Healing through Family Constellations

For most of us it’s possible to appreciate the concept of interconnectedness on a rational level, the idea that we are interdependent, but perhaps it’s more difficult for us to experience this on a much deeper level, to have a sense of what this is within our very bones and within our soul. In today’s modern western culture, perhaps it’s more difficult for us to be truly confident in this level of knowing, to rest in this place of understanding which is deeper than the rational mind.

At points in our history we have lived closer to the land, providing us with a sense of immediacy in terms of our relationship with, and connection to nature. We lived in villages and small communities where we experienced a clear structure, a deep sense of natural hierarchy and the correct order of things, were our sense of place and home was deeply felt, an unquestionable sense of belonging.

That has changed, and today our dominant experience of ourselves is as autonomous and separate individuals, which is the truth of our experience on one level, but this dominance comes at the expense of experiencing ourselves as part of a wider and deeper matrix of belonging. Whenever this erosion began and for whatever reason, it brought with it a breakdown of the extended family and our sense of belonging to a wider network of relationships, and with that a loss of connection to our past and our ancestry, knowing deeply where it is that we come from.

Part of the illness of our modern age is that we cannot remember, and this leads to a vague and pervasive sense of suffering, something universal and inescapable, which we all share. Our suffering can of course also be very pointed and extreme, perhaps related to a traumatic event. Either way, the flipside of the coin is that we have a deep sense of longing, whether that be for a sense of home, belonging, and connection to nature and others, or whether that is a longing for a healing of some past trauma.

Through constellations work, we have the opportunity to explore what it is that leads to us suffering. It provides us with an opportunity for reaching a deeper and more grounded sense of ourselves, and helps us with re-membering and reconnecting with a deeper sense of home, and our place in the world. It gives us a chance to look at our history, and our family and ancestry in particular, to try and reveal areas where the natural flow of energy and love has in some way been restricted, and provide an opportunity for us to reorder, and open up those areas into consciousness.

My own personal experience of doing this work is that it provides an opportunity for us to come more into relationship with our suffering, to bring it into the open and make it more conscious and visible. Most importantly, this work allows a movement towards resolution and healing. The work draws on energy and experiences that we all have in common within the connected ground of our ancestry, a wellspring of love and wisdom available to us all.

by John Ainscough

John is running a workshop at the Open Door on Saturday 2nd September, 10am – 2pm, £35, maximum 12 participants.

For more information contact John: soulfulconversations.ja@gmail.com or through @soulfulconversationsja Soulful Conversations