Systemic Constellations

Description

Daniela Terrile:

"Systemic Constellations are a leading edge approach to catalyzing change to intuitively visualize and explore contingent future patterns. It is a practical approach for wise choosing, and represents a clear way to improve conventional scenario forecasting, strategic planning and marketing research methods especially when dealing with transformation and innovation in organizations. By creating maps of the whole ‘system’, they enable the invisible dynamics of even seemingly intractable situations to be revealed quickly and effectively, in ways that can be easily integrated into existing leadership, activist, commons and governance. As well as having a unique capacity to generate insights about systems, they can also provide a powerful solution-focused process, creating new pathways and solutions that were literally unimaginable to the conscious mind.

Given their effectiveness, this systemic approach is increasingly being used to explore – and transform – such critical ecological, leadership and organizational challenges as ... exploring the big issues of urban planning, architecture, resources, water shortage etc ... "

Source: Daniela Terrile "The Systemic Constellations as a research laboratory, in architecture, urban planning and political vision". Masterplanning the Future, ACADEMIC CONFERENCE. Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, PR China 215123, 18/19 October 2012

Discussion

Daniela Terrile:

"The Systemic Constellation process is a trans-generational, phenomenological, therapeutic intervention with roots in family systems therapy (Psychodrama of Jacob Moreno, Virginia Satir, Iván Böszörményi-Nagy), existential-phenomenology (Brentano, Husserl, Heidegger), and the ancestor reverence of the South African Zulus. The Systemic Constellation process is sanctioned by family therapy associations in Europe and is being integrated by thousands of licensed practitioners worldwide. The work is also beginning to become known in the United States.

A Constellation can serve as an illuminating adjunct process within a conventional course of psychotherapy. While it is rooted in the psychotherapeutic tradition, the method is distinguished from conventional psychotherapy in that, 1) the client hardly speaks; 2) its primary aim is to identify and release deep patterns embedded within the family system, not to explore or process narrative, cognitive or emotional content. Along time several people have been involved in the development of the process; however, the German-born Bert Hellinger (b. 1925) was the person who most contributed to make it known after the publication of his book Love's hidden symmetry

The Method

Systemic constellations are based on the Family Constellation approach of Bert Hellinger. Scientifically, a constellation is a grouping of elements within their home group, in this case family members within a family system, or Organizational aspect within an organizational system.

From a known point Systemic Constellations arrive at an objective. For example, overcome obstacles, have a long-term vision or optimize a project.

They proceed by viewing a systemic change, where the issue is somewhat "theatrical" (the sponsor is a spectator of his Constellation) by a "set role play" (the elements are represented by the workshop participants).

The premise is laid between the Constellation participants and the Sponsor in order to facilitate clarity. Elements of the question are highlighted and developed. Participants act as representatives of the different elements in the constellation. This simple act of placing representatives the initial situation allows them to express themselves put them in motion, asserting advantages, disadvantages, and needs.

In the waning of the Constellation, shortcomings can also be highlighted. To optimise the system it is also possible to ask for further ideas or information. The Sponsor is the catalyst for the process, integrating the steps and pitfalls to achieve an optimal balance and reach the desired objective. In turn, the facilitator can guide the process and ask the sponsor for additional information in relation to what is taking shape before their eyes. The process stops when the result is achieved.

Basic Method

When used alongside conventional management tools and methods, Systemic Organizational Constellations is proving to be a radical and effective method for tackling complex and intractable issues. It is used as an integral part of a wider organizational change programme, as an intervention to help teams and consultants diagnose and then deal with perceived blocks, and as a means to design and test new ideas.

Systemic Constellations have applications for organizational, community, and social systems. The procedure below describes the most widely used subset of Systemic Constellations called Family Constellations in a group setting.

A group of participants (10–30), led by a trained facilitator, sit in a circle. One participant (client or seeker) is selected to work on a personal issue. The others either serve as “representatives” or actively contribute by observing with concentration.

The facilitator asks, “What is your issue?” The issue could be:

• What is the best planning structure for a given city?

• How could the quality of resilience be improved, what can I/can we provide?

• How could civil society have more voice?

• Who are the important players (politicians, universities and architects, planners) to be addressed successfully?

The facilitator asks for information about the organization, the team, looking for conflict events from the past that may have systemic resonance. The client does not present narrative or commentary.

Next, the facilitator asks the client to select group members to represent members of the organization, or symbolic elements of the issue itself. In the first case cited above, the facilitator began with the client and the planning structure in the second case, the client and a representative for resilience, sustainability approach.

The client places each representative in the Constellation space. Once the representatives are positioned, the client sits and observes. The representatives stand with their arms at their sides without moving or talking. They are not role-playing. Instead, they use their bodies and intuition to perceive how it feels to be the person or element they represent. For several minutes the scene is one of stillness and silence while the facilitator observes and waits.

Participants standing in this manner experience what is called “representative perception.” This refers to the phenomenon of perceiving emotions and body sensations that are meaningful in relation to the individuals they represent.

The facilitator may inquire of the representatives, “How are you feeling?” Sometimes they are placid and without emotion. Other times they report strong emotions or physical sensations. The reports are subjective and contain some aspect of personal projection. However, the intermixing of representative perception with subjective personal projections does not contaminate the process as a whole.

Often, what emerges is that a member of the organization is unconsciously expressing emotions and behaviors that descended from a previous pattern. The living team member‘s problematic behavior or circumstance is a repetition of—or compensation for—an event or trauma that occurred in the past. This phenomenon was first identified by Ivan Boszormenyi- Nagy, who called them Invisible Loyalties.

The facilitator slowly works with this three-dimensional portrait of the family. First, the invisible loyalty comes into clear view. In the case of the young woman with depression, it was the client’s invisible loyalty to the grief of her deceased grandmother.

Next, the facilitator seeks a healing resolution. In the case above, the representatives for the client and grandmother faced a third representative who symbolized the object of the grandmother’s undying grief. When the client felt herself in the presence of her beloved grandmother, she felt a profound release. Generally, representatives feel such relief when the invisible loyalty is perceived, acknowledged, and respected.

The final step is for the facilitator to suggest one or two healing sentences to be spoken aloud or inwardly. In this case, the healing sentence was for the representative of the grandmother to say to the client, “Go live!”

Afterward, the insights are not processed in dialog with the facilitator. Clients who are in an ongoing course of psychotherapy can integrate these insights with their therapists. There is a wealth of anecdotal and case study reports that, over time, the new image of the family system—with belonging, balance and order restored—gradually erodes the archaic image that underlies the impulse for emotional suffering and destructive behaviors (Cohen 2005; Cohen 2009; Franke 2003; Lynch & Tucker 2005; Payne 2005). Rigorous research is needed to test objectively the longitudinal outcomes of clients' experiences with this method.

Advanced Method.

The following is a useful sequence for integrative exploration across system levels:

• Individual – somatic sensations (i.e., impressions related to bodily well-being).

• Individual – affective sensations (i.e., emotional feelings).

• Individual – cognitive sensations (i.e., thought impressions).

• Primary group or most directly impacted party – general sensations or segmented into the three categories of sensations noted above, done one at a time.

• Other affected groups or interested parties – general or specific sensations.

• Groupings at larger levels of aggregation (e.g., nation, society, culture, world, etc.)— general or specific sensations.'