Dear All,
I so much appreciate the postings regarding facilitating constellations for
those who have diagnosed mental illness. Constellation work is not a
substitute for necessary medical care; it is not a substitute for serious
psychotherapy, not a substitute for good nutrition, prayer, or good common
sense. It is one beautiful tool.
And, I am coming from a different world view and paradigm. I was encouraged by
the discussion regarding humility and acknowledging our limits. It is also
good to acknowledge that psychotherapy is a world view as well as a discipline.
I highly recommend the book Trauma, Bonding & Family Constellations:
Understanding and Healing Injuries of the Soul by Franz Ruppert (now in English
courtesy of Green Balloon Publishing). Ruppert discusses at length the current
limitations in assessing mental illness. He is a provocative writer. In one
description of a schizophrenic client whose symptoms abated after
constellations he writes:
a student of mine documented Eva's case in detail in
her diploma dissertation (Klockner, 2005). Ironically, after her evident cure,
Eva's psychiatrist said she had probably never really had schizophrenia as by
definition schizophrenia is not curable. That is another way of protecting
oneself from confrontation with reality, by means of paradoxical theoretical
constructs, which is not so dissimilar to delusional thinking. (p.215)
From the point of view of Native American traditional healing perspectives, the
ancestors are present, a resource, and certainly dynamic in the process of
constellation. At times I am allowed to accompany someone on their journey-
and I also know that for some- having a life- long relationship with a
therapist is the necessary journey for that individual and their therapist.
In traditional indigenous thinking, having permission to walk with any
individual extends beyond academics. It requires the agreement of the
ancestors of that individual, their own soul, the agreement of my ancestors, my
soul, and the support and agreement of the Circle. The philosophy of
indigenous phenomenology expands what and who is involved in healing or
illness, be it mental or physical.
"Native American medicine has been practiced on the North American continent
for at least 10,000 years, depending upon one's theory of origin or arrival.
When Europeans arrived in North America, the native population were a healthy
lot. Plagues and epidemics from Europe soon changed that, but do not mitigate
against the effectiveness of Native American methods for attaining long-term
survival and the treatment of chronic disease.
Native Americans stressed development of the inner life which was seen
reflected in the outer world. The events of the outer world spoke to inner
processes for the person. A fire is burning on the mountain. The person is in
agony. An awareness comes which dissipates the agony. Rain comes to quench the
fire. The events are seen as related. The fire and the rain were messages about
the internal processes of the person. Such ideas are more consistent with a
dynamic energy systems (DES) approach in which systems interact in complex
ways, actually communicating and creating shared memory through their
reciprocal effects upon each other during that communication. While
preposterous to the conventional psychotherapist that a human being can
communicate agony to nature, modern DES theory parallels the traditional belief
that the mountain could have responded with fire and then the sky with rain,
both in response to the human and now also the burning mountain."
http://www.healing-arts.org/mehl-madrona/mmtraditionalpaper.htm ;
Family Constellation has been an incredible introduction for those who are not
from an exclusively western world view. It has also honored and wakened those
indigenous roots and the knowing of many of the families that we come from.
I am sure that there are constellations that I should not do, those I may not
work with, but I also hope that making determination of what is allowed would
not only be based on subscribing to one particular belief system (i.e. western
psychiatric pathology). I say this with love and respect for Dr. Ed, and deep
gratitude for the postings of Thomas & Tomas, Dee Yoh, Joaline, Galina,
Stephan, Julio, Patricia, and all who are willing to continue to speak as my
teachers on this chat. Again, thank you Chris for facilitating this exchange.
All My Relations,
Francesca
www.allmyrelationsconstellations.com
