Yes Daniel to all you said.
Dan, you did not give us the description
of how the constellation proceeded.
Which makes it more difficult to comment
as you asked us to.
For me, who is not ethically bound to either
the American or any other association
the method to 'safeguard' against overwhelm is
to continuously stay close to the seeker
throughout the constellation.
As constellator I am energetically fused
most of all with the seeker as well as the reps
and of course the holding circle
during the course of a constellation.
Prioritising thus the development of the constellation
is not likely to lead to overwhelm gone unnoticed
in any of the participants.
Particularly the constant checking with the seeker
has an influence on how to be guided with the constellation,
most of all in determining when to bring in
the seeker her/himself.
Once the seeker is in, it is not very likely
for her to be in a 'movie'
different to the ongoing constellation.
If so, then that becomes the focus.
I am sure it goes without saying for all of us
that 'aftercare' if necessary, is always available.
Max
Melbourne, Australia
Hi Dan, after Margreet's commentaries it usually happens to me that I feel
at a loss of words. What can I add? Her insight regarding your loyalty
with the field of psychology is brilliant. Of course, in this work our
greatest loyalty has to go with the greater forces. Leaving the most
important insights to Margreet I wonder...
What has the American Association to say about ethics? Ethical for them is
treating people as idiots, as infants. Caring too much for people's
feelings and well being is unethical for me. It strips their dignity away.
Pity. In a world of infants, ethical becomes pity. So you don't have to
risk. You protect yourself behind a set of "caring rules" so you don't
have real human contact which is always vital and unpredictable. So you
are never sued for re-traumatizing an old woman who was raped at 12 yrs
old.
Bolivia is a tough country, life is tough here not because taxes and
stress, but because we don't have holy institutions caring for us. Life in
its unpredictability plays more openly here, it's more dangerous. We would
never make that kind of questions.
In my view, what you have risked with those men, your involvement, and
your questioning your self are signs of an Ethics that surpasses those of
any institution. But do you know who you should ask? Ask them, let's see
what they say when you tell them about your doubts, they might give you a
lesson of strength and dignity. Let them cry. Real pain puts us in the
hands of love.
My respect.
Daniel.
This is the final of 9 Case Studies on using Constellations in prison.
It
raises an important ethical question.
Here is an excerpt to frame the question.
Background Information
Colin is a gregarious and witty white male in his mid 40s. He has an
athletic build and competes in several of prison's sports and fitness
programs. He also participates in the facility's educational programs,
having completed a Bachelors degree and working on a Masters. During the
Growing Together meetings, Colin was often a source of comic relief. His
humor was always affectionate.
Colin has served 20 years of a 30-35 year sentence for rape and
attempted
murder. At the time of his crime he was a heavy drinker and prone to
violent outbursts.
Colin's Constellation
Colin asked to set up a Constellation about his difficulty connecting
emotionally in love relationships with women. Many men have insecurities
about their ability to fully love women. In Colin's case, this was more
than the typical lament. His crime was committed against a woman with
whom
he was involved. He was asking to understand, and perhaps remedy, what
he
perceived as an inability to share intimacy. However, his question
opened
the door to look at the roots of his violent behavior.
[Description of the Constellation.]
In his questionnaire, Colin wrote:
"As I watched the representatives standing in the Constellation, my
first
thoughts were that this would accomplish nothing. But as the
Constellation
went on, I soon realized that this was far from the truth. Issues of
abandonment, that I thought I had resolved with my father, came right to
the
fore. When representatives were placed in the Constellation for my
victim,
wife, and children, the raw emotion that this evoked was terrifying. I
don't think I was ready for what I experienced that day. Love, hate,
anger,
compassion, and a host of other emotions came on so strong that I felt
completely overwhelmed."
Colin wrote about his struggle with his feelings in the days following
the
Constellation:
"The experience left me shaken for several days. I couldn't seem to stop
the flood of raw emotions that kept rising to the surface over the
course of
those few days. To tell the truth, it scared me too much. At the time,
the
whole situation seemed overwhelming and I did not want to deal with it.
"
He stopped attending meetings. Then he began coming again after about
two
years.
He writes:
"What I have come to realize is that I am a better person for having
these
experiences. Even though the emotions were intense I feel I have come
away
richer for having experienced them. I can say for certain that there was
a
definite shift in certain aspects of my relationships, though perhaps
not so
for other aspects. Since I have start attending Constellations again,
the
strong emotions are still there, but I know better what to expect now.
Even
though they scare the hell out of me sometimes, when I feel them, I know
I'm
better for it. They make me feel alive!"
By the standards of the American Psychological Association the
Constellation
would likely be considered an unethical intervention. The man is part of
a
vulnerable population, the method is not empirically supported, he did
not
give informed consent to the risks, and he was deeply disturbed by the
experience.
There are a number of sides to the argument of whether the Constellation
was
helpful or harmful, whether an ethical facilitator should lead the group
as
I do.
The prisoners in the group have all voiced their support for process.
They
show up every month voluntarily and have for 4 years. Some, like Colin,
dropped out for a time, and have rejoined more recently. They are
actively
recruiting new members from the prison population.
One could argue that making a man who has committed rape and attempted
murder "feel bad" is not bad in itself, especially if it has a positive
benefit in the long run.
One could argue that it is the facilitator's responsibility to keep
group
participants from being "re-traumatized" as Colin likely was. If I
cannot
reasonably assure this level of security, I should not be proceeding.
I have my own answers, but as you can tell, I struggle with them.
I would like to hear what others have to say about this.
Thanks,
Dan
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