The issues raised, especially of safety for participants, suggests that
facilitators have updated qualifications in first aid, if they are not
medical practitioners or nurses.
It sounds like a very profound way to work, and I wonder how it is that
people take on the concerns of others to the extent that they embody
them, like Mary did and as Carmen also did. I mean how is it that the
sister's fears became displaced to Mary? I understand the systemic
theory, but wonder about how these matters are communicated between
people. I guess it is somewhere in the subtlety of body language and
emotional language?
Thank you for sharing this with us. It makes me even more keen to
attend, participate, do a constellation and learn about constellations.
Just frustrated at the moment that I am unable to do it while life is so
busy here. For those who do not know I have never done a constellation
or participated in any training.
Best Regards
Anne Marie
-----Original Message-----
From: Chris Walsh [mailto:info@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] ;
Sent: Thursday, 11 September 2003 9:49 PM
To: ConstellationTalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ConstellationTalk] obesity constellation
The following constellation raises issues of:
1. Safety for representatives
. With distress & chest pain which could have been a heart
attack.
. With communication in a second language.
2 Holding the group when a crisis occurs in the constellation.
3 The practice of replacing a representative.
4 Displacement of symptoms from one representative (the sister)
to another (Mary).
(False names are used and the people discussed have both given their
permission for me to publish this experience.)
Mary asked to do a constellation regarding her issue of obesity. She
was clearly distressed about this issue. Firstly she could not control
her eating and secondly she could not accept her obesity. After an
interview by myself and Libby Nottle, we decided to set up one
representative for Mary and another representative for nourishment. The
representative for Mary(Carmen) had not been a representative before.
She only had basic English language skills, her first language being
Spanish. Mary asked to do a constellation regarding her issue of
obesity.
Libby began facilitating the constellation. As it progressed, it became
clear that the representative for nourishment was moving like a little
girl. I asked Mary if she had a younger sister. She said "yes". The
representative for nourishment stated it was very clear that she was in
fact the sister. Once this was affirmed Mary's representative
immediately became very distressed and started speaking Spanish.
Fortunately as I'm able to speak Spanish I was able to get a history
from her. She was complaining of a heavy chest pain, which was
consistent with the pain people get with angina or heart attack. So I
removed her from the constellation and attended to her distress and
pain. At the same time Libby selected an experienced participant to take
over the role of Mary's representative and continued on facilitating the
constellation.
Very soon after Carmen was removed from the roll as Mary's
representative her chest pain and distress disappeared. I reported this
back to the group as soon as possible so that they would not be
distracted by their concerns for Carmen.
When the new representative took that position in the constellation, she
started to experience quite severe pain in her throat. At this point
Mary volunteered that her younger sister had almost died from swallowing
turpentine when she was only a toddler. Mary felt responsible for her
younger sister at the time this occurred. Mary brought her sister's
plight to the attention of their mother who then took her sister to
hospital where she was treated. As soon as this was mentioned, the
symptoms experienced by Mary's representative started to settle. It
became clear that Mary was carrying the physical pain and the fear of
death for her sister. A representative for the mother was introduced
and the constellation eventually reached a good resolution.
As the constellation proceeded Carmen returned to the holding circle.
After the constellation, she reported that when she had to leave the
constellation she felt weak for leaving and ashamed of this weakness.
This however settled as she was reassured and brought back into the
holding circle. Mary reported this feeling of weakness and the shame
about this weakness were feelings she had struggled with for a large
part of her life.
Since the constellation Mary reports that she has much less craving for
sweet food, her chronic feeling of depression has lifted & the world
literally looks as if it has more light in it. She also states she feels
a sense of inner peace that she had never experienced before. Carmen
reports that she is much more aware of the cost to herself and others of
continually taking on other people's suffering, something she has done
for most of her life.
I would be interested to hear anyone's comments or related experiences
in regard to this constellation & the issues it raises
hasta la vista
Chris Walsh
An Australian Constellation Website:
www.constellationflow.com
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