The Art and Practice of Family Constellations. Leading Family Constellations as Developed by Bert Hellinger

by Bertold Ulsamer

Using the systemic family therapy developed by Bert Hellinger, tensions and conflicts within families can be revealed. Through the use of representatives, the person involved can observe the psychic dynamics of his or her own family, and identify the patterns which are destructive. In his book, Bertold Ulsamer explains the basis of family constellations, considers the task and the role of the therapist in the field of subjective experience and objective knowledge. He addresses the use of language and the issue of dealing with emotions. His book is aimed at therapists and others who are interested in the practical applications of the Hellinger therapy.

Genres: Psychology

198 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Creative Choices]

This book offers a good `rule of thumb' concept for anyone familiar with Hellinger's Family Constellation work. There are many applicatory suggestions and context threw-out the book which are easily applied to the practical use of Constellation work.
I recommend this book to those who have a basic understanding of Hellinger's work but are looking for basic guidelines within this work as a Practitioner/Therapist. It would also be a good reference for those Practitioners who may want to simplify or `get back to the basics' of Hellinger's work. The author truly seems to respect and understand Hellinger's intentions for the work and that is shown threw-out the book.
Ultimately I feel the practical use of this book lies mostly in the understanding that it is a basic `guideline' for the `leaders/therapists'.
If you are looking for a book that offers detailed procedure or application of Family Constellation this is not going to satisfy that need.
This book is ideally written for the `therapist' or practitioner and thus not one I would recommend for individuals who have attended a constellation and are looking for more insight.
It is very easy to understand and a quick read with basic fundamentals of the practice. For a more in-depth look at constellation however I would look elsewhere.

[Juan Venegas]

If you're starting to study this field, I'd recommend you not to buy this book.

The author doesn't explain concepts properly. He just discusses how some examples work without extracting learning from them. His tips are often arbitrary, other times personal opinions without evidence backing, and mostly very generic. He stays in this no man's land of not defining concepts and at the same time not going deep into them.

To be constructive, if you still want to read this book, I strongly recommend you to read the Wikipedia entry on family constellations and similar resources to establish some basic understanding of constellations. Then, the book will make a bit more sense.

[Toni Rahman]

This was a very comprehensive and helpful book for me, as I explore the idea of becoming a constellations leader. Awesome examples, quotes, details, and practical information.

[Zornitsa Maleva]

amazing book

[Patricia]

Deep. I am still thinking about it.

[Noam]

Very interesting concept