In response to the dialogue below, just a few thoughts on research: Hunter Beaumont and Ursula Franke have been involved in ongoing research motivated by Rupert Sheldrake, on the effects of the "morphic field". I don't know how fruitful this has been, but it was started several years ago. Ursula has also written on her research into individual work in the book In My Mind's Eye. As for outcome studies: participants at a workshop are advised not to talk about their constellation, nor ask others about theirs, as this brings the work from the level of the soul into the level of the mind, and interrupts the movements as the person tries to articulate that which has been happening on a different level. In my own experience, I have at some point after a constellation, been able to talk about certain aspects of it, in certain ways, but I have not talked about every constellation I have done, nor have I evaluated the outcome of each one. If asked, I may feel a need to "please" by indicating that there is a good outcome, or I may not be able to see the good effects due to some current difficulty, or if there has been an effect that others may consider good FOR me, I may not see it that way, or I may have wanted one thing and something else happened (I wanted the constellation to save my marriage and it broke up, may be good for me in the long run, but I don't see it that way the day the questionnaire arrives). Etc., etc., etc. It's not simple. In reality, many of the most positive effects are so very subtle as to show themselves over a long period of time, and may in fact be larger than most people would notice, if that's not too contradictory!
Perhaps one could announce at each workshop, that they are doing research into the effects of the work, and if so inclined, a participant could call back 6 months later and further information will be sent about participatiton in the study (course, most won't call...). The down side there is that it sets up expectations in the client that perhaps they will notice something in 6 months, and of course, that is not necesarily the case. If they take a questionnaire with them, it will direct them mentally to look in certain directions. If they recieve one in the mail in 6 months, it could interrupt their process. Then there is the "after constellation glow"- once it wears off, some discount the experience altogether and would be eager for the opportunity to complain about the failure.
Lastly, I have found it to be similar to homeopathy in this way (as well as others): the client experiences some very positive changes in their life, but does not attribute them to the 15 minute constellation that occurred 9 months ago, that they didn't even understand anyway, for instance. (Like they rarely attribute positive changes to the 2 homeopathic pellets they took 6 months ago...).
Not to be a ney-sayer, just some thoughts that come up. When I get my PhD, you can bet I will be searching for a project in this area as well!! I would actually LOVE there to be a body of information regarding outcomes; this would be very good in the field of medicine for instance, not that the mainstream medical community has yet availed themselves of the volumes of anecdotal information available regarding any number of alternative treatments... But, I maintain hope. Testimonial can be powerful, and those familiar with the work, facilitating workshops, training others, could easity write an anecdote about the experience resulting from a constellation. We would have MANY hundreds of anecdotes if this alone was done. Maybe that's a place to start. Solicit the information from current facilitators - there were 2,500 people involved somehow with the work at Wurzberg in April- not all facilitators, but all with some interest somehow.
I would solicit the opinions of some of the experienced facilitators (mostly German, but several from other countries as well, including Anngwynn St. Just and Dyrian Benz-Chartrand from the US- addresses can be found on my site). This issue of research has not excaped them, they mostly have academic backgrounds and know well the ups and downs on research in general, and I'm sure have some thoughts about its application here.
As always, all the best, and I enjoy the dialogues to be found here. sheila
Sheila Saunders, RN, MFT
Systemic Family Solutions www.systemicfamilysolutions.com sheila@systemicfamilysolutions.com Great Smokies Medical Center 1312 Patton Ave. Asheville, NC. 28806 cell: 828-273-5015 fax: 828-255-8118 >From: "Daniel Booth Cohen" >Reply-To: ConstellationTalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >Subject: RE: [ConstellationTalk] research and articles for the journal >Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2003 07:14:58 -0400 > >Sarah - I am a graduate student in Psychology at Saybrook Graduate School in >San Francisco. I'm just beginning to look at the structure and scope of my >dissertation topic. Perhaps my best way to contribute to the field would be >to design a dissertation that serves to support the acceptance of >constellation work amongst the broader therapeutic community. > >Without getting into details here, I would very much like to participate in >research tracking the outcomes for clients 6 or 12 months following their >constellations. Let's look at how we might collaborate. > >Dan > > >-----Original Message----- >From: Sarah Moore [mailto:sarahmoore@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx] >Sent: Saturday, July 12, 2003 12:13 AM >To: ConstellationTalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >Subject: [ConstellationTalk] research and articles for the journal > >dear all, >i really want to get cracking on producing some stuff for the journal. if anyone has already written articles or would like to have a new one published, please feel free to write away and send me their stuff. am interested in personal accounts as well as academic musings and theorisings. also maybe descriptions of unusual interventions or things >happening during constellation work. > >also i would like to do some research on follow up from clients who have done a constellation workshop at least 6 months ago. i'm developing a questionairee that can be done via phone or face to face interview or sent by post and filled in by client. i'll also make a permission and privacy statement for anyone participatin g in study. and if anyone >could help out here with letting me know of clients of theirs who have done contellation work 6 months or more ago who would be willing to participate in an (anonymous of course) study gauging the impact of the work on thier lives, could they please contact me. after i've done the survey, i'd really appreciate any help with stats crunching from people in the group who have experience in this, i'm thinking of the psychologists (alemka? katherine?), as medicos have limited experience in this. love to all and happy contellationing. sarah