Family Constellation Therapy, what I like to call a Constellation Circle, is another tool I love to introduce my clients to. Bert Hellinger, a German psychotherapist and the founder of Family Constellation, observed that we all “take on” the destructive family patterns of our ancestors on a subconscious level in an attempt to “belong” in our families and society. Over time, these destructive patterns in our subconscious become thoughts and beliefs that we experience as anxiety, anger, guilt, pain, and much more.
Hellinger called these patterns entanglements.
A child often makes the choice to sacrifice his or her own best interest to ease the suffering of a parent or other family member. This subconscious mechanism, of course, is a futile attempt that serves neither the child nor the family member the child is trying to save.
Here’s how Constellation Circles can help: