Attachments . The dynamics of family systems. Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 1981 (German first edition 1973), ISBN 3-608-91297-5 .
  • Gunthard Weber (ed.): Two kinds of luck. Bert Hellinger's systemic psychotherapy. Carl-Auer, Heidelberg 1993, ISBN 3-927809-19-5 .
  • Bertold Ulsamer: No wings without roots. The systemic therapy of Bert Hellinger. Goldmann, Munich 1999, ISBN 3-442-14166-4 .
  • Katharina Stresius, Joachim Castella, Klaus Grochowiak: NLP and the family constellation . On the complementarity of two therapeutic approaches. Junfermann, Paderborn 2001, ISBN 3-87387-450-4 ; CNLPA, Wiesbaden 2013, ISBN 978-3-00-040726-0
  • Gert Höppner: Does humility heal where fate works? Evaluation study on the effects of family constellations according to Bert Hellinger. Profil, Munich 2001 (Diss. Univ. Munich), ISBN 3-89019-508-3 ; Online edition by Carl-Auer, Heidelberg 2006, ISBN 978-3-89670-566-2 .
  • Franz Ruppert: Confused souls. The hidden meaning of psychosis. Basics of a systemic psychotraumatology. Kösel, Munich 2002, ISBN 3-466-30600-0 .
  • Bert Hellinger: Orders of helping. A training book. Carl-Auer, Heidelberg 2003, ISBN 3-89670-421-4 .
  • Barbara Innecken, Eva Madelung: Be in the picture. From the creative handling of constellations in individual therapy, counseling, groups and self-help. Carl-Auer, Heidelberg 2003. ISBN 3-89670-419-2 .
  • Marianne Franke-Gricksch: You belong to us! Systemic insights and solutions for teachers, students and parents. Carl-Auer, Heidelberg 2004, ISBN 3-89670-397-8 .
  • Thomas Schäfer: What makes the soul sick and what heals it. Bert Hellinger's psychotherapeutic work. Droemer-Knaur, Munich 2004. ISBN 3-426-77769-X .
  • Peter Schlötter: Familiar language and its discovery. System constellations are not a product of chance - empirical evidence. Carl-Auer, Heidelberg 2005, ISBN 3-89670-338-2 .
  • Franz Ruppert: Trauma, Attachment and Family Constellations. Understand and heal psychological injuries. Volume 177 of the series: Learning to live. Pfeiffer, Munich 2005, ISBN 3-608-89742-9 .
  • Stephan Hausner: Even if it costs me my life! System constellations for serious illnesses and long-lasting symptoms. Carl-Auer, Heidelberg 2008, ISBN 978-3-89670-653-9 .
  • Bert Hellinger: Luck will last. How relationships work. Kreuz, Freiburg 2008, ISBN 3-7831-3038-7 .
  • Bert Hellinger: The healing. Get healthy, stay healthy. Hellinger Publications, Berchtesgaden 2011, ISBN 3-942808-01-3 .
  • Weinhold / Bornhäuser / Hunger / Schweitzer: Three types of effectiveness. The Heidelberg study on system constellations. Carl-Auer, Heidelberg 2014, ISBN 978-3-8497-0047-8 .

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Falko von Ameln, Josef Kramer: Bringing organizations in motion. Action-oriented methods for personnel, team and organizational development. Berlin and Heidelberg 2016, p. 273.
  2. ↑ Falko von Ameln, Josef Kramer: Bringing organizations in motion. Action-oriented methods for personnel, team and organizational development. Berlin and Heidelberg 2016, p. 273: "Constellations can make system dynamics (e.g. relationship structures and conflicts) clear more quickly [...]"
  3. ↑ See Peter Osten: Integrative diagnostics in addiction and addiction disorders. In: Integrative Addiction Therapy. Theory, methods, practice, research (Ed. Petzold, Schay, Ebert), Wiesbaden 2007, p. 247: "In the infantile experience [of that child], this initially provides calmness, a certain satisfaction, sometimes even" pride ", because the children feel happy that they can do something, or at least they are happy not to be guilty of doing nothing (a behavioral child: "if I make mom happy, everything will be fine"). If this constellation stabilizes dysfunctionally in the adult, it therefore acts inwardly like a "promise" from the child, which is not easy - and only from within - to resolve (like a loyalty conflict). "
  4. ↑ Figure (s) on core system dynamics ( Memento from December 8, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
  5. ↑ Eva Tillmetz: family constellations. Understand yourself - discover your own roots. Stuttgart 2012, p. 17 f.
  6. ↑ Amir Levy and Uri Merry: Organizational Transformation. Approaches, strategies, theories. New York 1986, p. 106.
  7. ↑ Freda Eidmann: Trauma in Context. Integrative constellation work in trauma therapy. Göttingen 2009, p. 115.
  8. ↑ Arist von Schlippe and Jochen Schweitzer: Textbook of systemic therapy and advice I. Basic knowledge. Göttingen 2013, p. 45 ff.
  9. ↑ Freda Eidmann: Trauma in Context. Integrative constellation work in trauma therapy. Göttingen 2009, p. 116.
  10. ↑ Klaus Grochowiak: Orders of Power ( Memento of the original from September 23, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF), p. 2. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.cnlpa.de
  11. ↑ Klaus Grochowiak, 2002: Orders of Power ( Memento of the original from September 23, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF), p. 4: "However, this does not mean that there is an absolute right to belong , but that the bond with the dismissed colleague comes into play when it is a frivolous dismissal." @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.cnlpa.de
  12. ↑ Joseph L. Wetchler and Fred P. Piercy: Experiential Family Therapies. In: Family Therapy Sourcebook. New York 1996, p. 85.
  13. ↑ Pro psychotherapy: The classic family constellation
  14. ↑ Pro Psychotherapy: Newer Approaches to Family Constellation Retrieved on January 4, 2017.
  15. ↑ Pro therapy: Conclusion and tip. Accessed on January 4, 2017.
  16. ^ Statement of the DGSF on the subject of family constellations (November 25, 2011): [1] Retrieved on April 5, 2014.
  17. ↑ Michael Utsch: The Hellinger scene is drifting apart: dispute over method and training. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  18. ↑ Quoted by the psychologist Heike Dierbach in: Zeit Online, June 21, 2011: Esotericism: Depression with Angels , p. 3.
  19. ↑ Martin Baierl: Everyday Challenge. Practical handbook for educational work with mentally disturbed young people. Göttingen 2014, p. 42.
  20. ↑ Marco de Carvalho, Jörgen Klußmann, Bahram Rahman, 2010: Conflict Management in Afghanistan. The systemic conflict transformation in practical use in a large group conflict (PDF), p. 35 ff.
  21. ↑ Video of the research project on the constellation work by Peter Schlötter: Familiar language and its discovery.
  22. ^ Video of the research project on the constellation work by Peter Schlötter: Epilogue - Vertraute Sprache und their discovery.
  23. ↑ Heidelberg University Hospital: Research project system constellations ( Memento from December 26, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  24. ↑ Spiegel Online, October 20, 2014: Controversial family constellation: Psycho course in rapid succession : “Even the Heidelberg researchers do not rule out that the positive effects can be attributed to corresponding expectations. However, the method can hardly be tested otherwise, says psychologist and co-author Jan Weinhold. In contrast to drug studies with placebo pills, there is hardly any way to "blind" the study, that is, to leave participants in the dark about whether or not they will receive the therapy. "