What Happens In a Systemic Family Constellations Therapy Session?
What Happens in a Session?
Do you ever find yourself caught in repeating patterns that don’t feel like your own? Family Constellation Therapy explores how unresolved events, traumas, or hidden loyalties within your family system may be influencing your life today.
This approach, developed by Bert Hellinger, works with what’s known as the knowing field—a collective awareness that holds the memory of a family system across generations. Through constellations, these hidden dynamics are revealed so they can be acknowledged, integrated, and released.
How a Session Works
Group Sessions
Most constellations are run in small groups. Here’s the flow:
Introduction – The facilitator explains the process and creates a safe, confidential space.
The Issue – One participant briefly shares the focus they’d like to explore.
Representatives – Group members are chosen to represent family members or elements of the issue.
Setting Up – Representatives are placed in the space, forming a living map of the family system.
Observing Dynamics – Emotions, sensations, and movements naturally arise, giving insight into hidden patterns.
Healing Movements – Through guided dialogue and repositioning, excluded members are acknowledged and balance begins to restore.
Integration – The client steps into the constellation to experience the new image of harmony.
One-to-One Sessions
When privacy is preferred, objects, floor markers, or guided visualisations are used by the facilitator to replace group representatives. I run my online consultations using pieces of paper to represent the family members, and people are frequently shocked by how deep and insightful the experience is.
What You Might Experience
Clients often feel nervous at first, then deeply moved as new insights arise. In the weeks that follow, many notice subtle yet lasting changes in how they relate to themselves and their families.
Representatives may briefly sense emotions or sensations that pass once the session ends.
Observers often leave with their own insights and emotional shifts.
Benefits of Constellation Work
Family Constellations can:
Bring unconscious family patterns into awareness
Heal the impact of generational trauma
Restore belonging and balance in the family system
Release burdens carried on behalf of others
Create movement where life has felt stuck
Reconnect you with inner strength and clarity
Common Questions
Do I need to know my family history? No—the most important patterns often emerge regardless of detail.
Do I have to believe in it? Not at all. Many sceptical participants report the most profound results.
Is it safe? With a trained facilitator, the process is generally safe and supportive, though it is often emotionally moving. Typically, people go away feeling far lighter after.
How many sessions will I need? Some people feel a shift after just one constellation, while others return over time for deeper work.
Preparing for a Session
Come with a clear intention and an open mind.
Wear comfortable clothing and keep your schedule light afterwards.
Allow time for integration—many find insights continue to unfold in the days and weeks that follow.
A Path Toward Healing
Family Constellation Therapy is not about analysing or reliving the past, but about restoring balance, belonging, and peace within your family system. By addressing these deeper roots, many people find relief from long-standing patterns, greater freedom in relationships, and a renewed sense of strength in their own lives.