Dear Alison,
Re your question below.
As a Gestalt type of person, I think that everything has an effect.
(Sometimes I probably use this as a crutch when I fell I have done
some 'bad' work. There is that ego again!). How do we know that a
shift hasn't occurred, how does the client? How is this measured. Im
my first workshop that I co-facilitated, we had a client who we wrote
to for feedback many months after the workshop. She said nothing had
happened as a result the workshop. In fact she had moved to another
city and had started a successful business. A few days later as I
recall she sent a second e-mail where she realised the effect of the
Constellation. I think sometimes its hard to know if we have a shift
what was the cause of it. If we think in Constellation terms,
everything has an impact, its all part of the path we are on.
From my experience as a therapist I often have a wry laugh when I
feel I have done great work and the client wants to discontinue, or I
think my work was terrible and the client comes in and says 'that was
a great session last time".
I have started in the last year to hold longer workshops, 3 or 4 days.
Previous usually one or maybe two days. On the first 4 day workshop I
ran during the first day I facilitated what I thought was an awful
Constellation. It was confusing, I felt ungrounded, the client felt
cheated, I was really in my ego. The next day she returned and was
asked 'What did you get out of that Constellation?'. I remember the
hush in the room as everyone waited for her answer, including me. "I
am stronger now" and you could see it. And every day during the
Constellation she would come and sit with me for a few minutes and
tell the group what sense she had made from the Constellation and how
she felt more integrated. That woman taught me allot.
David Mathes
Posted by: "Alison Rose Levy" LevyAR@xxxxxxxxxxxxx aliroselevy
Fri Jan 18, 2008 4:40 am (PST)
I want to ask facilitators to share their own reflections on those who may
not experience a shift from this work, why that may happen, and what other
resources might be beneficial for them... Or should we simply bow to their
fate?
Alison
