Unlike family therapy, The Constellation Approach™ does not encourage whole families to be present. Constellations seem to work best when there is just the client or perhaps one or two family members present who are all equally invested in the healing process that the work has to offer. In a typical constellation, the client is invited by the facilitator to select representatives from the group in their family as they relate to their presenting issue. The client then places these representatives - silently and intuitively - in particular positions around the central working area. When complete, the client sits with the facilitator and the process begins. The overall health of the Family Energy Field can be observed when the constellation is set up, much like that of a living family tree. A little time is needed for each participant to feel the energies of those they are representing.

As facilitators we follow the energy of both the person presenting their issue as well as the representatives in the constellation, to see where movement is needed in order to create balance and peace. It is common for the facilitator to then ask some, or all; of the constellation members what they are feeling. Often their responses appear to reflect an uncanny resemblance of the client's family situation, and a more complete picture of the family system begins taking shape. In this way, the hidden entanglements of the family come to light. These entanglements often reveal that in order to maintain balance in the family, we usually pay a high price - a kind of "blind love."

The Process
When a client looks at and takes in the family constellation configuration, a veil seems to be lifted and profound truths - ones they know on a subconscious level but have not been able to consciously acknowledge - begin to appear. At this point, the facilitator might move certain representatives to different positions in relation to each other, and then ask how the new positions have affected their feelings. When the "right" positioning is found, there is often a visible relief and relaxation on the part of the representatives and the client may also begin relaxing and softening as the constellation unfolds.

This is known as the rebalancing aspect of the approach, the point of finding the hidden symmetry, or order, of the family system. This is a unique constellation pattern for the client that is comfortable and begins helping them feel at peace. Without an open acknowledgement and expression of this order, love cannot flow freely in the family system and presenting issues remain un-addressed and unresolved. At this point, the facilitator may stop the constellation or continue further. Occasionally the facilitator and client simply sit side-by-side and view the constellation. Often just acknowledging what is and seeing a different reality of the client's family is enough to begin a healing process. If the facilitator continues to the next step, the client may take their place in the constellation.

Three Levels of Constellations
The above description of the process of a constellation is what is commonly referred to as facilitator-directed constellations. When there are more experienced representatives in a constellation the facilitator is freer to trust the representatives more explicitly with their movements. This is often referred to as Movements of the Soul constellations. In these types of constellation it is possible that the facilitator might not ask the representatives what they are feeling or even enter into the field to facilitate movement. When even more advanced students of this approach act as representatives, it is possible that an entire constellation be done without words and no direction from the facilitator. Bert Hellinger refers to this level of work as Spirit-Mind constellations.

The Use of Words
Constellations most often involve the client or the client's representative saying particular "statements of empowerment" (also referred to as solution sentences) to one or more representatives in the group. This language begins to follow an energetic pathway of sacredness and healing. A child might say to her mother, you are the right one for me."  A father perhaps may say to his child, "I will bear it myself, and now you are free. Or to someone who has died and is terribly missed, "I will hold a place for you in my heart."  And "I respect your fate, and I remain with mine, to someone who's made a different choice. Such phrases hold enormous energy for healing our deepest level of emotional pain. When words are used with reverence and truth, a resonance or vibration is felt within all constellation participants as well as the larger group. The sentences may be said to just one other representative with whom the client has the most energetic charge, or they may need to say things to all members of the constellation. When the right solution sentences are found, it is evident -- a sigh is felt in the room and often tears and a heart-opening experience happens for the client. These statements of empowerment and healing movements bring the family soul into a healthier state of conscious awareness which Hellinger has referred to as "enlightened love."

Insights
Some of the insights that seem to be consistently revealed are that children stay loyal to their parents, often repeat the same mistakes as their parents, have difficulty achieving a more fulfilling life than their parents and will take on similar fates as others have in the family. In constellation seminars, it often happens that members of the larger group are deeply affected and touched by another's work. A healing experience for one person, "the client" will have a healing effect on anyone else in the room with a similar issue. This is why people get so much out of a constellation seminar even if they personally did not get the opportunity to set up their own constellation.

Strengthening our Origins
A constellation creates a picture of the family energy field which allows us to face our familiar roots more fully. When we realize that we are deeply connected to our family soul, and that neither time nor distance can alter that, we are capable of exploring the complexities of our family's past. Openly looking at our family of origin provides us with the opportunity to see the good and the bad, uncover secrets and truths, and investigate the lost and unexplained. By seeing these various components, we can acknowledge the multi-faceted truths of our family soul, of the things that bind us together. When we look with open eyes, mind, and heart - void of moral judgment - we are capable of letting go of that which does not serve our personal growth. Most importantly, one learns to gain strength from a more meaningful conscious connection to their family soul. This strength feeds our soul's development as we re-channel the psychic energy used to distance ourselves from the realities of our family of origin into more productive efforts. We can simply, as Hellinger says; "acknowledge what is." which permits us to move on in life a little healthier and a little stronger.