MessageHi Anne Marie
"hasta la vista" is a Spanish "bye bye" which literally means "until I see you"
I find that particularly appropriate for the internet, as something special is
added to the communication via email after actually meeting someone in real
life.
Still I love your interpretatation - Big "L"love to all - That's true too
hasta la vista
Chris Walsh
An Australian Constellation Website:
www.constellationflow.com
----- Original Message -----
From: Anne Marie Field
To: ConstellationTalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Thursday, 6 May 2004 9:42 PM
Subject: RE: [ConstellationTalk] Sand tray work with Constellations
Hi all,
I am very interested in this discussion. I too utilise sand trays and
symbols. I have used the sort through the box of goodies method and the items
on shelves. I am not convinced about the right/left brain difference. Usually
I use them when verbalisation is difficult or when I sense a strong need on the
part of the patient, to "save face" and not have to dispaly emotion in front of
another. I suppose I sense a strong sense of shame at the possibility of being
physically overwhelmed by emotional expression. I have not really reflected on
this much before, other than privately. But I think it enables the experiencing
of and working through of emotion, without the embarrassment of being seen as
overwhelmed. I am convinced the emabrrassment arises from the mind/body
Descartian split in our culture. Emtassal. It also seems to enable working
through to the point of verbalisation in adults. It's as if what is dissociated
under trauma, ie the tendency for the event memory to be dissociated from the
emotional content and the verbalisation (as seen in PTSD) occurs along a
continuum when people are in some way hurt. The physiaclity seems to shake the
dissociation free to some extent. Whetehr this experinece is healing in any way
has yet to be demonstrated over the longer term.
What I especially like about using these methods is that it is most
respectful of the person's need for privacy of thought. I think that sometimes
patients/clients want to answer our questions even when they are confused. This
is very apparent with children. It does appear that they are much more able to
articulate, following a period of emotional/somatic working through. I tend to
think this is more important for those who may be in the throes of highly
activated amygdala/ limbic system and perhaps underactivated verbal and frontal
lobe activity. It would be fascinating to investigate this.
However, to date I have no expereince of constellations work. I am therefore
not really clear about what is different about constellations cf psychodrama,
sand tray and symbol work and transpersonal (ie Grof).??? I I have witnessed
children, particularly those who have been traumatised, use sandtrays
wordlessly and across time. I have witnessed a development of energy and
themes. I had a sense of "working through" emotional content without
verbalisation. Although this is anecdotal, and may be biased positively, in
terms of my recall, there was evidence in positive changes to these children's
reported behaviours (eg at school and home). The soma/body involvement is also
fascinating. There are of course others who discuss memory in the body. I
recently watched the aboriginals who very physiaccly represented their story
and took it to the High Court in Darwin. The physicality of the dance and the
symbols was very emotionally moving. I was curious about the power of this.
Like you Sarah, this is probably a bit rambling. It is, however, an honour to
be able to read what others are contemplating and to realise that in the world
of "RCT evidence-based" and CBT dominated practice there are others who have a
sense that there is something beyond or underpinning consciousness. It is also
encouraging to know that many of you are thoughtful about how to research
constellations, and I would include psychodrama, sytsems and transpersonal/
emotion-focussed/smbol-sand tray work.
Keep contributing. And to Chris Walsh....this current discussion is
demonstration that many of us are reflecting and brewing. When a
discussion/thoughts are put out that we can relate with....it is gratfiying to
respond and motivation just is. It is very good to have access to such a forum.
Hasta La Vista. Forgive my ignorance, but what exactly does that mean? It
sounds like something I want to say.
Big "L" love to all.
