Anni -
I, too, am very cautious about working with pregnant women. The baby is
very vulnerable and feels whatever the mother feels. What is typical in a
Constellation - bringing in representatives for perpetrators and
traumatizers - may be harmful to the baby.
That said, I have worked with two pregnant women over the summer. In both
cases, they were in crisis situations that created a lot of stress and
difficulty coping. My aim was to relax them and give them and the child a
sense of security and well being. Both Constellations were done in
individual sessions, which I prefer to group work for these types of cases.
There is no risk of a well-meaning observer or representative (besides me)
interjecting an unhealthy element in their effort to be helpful.
What I aim to do in these cases is create a big nest and fill it with
maternal ancestors. How I actually create the nest always comes as a
surpise. I make it up as I go along and try not to repeat a previous
Constellation. An idea of how to do it emerges in the moment.
The grandmothers, great-grandmothers, ancestors, and ancient ones are evoked
in the Constellation space. The corresponding men come in and stand on the
perimeter. Mother comes last, assuming the daughter's relationship to her
is strained. Having brought them in, I let these women (and men) fill the
space with feelings or blessings, love, and support. It feels to me that
the ancestors become present and active in healing the effects of
transgenerational trauma.
The clients report a feeling of the weight of current circumstances being
lightened and a sense of optimism for the future.
I wish you great success with your client,
Dan
Dan Booth Cohen, Ph.D.
Conference Director
2011 US Systemic Constellations Conference
www.USConstellations.com <http://www.usconstellations.com/>
T. 781-444-0145
C. 781-718-7158
<http://www.hiddensolution.com/> www.HiddenSolution.com
-----Original Message-----
From: ConstellationTalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:ConstellationTalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of anni
Sent: Tuesday, September 13, 2011 9:17 PM
To: ConstellationTalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ConstellationTalk] Re: epigenetics and trauma: And what can we do
to aleviate this?????
This is an interesting article and points to the problems we see as we work
in the family systems. The trauma of a pregnant woman may shift the
epigenetics of her child with which she is pregnant. My goal always in doing
constellations is to find the love oriented solution that might offer hope
and change. To find the problem, of course, is only diagnostic in nature.
Having said this, I still would like some input on the current client with
whom I am working and who is 6 plus months pregnant. Since my client had a
recent and severe trauma, there is a possibility
that the child she is pregnant with may be affected. Is there, then, any
solution that we can offer her for this possibility? I will be working with
her to deal with the trauma response she is having and will later look at
family systemic issues, but for now, my prime concern is exactly how to
offer her and the baby with which she is pregnant some way of altering the
severity of what the child may be inheriting. Hmmm? Can we do this? Are we
allowed? Is this any different than treating an illness when it is at an
extremely early stage of development? What are some specifics that may alter
the outcome so this baby is not born with difficulties from this trauma? If
we can work with trauma years after it occurs, how do we work trauma in a
pregnancy in the immediate aftermath of the trauma?
Anni
--- In ConstellationTalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:ConstellationTalk%40yahoogroups.com> , "Gail A" <gail_m_allen@...>
wrote:
and looking at inherited stress.
Posting a link to a recent study involving children born soon after 9/11
http://www.genomeweb.com//node/978919see the research that confirms it.
We see this inheritance regularly in Constellations - it's grounding to
Gail
