This user-friendly guide introduces a powerful therapeutic method that
uses family history as a tool for understanding--and resolving--problems
of the present
Mapping out a "family constellation," explains Dr. Joy Manné,
encompasses exploring previous powerful life events from accidents to
adoptions and accessing the deepest dynamics in that family system. This
process helps us recognize and then resolve deeply seated family
patterns. For example, in order to understand a person's inability to
trust, the family history of betrayal must be uncovered and released.
These insights replace resentment with respect, pain with understanding.
In this book, Dr. Manné uses the knowledge gained from her own practice
as well as her educational experiences with Bert Hellinger--the founder
of Family Constellations therapy--to clearly describe this unique
therapeutic method. Most Family Constellation sessions are carried out
in a group setting, with the facilitator first seeking clarity regarding
the issue or problem the client has come to work out. Representatives
are then chosen from among the group and the constellation is set up and
worked in until it comes to resolution. This may be followed by a
closing ritual and advice about how to integrate what the constellation
has revealed. Through the use of real-life examples of Family
Constellations, Dr. Manné makes this increasingly popular practice
understandable and relatable.
