movingconstellations workshops offer a confidential and safe environment for people to gain insight into deeply-felt personal issues and intimate relationships. In the 3-day and 2-day workshops, everyone is invited to bring an issue (be an issue-holder). In the 1-day workshop, there are five/six Issue-Holders and the rest of the group holds the space and may be invited to act as representatives.

The Interview & Set-Up

The process unfolds via an initial interview with the constellator, in which the issue-holder gives a simple description of their situation, and what they wish to be different in their life. The focus is on the desired outcome, as well as on relevant obstacles.

The Constellator determines the components involved, and invites the Issue-Holder to choose people from the circle to represent [‘system’] elements under consideration. An element might be an individual person, a group, or even an abstract concept.

The Issue-Holder then places the representatives in relationship to each other in the centre of the circle - this configuration is a Constellation - which provides a ‘living map’ of the interconnected issues. The Issue-Holder then sits down to observe.

The Constellation

The Constellator works to make the underlying dynamics of the situation more visible, by asking the representatives to feed back their experiences - e.g. joy, discomfort, or ‘stuckness’. Representatives seldom know the person they are representing, and yet, uncannily demonstrate characteristics of that person.

By working with the representatives, the Constellator uncovers underlying relationships and reveals unresolved issues. Once identified, the Constellator moves the representatives to positions that create ‘ease’ and greater flow, often asking a representative to make a statement or voice a concern.

Resolutions are largely drawn from what Bert Hellinger calls ‘The Orders of Love’. These are naturally occurring forces in the universe, which govern balance and health. Representatives can actually report shifts in their wellbeing as the Constellator moves towards a resolution; allowing previously unspoken truths to be heard, and everyone in the system to find their ‘right place.’ As new perspectives emerge, Issue-Holders are often invited to take their place in the Constellation to experience the change for themselves. The whole room experiences the resolution as a relaxation, relief or release - together with a sense of truth and belonging.

Integration

Sometimes a synchronous shift takes place in the real people that have been constellated. It is not yet understood how this happens, although research is continuing into this mysterious ‘field’ phenomenon. Old patterns of behaviour shift, supported by a move out of familiar versions of a problem, into something new.

At the end of each Constellation there is space for reflection around the significant aspects of the work. Whether you have brought the issue, actively participated, or held the space, there is time to integrate the learning at a personal level.

The Representatives and The Holding Circle

Many people may begin to engage with this work as representatives rather than as an issue-holder. The attention and witnessing is valuable in itself and helps to provide a good basis to do your own work.

To be part of the holding circle is an honour, a lesson and a healing in itself.

The Transcriber

With the permission of the Issue-Holders, a transcriber will take notes of each constellation at some workshops. Each Issue-Holder will receive a copy of this transcript and it is held in the utmost confidentiality. This often helps integrate the resolution of a Constellation into the daily life of the Issue-Holder, reminding them of the key healings involved.

Couples & Family Work

It is useful for couples to attend a workshop together. The important issue may lie in the current situation or in the family of origin of one or the other members of the couple. If you are wishing to constellate your family, your family members do not need to be present.