Dear Galina et all,
Thank you for this thread. I am very grateful to the many teachers on CT.
I am a psychotherapist from Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. I have worked with people
displaying psychotic features (hallucinations and/or delusions) and their
families for 30 years. I have always worked from a systemic approach and have
been applying Systemic Constellation Work (individual and group) to my work
for about 7 years. I am very careful about whether or not I allow the psychotic
individual to participate in a group. I only allow participation if the person
is exhibiting strong organized thought and is well grounded in consensus
reality at the time. Additionally, they have to have strong family support and
safety. The family members must be involved and understand the process.
I have been working with a family (father, mother, daughter) for 4 years. At
the time I became involved, both the 72 year old mother, and the 49 years old
daughter were severely mentally ill. Both were drugged into non-functional
stupor in efforts to hold their hallucinations at bay. The mother had just
recently been hospitalized. The 74 father, the total caretaker of both his wife
and daughter, was ready to collapse.
Over the past 4 years, they have attended a group where a constellation was set
up for them. Another time, per their request, we did a constellation in group
on their behalf (they were not present). I also had the opportunity to take
their case into supervision at Bernreid '06. Profound movement has occurred
following each piece of work. I have also used constellation in the individual
setting, most often with mother and father together and daughter individually.
The group work and the individual work continually inform and unfold in a
complementary and progressive manner.
Both mother and daughter have made extraordinary improvements. They are now on
very little medication. The 53 year old daughter has recently moved out of her
parents' home for the first time, is holding a full time job and participating
in a CET (cognitive enhancement therapy) program to "wake up" her mental
functioning again. The 76 year old mother is taking art classes and even
showing and selling her work, as well as, taking Thai Chi. Both are doing
extremely well. The father has also manifested extreme change regarding his
participation in this system.
I experience Constellations as one way to offer a space in which the
alternative reality of the psychotic individual can find its place and meaning
within the consensus reality of the family (and culture). Entering a space
where all realities are able to exist can result in a family soul giving its
permission for movement to ease the suffering. From a systemic approach, I ask:
1. How are the psychotic features trying to aid the individual and the system
to which s/he belongs?
2. How can the individual and/or family move to allow the manifestations to be
experienced in different form, integrated and/or released?
Like dreams, we can find the wisdom in the images and experiences within the
alternate reality of the psychotic experience and how they connect to the
consensus reality of the family/culture.
As in all approaches, including Constellation Work, the deeper wisdom and
process of the individual and the family soul determines how much, if any
"improvement" occurs. From what I have experienced, Constellations can be an
invaluable tool in restoring healthful functioning to the psycchotic individual
and/or increasing peace and understanding for the family members.
Best Regards,
Carolyn Zahner
Carolyn Zahner, MSW, LISW, Inc
513-697-0260
www.carolynzahner.com
11223 Cornell Park Drive, Suite 402
Cincinnati, Ohio 45242
----- Original Message -----
From: ion bucur
To: ConstellationTalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Sunday, July 11, 2010 3:02 AM
Subject: Re: [ConstellationTalk] Constellations and schizophrenia.
Hi Galina,
I have participated to several workshops where a schizophrenic mother(50
years old) and her sun were participating too. After two workshops no
improvement were evident, except the fact that after the first time, when she
could not do any work at all, was very closed, in the second was designated to
represent somebody s wife. In the constellation and after it she behave like a
schizophrenic, without being able to make distinction between contellation and
the real situation, between her and her role. It seemed that the things got
worse.
But, after the third workshop, which lasted one week, and involved her sun
and her daughter in law, the very spectacular improvement appeared. She became
communicative, open and for the first time after one year she was smiling and
she was adequate. For the people that had known her, and knew how is
schizophrenia perceived in psychiatry, this was like a miracle.
What happened in that workshop? When she worked, the facilitator asked her to
choose 15 participants to represent her ancestors(She did not know anything
about a murder or something like that in her family. If something occured it
was totaly covered, secret). She asked her ancestors for help, honoured them,
and some of them react very clear and strong.
In that night we saw her for the first time smiling, and we experience a
strong feeling of humble.
When I remember that I feel the same, I feel humbling.
Ion Bucur
Consultant
Signum Artis
--- On Sat, 7/10/10, Stephen Campbell <coachuno@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
From: Stephen Campbell <coachuno@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [ConstellationTalk] Constellations and schizophrenia.
To: ConstellationTalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Saturday, July 10, 2010, 1:37 AM
Galina,
I have worked and participated in constellations involving schizophrenia.
One of the most memorable was one in which I represented the young
schizophrenic. Several months later I ran into his mother and she reported
significant improvement. A little over a year and half after the
Constellation a young man called to make an appointment with me. When we met
in my offices and in the brief interview I realized this was the young man
that I had represented and I can report that he has no vestiges of the
condition. I am not a psychiatrist; but, I have had considerable experience
working with mental conditions and working with him on life and work issues
I am clear that his current behaviors are not that of a schizophrenic. He
subsequently mentioned that he has gotten a clean bill of health from
licensed professionals.
Having facilitated several constellations involving schizophrenics what I
have learned is that the schizophrenic is entangled with a murder that
occurred between 4-7 generations back and the schizophrenic represents the
two excluded persons: the perpetrator and the victim.
Trust this information is of use to you.
Fondly,
Stephen
STEPHEN CAMPBELL
SYSTEMIC CONSTELLATION FACILITATOR / CONSTELADOR SISTÉMICO
MA, R.SC.P., MPNLP (HEALTH), ND (CANDIDATE)
904.430.0248
213-985-2368
51.1.447.6652
51.1.995.512.315
COACHUNO@xxxxxxxxx
SKYPE: ELCOACHUNO
On Fri, Jul 9, 2010 at 10:33, Galina Thomas <galinat@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>
> Hi, everybody,
>
> I have a question about schizophrenia. Has anyone had experience working
> with schizophrenia (especially not directly with a patient, but his/her
> relatives). Are there known cases of improvement as a result of
> Constellations?
>
> Thank you for any information!
>
> Galina Thomas
>
> MFT Trainee, Los Angeles, California
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
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