Family Constellation - An Unconventional Tool for Healing Baggage

Types of Family Constellations
Since a traditional family constellation involves humans standing in as the client’s family members, it is often done in a group setting.2 Group members can take turns as the main client and stand in for each other’s family members.

Group Setting
The therapist directs the family members’ posture, position, and words, although sometimes the activity involves minimal talking. The client might interact directly with their relatives in the constellation or stand aside and watch the interactions unfold.

Individual Setting
The family constellation can also be done individually. The client could use a sand tray or other creative expressive therapy technique, using toys or figurines to represent their various family members. Similarly, they could use art therapy techniques to draw their family tree and indicate the various dynamics within the family. Individual family constellations do not allow the client to role-play family interactions with other physical humans, but the therapist and client can work together over a longer period of time to map out relationships and notice patterns

Are family constellations effective?

Let us talk about a live example that will give you a clear picture of how this method works and if it is effective. It so happened that a woman came for a constellation session. She was upset that her son was in jail due to his addiction issues.

The constellation facilitator enquired about the woman’s husband, to which the woman, with all repulsion, replied that she did not want to talk about her husband. The facilitator arranged for a representative for the son. She then asked the woman to confront her feelings to her son. The woman started speaking. She said she was unhappy with how her son had turned out to be, and she confirmed that she loved only half of her son… the other half was not acceptable to her. On further investigation, it was revealed that the one part the woman was talking about was the part the son had inherited from his father. Therefore the woman realized that the reason for her hurt was her husband and not her son. She made peace with what she learned and eventually got the answers to her long waiting for questions.

Hence, it is not much wrong to say that this unique method of helping people overcome their trauma is adequate and the pathway for everyone to come out of their problems on their own and realize the truth for a better and brighter life ahead.