Family Constellation

Transgenerational Therapy

"We inherit the unhealed wounds as well as the unexpressed gifts of our lineage."

Mark Wolynn

Freeing family memories: the intelligence of transgenerational

Family constellations are a therapeutic method developed by Bert Hellinger in the 1990s, at the intersection of psychoanalysis, systemic family therapy, and phenomenology. By observing recurring patterns in the families he worked with, he highlighted what he called the laws of family love—unconscious dynamics that connect members of the same lineage across generations.

Today, a wealth of research in epigenetics, neuroscience, and transgenerational psychology confirms what therapists have long suspected: family history leaves an invisible but very real imprint on our lives. Unresolved grief, secrets, exclusions, trauma, or unconscious loyalties can influence our choices, relationships, health, or self-confidence, without us even being aware of it.

Working with constellations makes the invisible visible: by presenting family members through representatives, we gain a symbolic and vivid understanding of the connections, wounds, and also the system's resources. It is a powerful and respectful method that works on several levels: emotional, psychological, physical, energetic... and even spiritual, depending on each person's sensitivity.

It's an invitation to recognize that our unconscious is not only individual, but also familial and collective. And that healing within ourselves also means recognizing, restoring, honoring, or freeing those who came before us.
In this approach, each awareness opens a new space within us – a space of peace, autonomy, and freely chosen love.

How does a constellation take place?

A family constellation takes place in a collective, caring, and respectful setting, under the guidance of a therapist trained in this approach. The group is composed of several participants: some come to create their own constellation, others participate as representatives.

When it's time for your constellation, you simply share your working intention, formulated in advance with the therapist during a preparatory session. There's no obligation to tell your story: the group doesn't need to know the details for the process to begin.

The therapist then invites you to choose from among the participants the representatives of your family members or symbolic elements linked to your situation (for example: "my mother", "fear", "my future"...). These people will position themselves in space, according to your feelings, thus creating a "living map" of your family system.

Once the representatives are in place, the information field unfolds. The movements, feelings, and emotions that emerge help to highlight blockages, imbalances, or unconscious loyalties at work.

Little by little, thanks to the adjustments proposed by the therapist, the system can regain balance: the links become clearer, the places are put back in order, and a new internal image is constructed.

You observe the scene, or participate in it, consciously. This process works profoundly, even silently, and you often leave with a feeling of clarity, calm, and inner liberation.

To be Constellated or Representative?

During a Family Constellation workshop, you can participate in two ways:

As a constellating client, by bringing a personal issue or question you wish to explore.

As a representative, by actively participating in someone else’s constellation and offering your presence to represent a member of their family system or a symbolic element.

These two roles are complementary. Each offers a deeply human, structured and supported experience, within a safe and respectful environment, where everyone is free to move at their own pace.

Participating as a constellating client

This role allows you to work directly on your own personal story, connected to an issue you are currently facing (whether familial, relational, emotional or professional).

Before the group workshop, a private preparatory session is held with the facilitator. This individual session is essential and allows us to:

Explore your family history using a genosociogram, by collecting key dates, significant events, losses, separations, exclusions or repeating transgenerational patterns
Clarify your question and formulate a clear, focused intention
Begin to identify unconscious family dynamics that may still be influencing your life today

This step lays the foundation for your constellation and helps you approach the workshop with clarity and a symbolic understanding of your story.

During the group session, your constellation is set up with the support of the participants. You are invited to choose representatives for the important elements of your family system. As the constellation unfolds, what needs to be seen often emerges naturally, creating space for transformation and healing.

Possible benefits include:

A new understanding of the roots of your blocks or repeating patterns
A deeper sense of emotional release and inner peace
A renewed connection to your personal energy, free from inherited burdens

Even when the process feels intense, it is always held with gentleness, care and respect. You remain fully present and in control of what you experience.

Participating as a representative

Participating as a representative is a powerful and intuitive way to discover Family Constellations without having to share your own story.

You may be invited to represent a person or a symbolic element within another participant’s constellation, such as a mother, a child, fear, joy or freedom.

No prior experience is needed. You simply let yourself be guided by what you sense in the moment.

This role allows you to:

Experience the richness and depth of the work from the inside
Recognize common systemic patterns that influence many life stories
Occasionally feel deep personal resonances that can also bring movement and clarity to your own path

The representative role is often experienced as meaningful, touching and surprisingly transformative.

Whether you choose to bring your own question or to participate as a representative, you will be welcomed into a space of trust, care and presence, where everyone is respected and free to live the experience in their own way.

This process works gently and deeply, always in full respect of your personal rhythm and boundaries.

If you are unsure of the best way for you to participate, please feel free to contact me. I will be happy to help you find what suits you best.

Preparing your constellation: the Genosociogram and work intention

Before establishing a family constellation, an individual preparatory session is essential. This allows for an in-depth exploration of your family history and the formulation of a clear intention, upon which the group work can be based.

What is a genosociogram?

The genosociogram is a visual representation of your family tree enriched with key information about your family members, significant events and relationships between generations.
It is a valuable tool that allows you to bring out repetitions, unconscious loyalties, transgenerational traumas or unspoken things that may influence your life today.
It is not simply a matter of drawing up a tree, but of making a living and symbolic reading of it, which sheds new light on your current problem.

Information to gather to prepare your genosociogram:

You can collect and record, as much as possible, the following:

First and last names of your family members (parents, grandparents, great-grandparents if known)
Dates of birth and death
Professions, migrations, marriages, separations
Premature deaths, miscarriages, abortions, stillbirths
Adoptions, abandonments, family exclusions
Accidents, serious illnesses, addictions
Known family secrets, unspoken ones, "taboo" events
Major conflicts, violence, wars, traumas experienced
Revocations, economic ruin, loss of assets
Similar destinies, repeated first names, recurring birthdays

It doesn't have to be complete: we will work together to interpret any unclear areas or gaps as information in themselves.

The purpose of the preparatory session:

Beyond creating the genosociogram, this session is a time for listening and therapeutic clarification. Through specific questioning, we explore together your current issues, your feelings, triggering events, and patterns that seem to be repeating themselves.

This allows us to extract a clear, concise and symbolically accurate working intention.

Only this intention will be shared with the group on the day of the workshop. The rest of your story remains confidential.

The constellation work is then built from this intention, which acts as a common thread, without needing to tell everything.

This preparation process allows you to engage in your constellation consciously, with an initial step back and often, important realizations even before the day of the workshop.