"In every deliberation, we must consider the impact on the seventh generation ... even if it requires having skin as thick as the bark of a pine." - Great Law of the Iroquois

Security. A sense of belonging. Connectivity. Joy. Love.

These are the things we truly desire, we're just, for the most part, seeking them in the wrong places. But that's all in a state of change.

The simple truth is that everything we really want in life is derived from within our own selves. Family Constellation Work (FCW) is a tool we can use to experience and re-learn this simple truth.

We've been cut off from the source within. Cultural ignorance is partly to blame, but more fundamentally is the deep anguish and turmoil existing in the psychological and emotional makeup of the vast majority of humankind. You've experienced this through painful childhoods, difficult parents, addiction, abuse, abandonment, isolation, unfulfilling relationships and jobs, disease, and so on.

Our consciousness, or human operating system, is responsible for everything that we create in our life ... the good and the bad. Needless to say, one of the greatest influencers of our consciousness is our family. Difficulties you experience in your own life are likely to be difficulties that your parents experienced, your grandparents experienced, and so on through the generations. Very often we find ourselves unconsciously repeating the same behaviors and suffering the same fates as those that came before us, and up until now, haven't really had the means to do anything about it.

FCW is a breakthrough therapeutic process that has the remarkable power to resolve deeply entrenched family dynamics, help reconnect you with your own source of security, love, and fulfillment, and so being, positively influence the fate of the world. 

Who's it for?

Those who participate in FCW are typically courageous people who have suffered to the point of change. They are usually caring people with open minds, interested in creating a life of greater authenticity and intimacy, or those generally interested in alternative routes to health and well being or personal development. When an individual is drawn to FCW it is because of a deep shift that is asking to be made in his or her life.

FCW has been proven effective for resolving chronic psychological/emotional conditions, especially where matters of the heart are concerned. Depression, anxiety, eating disorders, issues of loss and abandonment, PTSD, the pain of separation and divorce, family dysfunction all can be dynamically treated by FCW. FCW has also been proven effective for revealing hidden causes of physical disease and so can act as a valuable complement to a conventional healing process as well (we respect the work of Dr. Hans Gruenn, one of the 1st Medical Doctors in the US to incorporate FCW in a medical practice).

How does it work?

FCW is conducted with a group in a safe, nurturing, and respectful workshop setting. There are two ways to experience FCW, both equally valuable:

• as a Client – opts to conduct a personal constellation to resolve an issue causing difficulty in life
• as a Representative – willing to be selected to represent roles in the client’s personal constellation

To begin, the facilitator briefly interviews the client to get a basic understanding of the issue, the desired outcome, and to identify where in the client's life the issue is sourcing from. The questions will often surround the client’s family and aim to reveal what circumstances between which family members might be at root of the client’s issue. Typically the facilitator is looking for a traumatic separation or other such painful, unresolved ending. Note: This interview can be conducted privately before the workshop if the client desires.

After identifying the persons and circumstances involved in the issue, the facilitator asks the client to select participants from the group to represent those who were identified. The client is also instructed to select somebody to represent him or herself. The facilitator then has the client go to each group member selected—now representatives—and intuitively position them within the circle formed by the group, creating a constellation of sorts. Very often this picture will reveal essential information and be comforting for the client to witness.

From here, the life and power of the constellation will begin to unfold. The representatives will naturally begin to experience the objective realities of the persons they were selected to represent. They will have particular thoughts, certain feelings, and even physical sensations in an uncanny resemblance to who or what they are representing. This is a remarkable occurrence, if not outright magical.

The facilitator verbally checks in with each representative and closely observes their facial expressions, body language, movements, etc. to see what each is experiencing. Representatives during this time are encouraged to follow their inner prompting and allow themselves to be moved. As if guided by a greater intelligence, the unresolved dynamics of the client's issue will surface to be seen and acknowledged. All the while, the facilitator is gently guiding the constellation via direct interactions between the representatives to a more harmonious resolution. The interactions that take place all have to do with acknowledging what is true in the present moment, this can be through the utterance of simple phrases (e.g., "You are the right mother for me") or a gesture (e.g., bowing to honor a fate, previously rejected). After a resolution has taken place, as a final step, the client is asked to join the representatives to directly experience the ambiance of the resolution and picture of the new constellation.

For further information, you can read some great articles from the pioneer of Family Constellation Work, Bert Hellinger.

Gift-Economy FCW in Santa Barbara

We organize FCW workshops in Santa Barbara for those wishing to experience this dynamic process either as a client or representative. Participation is encouraged even if you do not have a specific issue to address and there are no prerequisites for attending.

Join the email list to be notified of future workshops.

mtpCare is driven by compassionate care and service to humanity. We offer all of our therapeutic services under a gift-economy/pay-it-forward model as a genuine gift to our clients and community. There are no formal rates for our services. In return, and from a similar space, we invite our clients to sponsor any of our overhead costs or items on the wish list, contribute an amount of their choosing to a future client (pay-it-forward), volunteer time to assist with administrative and research tasks, or give in any way they feel inspired to.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss your specific situation, please email us or call 805/699.6511.