Welcome Theresa! Glad to have you on board.
Generally, my experience has been that organizing Constellations around the
theme of racial reconciliation and restorative justice is a tough sell in
the United States. I describe my experiences at the Jewish Alliance for
Peace and Justice (Brit Tzedek v' Shalom) conference in my chapter "Begin
with the Work" in the book "Messengers of Healing." There is a summary on
my website at www.HiddenSolution.com/messengers.htm. There are a number of
practical obstacles: that people either don't "get" or "misconstrue" what
Constellations are about; that few people want to do deep personal work in a
politically oriented workshop; and that the healing images that emerge in
Constellations run counter to many people's pre-existing ideas about these
conflicts. As one prospective participant put it, "I'll gladly come to your
workshop as long as you can promise it will confirm, not overturn, my
opinions."
Beyond the practical obstacles are the impractical ones. When people do
"get" what Constellations are about, then they do not want to participate
even more. One of the lifers I see in prison group asked me to set up a
Constellation where he could face the victim of his crime. Few people
thinking about what to do over the weekend have that kind of courage and
conviction. I am sorry to say that members of peace and justice groups have
been especially unsupportive of my efforts. Many of them are interested in
activities that are spiritually uplifting. Constellations tend to bring
people down.
That said, I have participated in many deeply sacred and profound
Constellation circles that touch on the subjects of racial reconciliation
and restorative justice. The experience is absolutely inspiring and healing
beyond anything I have seen in other workshop settings. Especially in my
prison group which has been together for 4+ years, the outcomes are off the
charts. In the past month we had a woman college student who had been a
rape victim come to a prison circle. She told her story to the men.
Everyone cried. One man said he cried for three days. They were so
grateful and moved that she trusted them to come in and do her healing work
with them. We see the victim-perpetrator bond. We realize the potential
for restorative justice. The men gain their dignity and freedom. The woman
has her connection to joy and the sweetness of life restored.
Despite the difficulties organizing such workshops, the fruits are bountiful
indeed.
I would recommend you experience the process for yourself as an
observer/representative. Perhaps you will make contact with the aspect of
your Self that needs healing. We all carry our inheritance in our hearts.
Dan
-----Original Message-----
From: ConstellationTalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:ConstellationTalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of theresa.guerra
Sent: Sunday, May 18, 2008 3:11 PM
To: ConstellationTalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ConstellationTalk] Reconciliation and Restorative Justice
Hello to everyone.
I signed up here a few months ago and I have been reading all the
wonderful and diverse postings in the archives. I'm normally a very
shy "lurker" on these Internet groups, but I really appreciate the
open and supporting atmosphere of this group, so now I finally feel
it's safe enough for me to jump in the pool, introduce myself and then
ask some of the many questions I have about this amazing work.
My name is Theresa. I live in Austin, Texas and I am a single mother
with a son about to graduate college. I am looking forward to "empty
nest," (unless my son stays in town for graduate school, but that's
another subject entirely. Maybe that should be my family
constellation, yes? :)
I work as an editorial assistant for a book publisher, which really
means that I'm a glorified proofreader, so please excuse me if I ever
start correcting grammar or typos in your own postings. :)
I first heard about Bert Hellinger a year or so ago when I attended a
seminar on introducing "Restorative Justice" into the American legal
system at the University of Texas Law School. During the break, I
happened to overhear a conversation where a woman was speaking about
Mr. Hellinger being a former Catholic missionary priest who worked
with the Zulu in South Africa, and then how, as a psychotherapist, he
returned to South Africa to apply his therapy to the pioneering
efforts there of racial reconciliation and restorative justice.
Just hearing about that didn't particularly interest me but then she
spoke about a process where the representatives of the white
perpetrators of apartheid lay down on the floor with the black victims
of the oppression. That really got my attention because the scene was
so concrete. Up to that moment, the idea of reconciliation or
restorative justice was for me, more like a lofty ideal, somewhat
abstract or maybe even "pie in the sky," and now this man, Bert
Hellinger, somehow made the ideal very tangible. It was like I
received a jolt of renewed hope inside me. I'll never forget that moment.
So I joined the conversation and the woman (I forget her name now)
recommended that I get the book: Love's Hidden Symmetry, which I
finally did order and still am reading parts of today and, well,
that's where so many of my questions and even some misgivings began,
and that's what I would like to ask the group here about.
I still feel very hesitant because I myself have yet to experience a
constellation and maybe all my questions would be answered if I had
one. But then again, I don't feel like I have any really pressing
family problems to warrant a family constellation. After reading about
so many clients with harrowing life experiences and family tragedies,
I just don't feel like my family is all that tragic. Plus my interest
all along is focused on how constellations would be used for group
reconciliation on the national and/or political levels.
Now for a practical question. A good friend of mine directs one of the
many Austin Peace and Justice organizations and he is always looking
to sponsor educational and informative workshops. Would it be possible
for a practitioner/facilitator here to put on a workshop addressing
these reconciliation issues which exist, for example, between the
white and Hispanic populations here? Also including the role of the
Native Americans whose ancestors lived in what is now called Texas and
Mexico long before the Spanish colonists arrived on "Turtle Island?"
From what I have read in the archives about constellations here, I'm
not sure if it would involve any personal family constellation work.
Or would it involve the new phase of Mr. Hellinger's that is called
"Movements of the Spirit" or "Spirit-Mind"? I'm very heartened by
reading about all the reconciliation that is happening in Australia
with the Aboriginal peoples. I believe that can happen in the United
States as well.
And I am deeply impressed by the work that you, Mr. Daniel Cohen, are
doing in the prison system. It is truly Restorative Justice for
prisoners, happening in a way I never could have imagined before. I
would like to ask whether you do equivalent constellation work for the
families of the prisoners' victims and also if other practitioners
like you are working in the prison system in the USA? And how is your
work received by the prison administration?
So many questions I have, but I will stop here. Thank you so much for
providing this space and for listening to a "newbie." I apologize if
I'm intruding here because I realize this group is for practitioners
and at this point, I guess I don't even really know what a
constellation is, except for what I have read and heard about them so far.
Anyway, I look forward to your responses and I'm very glad that I
jumped into this very nice pool.
Best wishes,
Theresa
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