Anne Marie
-----Original Message-----
From: Sarah Moore [mailto:sarahmoore@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx] ;
Sent: Wednesday, 5 May 2004 6:56 AM
To: ConstellationTalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [ConstellationTalk] Sand tray work with Constellations
hi annie,
thank you heaps for y our detailed and very gracious explanation of how you
work here. it sounds fascinating and, reading through it, hearing about the
beautiful items you use and the feel of the sand and imagining it in my mind's
vision, i instantly felt like i wanted to get in there and experiment myself
with a sandbox - it felt like it would be a great tactile experience whether or
not i could use it with others in the future. so thanks for giving me a great
image this morning and inspiring me to have a play in the sand myself at some
time soon.
i've got a few musings and questions that come up as i read your mail:
they're sort of general as well, questions i ask myself quite a bit, and i
don't know that there's any right answer but i'll ask them anyway cos i'm sure
there's many opinions on this group about all this:
do you think that the tactility and involvement of it with the body in this
sort of work tends to cement the deeper experience of learning by circumventing
standing back and intellectualisation and by involving the senses as well as
the intellect of the patient? and if so does that account for it's relative
power c/w the therapist standing int eh positions or moving the pieces ie does
the fact the client is in there themselves have a greater effect than standing
back. (i tend to hypothesise that it does)
if that is so, in broader group constellation work another question arises:
how much of the time should the client watch the group to absorb the field
information as an 'observer'
cw how much of the time should the client be representing himself or
alternatively important members of his or her field in his constellation.
both positions obviously allow for different learnings about the clien'ts
life and field and different types of integration because they are very
different experiences - one being in the constellation as oneself or even as a
rep being bodily and emotionally experiential, the other also arousing emotions
and thoughts but being less bodily involved and therefore perhaps more
potential to allow defensive posturing away from absorbing the potential
learnings of the field exposed int he constellation. of course people do defend
once they are in the field as well and that's part of the facilitators art to
reconnect the person to what is going on right now rather than dissociating or
going into a story or defensive reconstruction as a response to anxiety aroused
by the field or what they have learnt from it, or their story of what should be
rather than what is right now.
anyway, i'll end now its early in the morning and this is a bit of a rave
in the form of questions to you annie and to myself and anyone who cares to
read and chime in on this constellation e group. adn i'm sorry its not very
grammatically constructed or well thought through but email thinking tends to
do that to me, esp with little sleep. hope you can pick out the question or
conversational line and get back to me with some comments from your practice or
understanding of the work.
love to you annie and to all
thanks again for your generous description of your sand box work
sarah
Geoff Wearne wrote:
Hi Sarah
You asked about sand tray work.
I have a container made from a drawer cut across horizontally about 50cm
by 80cm, filled with river sand.
I have shoe box filled with all sorts of little items eg. little wooden
and plastic people, a tiny castle, a tiny car, bricks, pipe cleaners, shells,
semi precious stones , tiny animals etc.( Some therapists lay these out neatly
on shelves but I think there is something very right brained about rummaging.)
I then ask the individual to feel the sand using both hands for a few
moments.
When they are ready, I ask them to take items from then sand tray and
arrange them as seems right to them.
It may be that I suggest they choose the family members that seem
significant to them in terms of what we have been talking.
It maybe that I just suggest they arrange the items that light up for
them as they rummage.
I am noticing the spatial relationships and way of facing.
I then ask them to imagine "How does this piece/person feel? What is this
one looking at? Who isn't here? What happens/ does it feel like, if you move
this one nearer/ further?"
I do not touch any piece but let them move pieces and experience how that
feels.
The sand is very powerful for burying pieces, half burying or bringing
out what is buried.
Working with sand tray is very tactile and I think tends to affect people
at a very deep level.
If I have a couple I will get one to put out and work and the other watch
and then vice versa.(They are of course fascinated by the particular pieces the
other uses for themselves and other family members, although this is secondary
in constellation work.)
In this way I work with the individual or couple to some form of
resolution or awareness.
Usually I move to asking them, to imagine the person in the room, for the
times of honouring eg "You gave me life and I thank you for this"
Burying and fare welling however work very well in the sand.
Sometimes people will take home a piece to remind them or give them
strength. This can be very powerful (eg a guy recently took home a round green
3cm reflector, originally from a garden light. that he had placed behind his
figure of himself to give him strength from his ancestors).
