Re: Bert & Sophie Hellinger
- From: "wilfriednelles" <nelles@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: ConstellationTalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 20 May 2008 06:22:35 -0000
--- In ConstellationTalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "theresa.guerra" <theresa.guerra@...>
wrote:
In researching Bert Hellinger on the Internet, I looked to see if
there were any videos about him on YouTube and sure enough, there are
dozens. But unfortunately almost all of them are in German. Some are
in Spanish and even Italian.
However, I did find two videos that were in English but they don't
show Bert Hellinger as much as his new wife Sophie leading a
constellation seminar or something at the Pichl Camp.
Pichl Camp Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjL1IQCiie0
Pichl Camp Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcVGtSlvzLA
Could someone please comment on what she is doing as facilitator here?
I assume this is the new form of constellation work called working
with the spirit mind. But when she starts making people scream Yes
louder and louder --- well, frankly, it's pretty disturbing to me.
I'm trying to be non-judgmental here, so could her techniques of
facilitating be due to the differences between the cultures of Germany
and America?
Thank you again for your wonderful support.
Theresa
Dear Theresa and all others,
it really hurts me when I read that Sophie's effort to make people scream "yes"
could be
connected with the German culture. Every serious constellator here is upset
with the way
she is acting and how she is dominating Bert and is denouncing other
facilitators. If she
would not have become Bert's wife nobody would take notice of her. Apart from
this: The
camp in Pichl (Austria) is for an international audience. So far Sophie (by the
way: She is
not German, but Hungarian-Austrian) used this methods only with this kind of
audience or
in foreign countries like Spain or South / Central America. I don't think that
she would
dare to do this kind of work in Germany with a German audience.
But to say this frankly: It is BERT how gives her the power, and so HE is
responsible.
Another thing: I read that you have been told that Bert did reconciliation work
in South
Africa. This is not true. He has not been in South Africa after he left the
country in 1968. I
wonder which fairytales go around about Bert.
In general I would like to say something to the discussions in this forum about
Bert and
Sophie:
I really wonder what strange opinions and false informations are shared here,
for example
when people are speculising about exclusion of Bert and father and sun and so
on. It
seems that people cannot resist to spread their opinions allthough they don't
have any
knowledge about the facts.
Just a few facts: As one of the two organizers of the International Conferences
2005 and
2007 in Cologne I have to say that we did everything that was possible to avoid
a split
between Bert and the constellation scene and it's associations. The fact is,
that BERT
WANTED THE SPLIT. Why? Because Sophie wanted it in order to build up her own
field
which is now called Hellinger sciencia. She presents Bert as a victim (and he
himself does
this too), but that's rediculous.
Nobody of the leading German constellators wanted to exclude him, he excluded
himself!
2007 we made every effort to have him in the same leading position as ever in
the
conference but he didn't want. 2005 I published a book to defend him against
the attacks
from the media and against his critics in psychotherapy, and together with
Heinrich Breuer
I edited a book that we dedicated to him as a commemorative publication to his
80's
birthday. But when we stated that there are also developments in constellation
work which
are not initiated by Bert, and that other facilitators too contributed a lot to
the work we
were identified by Sophie as his enemies.
This is very, very sad and I can understand that it is hardly to believe for
people who
experience Bert only in his work, but it is the truth, and you who do not
really know what's
going on here should be a little bit more careful with your opinions.
And, please, don't come with those simple interpretations like father and son
projections.
People who were very close to Bert and broke with him are not that childish, at
least not
all of them! I never took him as my father, but when once I refused to be
treated by him as
his son or as his deciple he turned away from me. Bert himself (or Sophie,
which means
the same) presents himself as the father or the mother of the work. That's
their creation.
That means that all the others are children, and those who regard themselves as
adult
people and don't take that parent-child relation are blamed. Since Sophie has
taken the
lead they are on a way to become a sect with one Guru and his manager and their
followers.
Bert is telling everywhere that many of us who are succsessful facilitators
have stolen his
ideas and his work. Until 2005 he never claimed that he is the owner of those
ideas, now
suddenly he claims them as his property. Before she knew Bert, Sophie was my
group
organizer and student. If I had the same attitude like she and Bert I could
easily say that
she has stolen my work. Bert had some great insights, but they did not come
from god
(that's what he is saying now, that his ideas came directly from god and that
he was
choosen and so everything must have his name on it) but from the field of human
consciousness and knowledge. And if it should be true that he was chosen then I
have also
been chosen and you too. I am sorry but I have to say that in the last 3 years
he is simply
telling a lot of rubbish. I guess this is very painful to face for everybody
who loves what
this great man has created. Please believe me that I had to go through a very
painful
process of disillusion (like many collegues in Germany who were very close to
him) but in
the end I am grateful and free.
I am still grateful to the immense gifts I received through his work, I still
give him my
reference in my workshops, trainings, and books, I still acknowledge his
practical work
and deep insights, but I also see his limitations and his faults, and I clearly
disagree with
the idea of a "Hellinger Sciencia" (as if there could be a science that is
owned by a person)
and - above all - with the politics of Bert and Sophie and the way they treat
people as
"enemies" who just follow their own insights.
For those who are interested in the methodological and philosophical
implications I would
like to mention my article "Klassisches Familienstellen - Bewegungen der Seele
-
Bewegungen des Geistes" (Classical Family Constellations - Movements of the
Soul -
Movements of the Spirit"). It is published in the German Journal "Praxis der
Systemaufstellung" and also translated into Spanish. Maybe their is somebody
who could
translate it into English, you can download it from my website
www.wilfried-nelles.de.
Wilfried Nelles, PhD, MA, Germany
Author of 6 books about Constellation Work
Co-Chairman of the 5th and 6th International Congress on Systemic Constellations
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