Anton “Bert” Hellinger (Leimen, Germany, 1925 — Bischofswiesen, 2019) was a Catholic priest, a missionary among the Zulus in South Africa for sixteen years, and later a psychotherapist. From his experience as a missionary, he drew observations on how the sacred operates in human groups. From his training in psychoanalysis, group dynamics, Transactional Analysis, Primary Therapy, and Virginia Satir's Family Therapy, he adopted the method.
In the late 1970s, he began to develop what he called “Familienstellen”—Family Constellations—combining Satir's family sculpting techniques with his own understanding of systemic order, transgenerational loyalties, and movements of the soul.
Over forty years of clinical practice, he distilled the “orders of love”—belonging, order, and balance—and founded a school of thought that today has a presence in more than forty countries. His wife, Sophie Hellinger, continues to disseminate the method.
Hellinger was a founding figure of the field: his formulations about victims and perpetrators sparked debate within the field itself, while his clinical method opened up previously inaccessible therapeutic ground. His main books—Orders of Love, Recognizing What Is, The Center Doth Hold—remain essential references.
Bibliography
- The Orders of Love — Bert Hellinger. Herder, 2001.
- Acknowledging What Is — Bert Hellinger. Herder, 2000.
- No Roots, No Wings — Bertold Ulsamer. Desclée de Brouwer, 2004.
These books are in the reference library that nourishes Constelando el Origen.
Articles on the site that address this topic
Related terms
Family Constellation
A therapeutic method developed by Bert Hellinger that makes visible the hidden dynamics of the family system through representatives in space.
See fact sheetOrders of Love
The three systemic laws formulated by Hellinger: belonging, order, and balance. The foundation of the entire method.
See fact sheetAssent
An inner movement of accepting what is, without judgment. The prerequisite for any systemic healing.
See fact sheetHealing phrase
A brief, first-person prayer that the client pronounces before a representative to reorder the system. It is not an affirmation: it is an acknowledgment.
See fact sheetA session that names what hurts
If you recognize this dynamic in your own story, a Family Constellation can reveal where it comes from and what movement brings it into order. Daniela respectfully accompanies each case.
Sessions in Spanish only