Bert Hellinger’s method, also known as Family Systemic Constellations, is a technique developed by the German therapist Bert Hellinger, partially inspired by his experiences living and working with the Zulu tribes in South Africa. He spent approximately 16 years there as a Catholic missionary and psychotherapist, deeply immersing himself in Zulu culture and traditions. During this time, he was profoundly influenced by their sense of community, respectful attitude towards ancestors, and the belief that every individual’s destiny is closely tied to the history of their family and ancestors.

Hellinger believed that the emotional and psychological connections within a family affect not only current relationships but also the family’s history across multiple generations. Thus, various emotional conflicts, excluded individuals, events, feelings, or traumas can be “passed down” from one generation to the next, influencing the lives of future generations.

Hellinger’s constellation method is based on the premise that the family system functions as a unified whole with its own internal order. If this order is disrupted—for instance, if a family member is ignored or excluded—it can create an imbalance that may affect subsequent generations. 

To identify unconscious conflicts  – uncovering the deeper reasons and causes of problems, which often lie in previous generations or are connected to the individual’s family system.

Explain Relationship Patterns – help to understand unhealthy relationship patterns and unravel their impact on daily life.

Freeing the Individual from Limiting Experiences – help the person feel freer, emotionally more stable, and released from the burdens of the past.

Restore Balance in the Family System – constellations help restore harmony and balance among family members, giving each their place and role, promoting the well-being of the entire system.

Emotional Problems: Family constellations can help understand and address emotional issues such as sadness, anxiety, or depression.

Relationship Difficulties: This method is useful for exploring relationship dynamics between family members, partners, or friends, helping to identify and understand the root cause of problems.

Loss and Grief: Constellations can provide support to individuals dealing with loss, helping them acknowledge and understand the grieving process.

Personal Growth: Many people use this method to better understand themselves, develop personal abilities, improve their quality of life, recognize their resources, and discover their talents.

System Exploration: This can apply not only to families but also to workgroups and other social systems, allowing for the exploration and resolution of complex dynamic relationships.

Unexplained Health Issues: Sometimes, people use this method to understand whether health problems might be connected to family dynamics or unresolved, excluded situations or emotions within the family system.

Idea Diagnostics: The systemic constellation method can also be used as a diagnostic tool for testing various ideas, goals, or plans, such as career choices, decisions about relocating or selling a home, and exploring the feeling of “what if.”

In the method, participants are used to represent the individual’s family members. These representatives are arranged in the space to physically depict the dynamics of the family system, such as conflicts, unexpressed emotions, or hidden events that repeat over time.

The phenomenological approach in family systemic constellations reveals a unique, intuitive insight into human experience and emotional connections. During constellation sessions, representatives often experience emotions, physical sensations, or even body postures that seem connected to the family members they represent, even if the representatives have no prior information about these individuals.

This phenomenon is often explained by the concept of the “systemic field” or the “morphic field” theory proposed by Rupert Sheldrake. According to this theory, every individual and their family form a kind of energetic and informational network that holds the collective memory and emotions of the family. Representatives, by taking the place of a family member, may intuitively “connect” to this network and begin to perceive specific emotions or physical sensations associated with that particular family member.

The phenomenological approach in this context encourages individuals not to rationally analyze these sensations but to perceive and experience them.

During therapy, dolls, figurines, or symbols are used to represent the individual’s family members. These are arranged on a table to physically depict the client’s problem situation. Sessions are conducted in person or online via Zoom/WhatsApp platforms.