Kenn wrote to Dan Cohen in part:
One thing that seems to be missing from this description is the
phenomenological approach to Constellation Work. Rather than dissect
the process, as is done with most traditional psychological models,
we make observations and operate on the basis of what we learn from
these observations.
Also, unlike most psychotherapists, we do not enter into the field
with the intention of "fixing" something that is "wrong". Rather we
come to the field with a willingness to be of service to the healing
potential in the field. This places us in a dramatically different
place relative to the client.
more later perhaps,
Kenn
On Dec 19, 2006, at 11:12 AM, Dan Booth Cohen wrote:
All My Relations,
I am writing my 2nd research Essay for my Ph.D. It will eventually
become a
chapter in my dissertation. It would help me to have some input and
feedback from the group. In the end, I am aiming to examine the
literature
that deals with understanding how it is that the representatives
are tuning
in to something other than their own subjective responses to be so
positioned. Also, how it is that trans-generational trauma exists
without a
chain of physical linear experiences.
Before I get to that end, I am going through the exercise of
deconstructing
a typical Constellation and laying out all the ways that the
process either
conflicts with conventional psychotherapeutic best practices or our
common
sense about the sources and remedies for pressing personal issues.
I have written a draft of this section. What follows is a
condensed excerpt
of some of the key points. I am requesting you critiques and
comments.
o The intake interview, such as it is, last only a few minutes,
whereas a conventional psychotherapist would take a detailed history.
o Upon hearing only a one or two sentence description of an
issue and
a few facts about the family history, the facilitator initiates
what can be
an extremely intense emotional process.
o The group itself defies conventional description.
o The facilitator disavows that the process is a form of
therapy or
treatment, yet leads group members into an intense emotional
experience
without formally screening participants for pre-existing medical or
mental
health issues.
o The representatives receive only a skeletal description of
the issue
and family history before they are asked to stand in the circle in an
assigned role. Once so placed, their responses are assumed to
mirror these
actual individuals.
o The representative's feelings, the facilitator's intuition,
and the
nexus between past and present events - point to the hidden dynamic.
o This hidden dynamic is not perceived as a product of
repressed,
forgotten or traumatic experiences of the seeker, but rather of the
seeker's
family seen as a collective whole. The presenting issue is
contextualized
as an echo of an event that occurred before the seeker was born,
sometimes
several generations before. While there are loose parallels to
this view
found in established schools of psychotherapy, such as Jungian
Analytic
Psychology, Transactional Analysis, and Contextual Therapy, this
perception
of trans-generational, systemic entanglements is a unique element
of Family
Constellations.
o The so-called "Healing Resolution" is achieved by
repositioning the
representatives and/or adding representatives of members of the family
system who were exiled, excluded or forgotten. In this stage of
the process
the seeker is a passive observer.
o Membership in the family system is not confined to biological
relatives, but may include people whose position of belonging can
be hotly
disputed, such as aborted fetuses, perpetrators of violence against
past
family members or the victims of crimes committed by past family
members.
o What are called, "healing sentences" can be either
tautologies that
state the obvious, e.g., "I lived and you died," or provocative
statements
that conflict with the seeker's ordinary understanding, e.g. "You
are the
right father for me."
o Proponents of the Family Constellation process claim that
this brief
intervention can be instrumental in overcoming a persistent
lifelong pattern
of behavior. There are no English-language empirically validated
or peer
reviewed research studies corroborating this claim.
o The facilitator does not provide for monitoring or
aftercare in case
of adverse effects.
o The Orders of Love purport to be a set of invisible
systemic laws
that exert irresistible force on families and individuals. Within the
framework of the Orders of Love, familiar constructs take on new,
sometime
even reversed meanings.
There are many ways to contribute to this research. Here are some
ideas:
o Add to the list or suggest corrections or clarifications.
o Provide case examples of representatives whose inexplicable
responses
were corroborated by factual evidence.
o Provide case example of healing solutions that support the
validity
of our claims.
o Discuss how you address the ethical questions about pre-
screening and
aftercare.
o Discuss your conception of the distinction between
Constellations and
therapy.
And so on. Response can come to the group or privately to
danbcohen@xxxxxxx.
My view is that it will help us collectively to develop a coherent
response
to the understandable skepticism that we encounter at every turn.
Dan
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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