This book brings
together some of the most active voices in Family Constellations
in the United States -- each of whom has forged a path and found a way
to effectively apply the theory and practice.
Messengers of Healing refers both to the Constellation facilitators, who serve
as conduits between client and system, and to the ancestral influences that guide family members towards a place
of peace and well-being.
Dan Booth Cohen's perspective is shaped by more than 25 years as an activist and organizer in the field of peace
studies and conflict resolution.
He was a founding member of the City of Cambridge Peace Commission, the Co-Director of the Boston Children of War
Program, and also lived in Germany and Palestine as a peace worker. His professional background includes
experience as a Strategic
Planning consultant to the Director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
In his chapter in Messengers of Healing he writes:
At the 2003 International Congress on Family and Systems Constellations in Würzburg, Germany,
I sat in on workshop led by Eva Madelung. During the introductions it quickly became clear that this
was no ordinary group. Nearly every participant revealed that one or both parents were Nazis, many of them of high rank.
As the only one requiring an English translation, the only one from a Jewish family, I felt threatened in their presence.
The children of Nazi murderers ordinarily do not gather together like members of an astronomy club.
Their meeting in this private setting to confess, confront, and heal embedded wounds was extraordinary.
The first constellation was for a woman whose father was a high ranking SS officer.
Her issue was suicidal depression. Several minutes into the Constellation, Eva Madelung came to me and,
without a word, placed me directly behind the father.
My initial feeling was of a fear to which I would never admit.
The representative of the father appeared to be strong and dangerous,
and my response was to be stronger and more dangerous. I expressed this by standing erect,
immobile, and by looking directly, and only, at him, without expression.
After some more time, Madelung came to the father and turned him around to face me, saying to him, “This is Hitler.”
Dan uses the dramatic outcome of this Constellation, and others which he facilitated, to explore how American Jews can
help heal the ancestral wounds that fuel current day conflicts.
The other chapters in this book examine different aspects of Family Constellations whether with a specific
population or combined with another modality. Contributors include:
- Jane Peterson on organizational constellations, as well as a view on the lineage of Constellations.
Dale Schusterman on how the work may be used with physical problems.
Andy Stuck on the compatibility between Constellations and EMDR.
Mark Wolynn on a multidimensional treatment perspective used with "cutters."
Michael Gurevich's observations of a Beginner.
Jamy and Peter Faust exploring the role of energy and intuition.
Barbara Lynch on working with couples.
Dan and Mary Gates on use of the approach with individuals.
Suzi Tucker on the use of words in Family Constellations.
Ed Lynch on the stance of the facilitator.
- Finally, a beautiful chapter from Bert Hellinger on
the spiritual dimensions of the work.
The Family Constellation approach of Bert Hellinger has taken root in the United States.
This book reflects the experience of professionals who have folded essential elements of
Hellinger's perspective into their own work.
The approach is meaningful across a range of milieus and in the hands of diverse personalities.
The book is recommended for those who are first learning about Family Constellations, as well as practitioners
who have already integrated the principles of this approach into their own work.
By special permission from the publisher, the chapter is available in a PDF file format.
$29.95, plus shipping
Chapter Only $3.95, PDF file format
MESSENGERS OF HEALING