What is constellation work? Another perspective: a response to Vivian Broughton

Abstract

"Editor’s note: This article is a response to Vivian Broughton’s article on Gestalt and trauma- orientated constellation work published in this issue of the BGJ. It was originally submitted as a letter to the Editor, but we decided due to the length and breadth of its scope to publish it as an article in its own right. The field of constellations work is large and growing, with a range of approaches. Barbara Morgan, who holds a different perspective to Vivian Broughton, questions how compatible Franz Ruppert’s work is with Gestalt theory and whether it can actually be referred to as constellation work at all. She argues that Bert Hellinger’s constellation work, which has developed over the years, is focused on the phenomenological inclusion of the wider energetic field and to see it as an intrapsychic process is to miss the essence of what the work is about. Key words: constellations, Ruppert, Hellinger, phenomenology, energetic fields, Gestalt."