Vision is an important part of our senses. One that most of us take for granted until it is threatened or damaged. However the ability to envision within the mind and the meaning we make of what we see cannot be over-estimated. Vision is linked to other senses such as smell, touch, emotions and hearing and how we make sense of things. How we make meaning is crucial to our approach to life and ultimately our mental health.
The latest research in neural science according to Norman Doidge The Brains Way of Healing(2015) said that, ‘what fires together wires together.’ Meaning that in terms of psychological and emotional healing the more senses that are engaged in a therapeutic process, the bigger the shift or change. This is because more than one neural pathway is impacted by the therapeutic process and thereby increases the rate of resolution and hence the possibility of new perspectives. This is the start of new neural pathways.
The traditional ways of helping people with disturbing emotions, beliefs, relationships and mental health is frequently by the use of talk-therapies. This often involves encouragement to debrief or tell their story. In this method the telling in itself may help the person to unravel and to change or heal over time and often many sessions.
Other methodologies may be art or music based therapies.
Family Constellations is a process that traditionally takes place in workshops where people come to look at their personal issue through choosing individuals from the group to act as representatives of those of their issue. Individuals in the group most frequently do not know each other.
On setting up their issue through representatives they are placed in relation to each other according to the client’s felt sense of what feels right and then the client sits in the circle to observe. This sets up the constellation for the client and their issue and their family system. From here the representatives start to have bodily sensations, feelings and follow inner impulses or movements. This is guided by the facilitator where movements may take place, emotions released, words spoken and the constellation evolves into a healthier setup for the client.
This is highly visual and at the same time involves emotions, audio, speech, bodily sensations and energy. Many neural pathways being fired within one process of the observing client and also deeply touching for those who are observing or taking part. The workshop process is deeply experiential and touches all within the group through a range of constellations over a workshop showing how we are all connected as human beings with similar fundamental needs and experiences. The Family Constellation process provides brief, powerful, experiential change in our inner image that flows into how we perceive and create our reality. A new perception may follow. They are able to see what they couldn’t before.
This is why as a psychotherapist I was drawn to the process of Family Constellations in looking for better ways to facilitate change. It is brief, experiential, solution focused and powerful. Any resolutions or healing comes through the process in terms of self-healing. The person takes in what is appropriate for them at that moment and is integrated into their consciousness over the ensuing weeks or months. The constellation process holds the belief that we are all capable of self-healing, change and growth.
Family Constellations Training
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