What are family constellations?
Family constellations are a method developed by the philosopher, theologian, pedagogue and self-proclaimed “psychotherapist” . Its goal is to free people from their “tensions/conflicts” that usually come from the “past generations and are rooted in events in family history” such as war conflicts, family or domestic violence, the premature death of parents or children, abortions, separations or rapes. This can manifest itself in the present in the form of problems such as: depression, psychosis, fears, migraines, chronic fatigue or relationship problems. In short, emotionally intense events (unresolved conflicts) from our family ancestors are passed down generation after generation.
What is it for?
Its defenders say that it is used to treat almost anything, childhood traumas, depression, sadness and melancholy, overcoming tragic events such as losses or grief, facing illnesses, for relationship problems, current or past relationships, fertility problems or adoptions, problems with children (any type), difficulties in family relationships or social relationships.
How is it constellated?
On the website of the Spanish Association of Family Constellations Bert Hellinguer publishes which I will try to summarize: To solve the problems that we have inherited, it can be done in a group or individually.
In the group you can get involved at 3 levels: As a client presenting a personal issue that you want to solve. As a representative where you put yourself at the client’s service representing a member of their family. Or as a participant you observe and help with the energies during the course of the constellation.
Next, the constellator, who directs the dynamic, has the person explain their problem, then chooses the people who will represent the current family or family of origin. He places them and asks them to move or act according to the energies they perceive while they are playing the role. The constellator guides (moves from place to place) through what the representatives express, helping them with healing phrases. It usually ends up including the client and asking him to take her place so that he can participate in this new healing image of the family.
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It can also be constellated individual. For this, figures or dolls, mats or papers are used to configure the Family System. The work of energy perception is done only by the client and the constellator.
According to his guru, we possess “unconscious connections with the destinies of our ancestors” that must be revealed to heal. defend to explain how our destiny is connected like that of our ancestors: Energy fields with memory that influence and connect us in the present with people, places or animals from the past. .
What are NOT family constellations?
It is not a therapy with scientific evidence. Does not exist that supports its effectiveness. Family constellations have never been, under any serious experimental protocol, tested as a therapy that is effective at all. The positive results that they may give are attributable to .
It does not have a scientific, coherent or moderately realistic explanatory model of reality.. Its theory or theoretical model is a pseudoscientific hodgepodge of foundations captured from other therapies or models of dubious or null effectiveness such as Psychoanalysis, Primal Therapy, Psychodrama, Hypnosis, transactional analysis, Gestalt Therapy, Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP). and Systemic Family Therapy (of which the author himself considers a derivation). It is full of pseudoscientific concepts such as or the . Energies that science has not discovered and that unite all human beings with each other beyond time or space. Something like the force that Yoda tells us about in Star Wars but they call it All very scientific and serious with “mathematical formulas” that support the nonsense.
No specialized training is necessary to practice it. Possibly one of the reasons why anywhere in the world. Anyone can become afacilitator” and do not require that these people have extensive training or be psychologists.
It is not an ethical practice. No registered psychologist should use family constellations in consultation. If they did that, they would be violating article 18 of the code of ethics: “Without prejudice to the legitimate diversity of theories, schools and methods, the Psychologist will not use means or procedures that are not sufficiently proven, within the limits of current scientific knowledge..”
They do not adapt to current needs. As a good pseudotherapy, it is anchored to some precepts that have little or nothing evolved or modified since their creator conceived them and that perpetuate a .
In conclusion, family constellations are a form of pseudopsychotherapy whose theoretical model is based on ideas extracted from other pseudotherapies and pseudoscientific or magical beliefs. It defends a very old and conservative vision of the family, a very unspecialized professional practice and without scientific evidence whose effect does not go beyond placebo and could be counterproductive for its participants. If you have any type of problem, go to a professional, your mental or physical health is not a game of theatrical performances, cosmic force or toy figurines.
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