The founder of Family Constellations Bert Hellinger died on 19 September 2019. He was a trail blazer in free thinking in terms of reminding us of the resources of the human mind, resilience and soul and its deep connection to human relationships and wellness. He had the courage and tenacity to present a totally ‘out of the box’ way of looking at human relationships and their impact on the mind, mental health and disease. He entered unknown realms in working with the human condition, philosophy, energy and the Spirit Mind that remains revolutionary many years later. Only more recently has quantum physics, neuroscience and epigenetics provided knowledge and evidence to verify some of Hellinger’s ideas of how we are integral with our family system as individuals and part of the bigger web of humanity, life force and All That Is.
I for one of many, am in gratitude to him for his courage and persistence. in putting out his ideas and delivering a way of thinking and working that ran counter to the tide of thinking of that time in 1990’s, showing that love is key to health and wellness. He created a process that is one of re-establishing connection to the love that lies at the heart of humanity, for those who choose to go there. In this deep inner connection to our deepest core of who we are, we may receive self-healing and resolutions for our “normal human dysfunctions.” A path that offers a tangible alternative to the traditional model of mental health with often unnecessary diagnoses, labelling and frequently medication for life, of people who may find recovery and health with constellations and/or other powerful healing processes.
(Constellations generally acknowledge that more serious mental health issues such as psychosis, schizophrenia, psychopathy are not in the range of “normal dysfunction” for the Family Constellation process alone. As practitioners we do acknowledge that such serious conditions do benefit from diagnoses and medication to enable better functioning.)
I consider myself honoured to have witnessed Bert Hellinger in person at the ISCA in Germany and at his first Constellation Scientia training in Austria.
Bert Hellinger was often a controversial figure and ultimately a fallible man, which is also fitting, as he lay a path for us to follow in being real, courageous and challenged to maintain our curiosity and continue to grow and innovate in our own small ways, as he did as a master.