BeingHuman Constellation Work™ Article
By Dr. Solihin Thom
The art and science of understanding the forces that have constellated and which create dysfunction
The term Systemic Constellations or Family Constellations are some of the names used for the work by the renown German psychologist Bert Hellinger. Parallel to his work, but unknown to each other, Dr. Solihin Thom and his colleague Francois Reynolds, who was followed at a later date, by Alicia Thom, developed what we call the BeingHuman Model. Both Hellinger’s work and ours are characterized by the use of constellations: the practice of using the ‘knowing field' (a term coined by Dr. Albrecht Mahr) to elicit a dialogue-response in participants to illustrate the dynamics of a particular set-up of representative participants who are constellated (like a star formation) around a particular ‘sun’. The sun may be, in Hellinger’s work, a principle person and his or her relationship, and/or the principle’s family dynamics. However, the approach taken by BeingHuman, the constellated ‘sun’ will be a principle – the Divine, goal, mission, personal deity, the person, illness, business, or an idea propagated by human thought or enquiry–and the surrounding constellation will be the sum of parts involved.
BeingHuman Constellation Work is ontological in essence, which helps us to both reveal and look at the root cause that created the original or consequent accidents that predisposed the disorganization of the entity called ‘human’.
A human structure & order that ideally allows a human to fully function & realize their potential.
The premise or ontological map is that we humans are composed of elements that once were described as part of the Great Chain of Being. That is, we are composed of our phylogenetic past, and contain evolutionary elements which predispose us to their influence. Thus a human is influenced by his:
- ancestral and own history and DNA (reflexive and reptilian self); cellular matrix
- his internal environment and sensory nature (feelings, emotions) and vegetative autonomic brain; or vegetal self; organ and system matrix
- sexuality, habits, tribe, survival, movement–mammalian or rhinocephalic brain (including the amygdala and hippocampus) or instinctual self; rhinencephalon, joints, muscles, lungs, heart, instincts
- and beliefs, ideas, analytical and gestalt thoughts, theology (neocortical brain) or human self; executive functioning.
IMAGE: The monad – the single hierarchical arrangement of the human and its various elements
What Happens:
In a constellation the principle (person) lays out their ‘cards’ or use people to illustrate each level of being. They are 'in' the constellation, and they use others to represent their lower or other selves.
This constellation, which may be structured ('Here are the elements in their order, please fill them with people who represent your differing selves'), or haphazard ('Place others around you to represent your differing selves in what ever way you are guided'). This would be their opening representation. It relays (broadcasts) their state.
We use the act of surrender – or interior quietness and silence to guide us in this process of constellation. After the initial set-up, we ask all the participants, in the constellation or those watching to surrender. We can call this a stop-motion process to facilitate the unraveling or unfolding of the constellation. The act of surrender to the Divine (a central tenet) allows us to be guided, as the participants acting as elements of the principle, illustrate their receiving (guidance). When the surrender is over, they are given the opportunity to talk about their inner experience, standing where they have been placed.
“They may articulate that they feel a resonance, or that their body temperature has changed, or that they twisted, or felt sick, sad, remorseful, or that they had wanted to move – indeed some may have moved in the surrender – or tell you a vision, words or ideas, or even what they have ‘heard’."
The facilitator guides the process; by asking repeatedly for the participants to surrender. In this way the constellation unravels, opens up, reveals the principle's state and resolution. In practice, the facilitator uses the feedback from the participating ‘elements’ to be guided in re-arranging the constellation based on what is articulated. As we are able to access signals or information through the various elements of our physical body, we can be guided into understanding what each element is saying. This is complex and sophisticated work, and at some level demands an expert to help. On the other hand we can extrapolate and be guided within our own reference and understanding, so this work can work either way.
Generalized arrangement of the internal disorder of human being ('correct' relationship on the left)
A human body receives information from different parts of the organism. It is like the different wisdoms which we have inherited from the differing life forms which are phylogenetically within us, and we have the chance to listen to this collective orchestra. However, as an organism equipped with a neocortex, we have the possibility of constructing or creating reality–that is, we can manufacture signals through our own needs, proclivities, immaturity and hubris.
“To counter this, Dr. Solihin teaches another workshop called The Art and Science of InnerListening – a sophisticated training that goes hand-in-hand with constellation work, that allows us to switch-on and develop the capacity to receive and be aware of information broadcast from the other – or in a constellation, when we receive for ourselves as representative elements.”
Our differing selves / elements feed, through surrender, the human mind (in its mindful state) with information pertinent to the situation. This process may also descend upon us, to give us an alternative reality when our own sensory guidance cannot ‘see’ or ‘hear, feel’ or ‘notice’ what needs to be accessed. This is the action of Grace, and it the act of surrender that allows us to receive somatosensory information representational to the situation or to be given noetic understanding through received understanding.
*Graphic illustrates the dynamics of an disordered internal content. The weight of the earth (material) captures the human, whose reactivity (animal, instinctual) with this hidden historical pattern, contains the feelings, and deeply buries (and hides) an old religious model of surrender or nobility.
The facilitator re-arranges the constellation as per ‘picture’ or stop-frame, and then proceeds with further surrender or quiet to allow the participants to be guided further. This allows the constellation to evolve – actually to unfold like a spiral of creativity, a torus within THE whole. With the addition of further revealed qualities (again mirrored by cards or participants acting out these elements or qualities) the narrative can unfold in many differing ways. The unfolding narrative may illustrate the distortion present, or elicit the force which has become dominant and holds the person ‘captive’ or disordered. It may bring in other elements; such as ancestors, 'ghosts', unfinished business, discarded parts – either new or missing resources that would augment changes in the person to shift their state.
We can finish the constellation where all human parts or intact and present, or stop the constellation to illustrate the state. We can be as creative as we want, but always having the participant or person in mind, so that their constellation creates the bridge to change or restructuring of their internal order.
The Result
In many cases physical, mental, or emotional patterns are resolved, and an immediate sense of
lightness and well-being. The resultant effect on the participant is lasting. The transformation takes
place in the present, the effect of which continues to be revealed in the person's life as the process is
more fully integrated.
(writing and images accredited to Dr. Solihin Thom)