This will give you some idea of how I use sand tray.
If ever you are in Perth we could discuss further.
Best wishes
Annie.
-----Original Message-----
From: Sarah Moore [mailto:sarahmoore@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx] ;
Sent: Tuesday, April 27, 2004 5:56 AM
To: ConstellationTalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [ConstellationTalk] Invitation
so lovely to hear from you annie! i had heard indirectly through chris
about some of the things you were up to in terms of organising and presenting
workshops. but lovely to hear you chime in here.
looking very forward to seeing jakob and thank you immensely for your
role in encouraging and organising these international presenters to 'show us
their stuff' ie how they interpret appreciate and do constellation work-
whilst they're out here. you're right australian constellation work is rocking
along and we're all gaining experience and hopefully wisdom in learning from
the field itself and our clients and our colleagues about what is.
i'd be very interested to hear about how you use the sand tray in your
work with individuals and couples. i do a lot of work too one on one but tend
to use a modification of the technique eva madelung showed us in germany
(drawings on pieces of paper adn them as positions).
love to you annie
hope to catch up again not too far away, and hopefully closer than the
next munich zist! lol
sarah
Geoff Wearne wrote:
Hi Jo and Sarah
This is Annie Wearne from Perth.
It is great to hear how your work is progressing.
It is just a year next week, since we were with you at the Zist
International Training week in Germany, along with Chris Walsh and Patrick
Kavanagh from Melbourne and Denis Ladbrook and Heather Deighan from WA.
I am probably one of the last constellation Chatline participants to
"clock in" in response to Chris Walsh's round up.
However I do appreciate what is written and often think of replies to
contributions, which I don't end up writing, due to the pressure of life.
I also appreciate Chris's vision in setting up the Chatline.
At present I have been busy organising the visit to Perth of Jakob
Schneider in August and Peter and Otteline van Lamet from the Netherlands in
December.
I enclose their Flyers for the interest of Chatline participants, and of
course some members may have friends in Perth that they would like to invite.
Interest in Constellation work in WA has increased greatly.
Last month Thomas Falke from Munich ran three workshops in Perth and did
68 constellations.
The Schneider workshop in August is already half full.
I have used constellation work a lot this year in my practice with
individuals and couples, using sand tray.
It seems this can work very powerfully too.
Best wishes to you and all Chatline participants
Annie.
-----Original Message-----
From: Sarah Moore [mailto:sarahmoore@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx] ;
Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2004 4:33 PM
To: ConstellationTalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [ConstellationTalk] Invitation
dear jo thank you
i too cordially extend a similar invitation to colleagues/friends here
working in this area. in the spirit of sharing the beauty and wondrous
experience of this most precious and always available field in which we all
here work.
email off list by using my direct email (available attached to this)
or mobile 0417087069 or 97580940.
love to all
sarah
Jo Fenwick wrote:
As a gesture to the interests of furthering constellation work in
Australia, I humbly extend an invitation to attend my groups as an
observer/representative at no charge.
The conditions are that you already use Bert Hellinger's Orders of Love
constellations in your work or you trained at Zist and naturally, that there's
room for you.
Anybody who meets these criteria would be welcome and should email or
phone me direct so I can forward details. If the occasion arises that you
choose to convene a constellation yourself, of course I'd ask my usual fee, but
would consider any extenuating circumstances.
I'm working in 'The Hills' outside Melbourne, so if you live here or are
visiting you would be welcome.
I know myself that money can often be a barrier when trying to develop
ones' skills and I am overwhelmingly grateful to have this privilege extended
to me. I view this in concert with Hellinger's freely releasing the principles
without controls, as an outreach gesture to development of the work here, as
well as a win-win situation.
Due to past experience, unfortunately I feel it necessary also to say
that I would expect any facilitator not to canvass my clients for any other
groups, related or otherwise.
Be Loved
Jo Fenwick
(03) 9754 4196
0408 574 672
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