In psychology, there are many different approaches to the perception of a person, to his psyche. Often the client is not only unable to solve his problem on his own, but even to see it. Systemic constellations are a psychological method that allows the client to look at their situation from the other side, try to assess what is happening impartially and start looking for a solution.
What is the essence of the method of system constellations
The method of systemic constellations is based on the fact that all life difficulties and problems of a person have roots in the family, or rather in the family system. The essence of this approach in psychotherapy is to reproduce, to play out the constellations of the family system during the session. The aim of the game is to understand difficult family relationships and find the true cause of the client's problems. This reproduction in reality is called systemic constellation.
Despite the fact that systemic constellations have been practiced for several decades, they still have not received the recognition of the scientific community. But it is known that a placebo can also be a lifesaver for a person - the placebo effect is recognized even by official medicine.
Therefore, when conducting an arrangement, the most important thing is a person's faith in the effectiveness of this method. And very many followers of the creator of systemic constellations believe in this. Moreover, the creator himself is not only a psychologist, he is also a theologian and spiritual teacher of many people.
How the systemic constellations method was founded
The method of systemic family constellations was developed and introduced into practice by Bert Hellinger, a famous practicing German psychologist. Hellinger was born in Germany in 1925. For a long time he studied psychology, worked as a psychotherapist, and was fond of theology.
In the process of his practical activity, in search of the best approach to psychological assistance to people, Bert Hellinger in the 80s of the twentieth century developed and introduced the method of constellations into wide circulation. The full name of the method is "Systemic family constellations according to Hellinger". It was under this name that at the end of the 90s of the last century this approach came to Russia and almost immediately won many fans, becoming very popular.
Despite the fact that systemic constellations are considered an original development in psychology, this method also has its roots. Hellinger developed it based on several psychological directions that were relevant in the 80s.
One of the most important methods that influenced the creation of systemic constellations the most is script analysis by psychologist Eric Berne. The essence of script analysis is that a psychotherapist (psychologist) in the process of working with a client analyzes his life situations.
Eric Berne also proceeded from the position that all human problems come from the family. In his opinion, every person has a life scenario laid down from childhood, according to which he moves. The scenario is formed in the early period under the influence of parents and the environment, and in adulthood can only be slightly adjusted.
Hellinger adopted this concept of his colleague and acted at first in accordance with this approach. At a certain point, he realized that this approach has a number of shortcomings, as a result, he was forced to move away from it a little and create his own method. Later, it was the modified development that was called systemic constellations. It is under this name that it is known to this day.
Bert Hellinger's systemic constellations have gained wide popularity in narrow circles. However, before deciding whether to use this method in your work with a client or in personal psychotherapy, you need to understand exactly what this approach is.
Bert Hellinger did not understand by systemic constellations any thought process, but constellations in the literal sense, the constellations of people or figures replacing them. In the process of one arrangement, one any problematic situation of the declared participant in a psychological session is considered.
The rest of the group of participants will have to deal with the problem of one person. Bert Hellinger's method of systemic constellations involves the participation of any people, even those who are not familiar with the client, whose problem is being considered, or with anyone from his family.
How systemic constellations work
At the beginning of the systemic constellation, the constellation psychologist explains the essence of the method, then the client is declared, whose problem will be considered. It is his story that will continue to be in the spotlight until the end of the session. All participants in the constellation form a large circle, and the problem will be played out in a plane in the space between all people.
Each element of this system is first imagined, and then its place in real space in the circle is taken by a person who is called a substitute. During the entire session, the deputy plays the role of a specific member of the client's system - in this way, his entire family system is replenished. The deputy is appointed and called to a certain position by the psychologist-lead. Whether this or that position in the system is needed is also determined by the constellator.
Sometimes, in addition to the standard roles of dad, mom and the entire circle of close relatives, the presenter can add family members to the system about which the client does not know or declare anything. Most often, these are relatives excluded from the family system - early deceased brothers or sisters of the client, ex-husbands or wives of parents, relatives who have committed a crime. It is important that the list of roles is not limited only to those persons about whom the client speaks directly.
Each substitute participant who has a role in the constellation concentrates on his feelings in the process, trying to penetrate the essence of the person he is replacing in the session. The arrangement itself is quiet, slow and focused, most often most of it is wordless.
Who are the substitutes in systemic constellations
The deputies usually do not know either the client or his relatives whom they had to replace in the system. And the client does not need to tell the group anything about them, only to voice the main points of his problem. Therefore, people focus on their feelings and independently realize what kind of belonging they received in this role and what is required of them in this family system.
This process is called proxy perception. The main source from which participants receive information about the problem, about the client and about the family system in general, is the so-called family field. Participants try to establish a connection with the field in order to obtain the necessary information about who they replace in the system, as well as what kind of relationship their character has with the rest of the system.
The lack of literal information is compensated for by the phenomenon of substitute perception, without which the process of placement is generally impossible. For the most part, this is what repels professional psychologists and psychiatrists from this method, there is a lot of uncertainty that cannot be compensated scientifically and call the method of systemic constellations professional.
Each participant-substitute gets used to his image, drawing information from the field, and then all participants try to play, that is, reproduce the problem declared by the client and find ways to solve it. The lead psychologist is in charge of the whole process and tries to help the deputies solve the problem in the constellation process.
The main goal of the process is to accurately reproduce the situation so that the client can see it live and realize his problem, after which he can deal with it.
