**Spiritual Constellations** or **Spirit Constellations** (*Geist-Familienstellen*) is the name given to the final phase of Bert Hellinger's work, from approximately 2010 until his death in 2019. They deepen the 'new constellations' by explicitly incorporating a spiritual-transcendent dimension into the work.
**Distinctive Features**:
**Working with 'the great spirit'**: In this phase, Hellinger speaks of working not only with the family clan, but with a dimension that transcends the familial —'the spirit', 'the whole', 'the sacred'—. The session explicitly includes this level.
**Movements of the spirit** (*Bewegungen des Geistes*): Representatives no longer move solely according to clan dynamics, but according to a broader 'movement of the spirit' that the facilitator respects without directing.
**Final reconciliation with everything**: The healing movement in this phase tends to be a deep integration, not only of clan members, but of victims and perpetrators, living and dead, one's own and others' —'everyone belongs,' in the broadest sense—.
**Reception in the field**: Spiritual Constellations are the MOST controversial phase of Hellinger's work. Some Constellators consider them a profound culmination of the method; others believe that Hellinger in his later years crossed into too open a terrain, where rigorous clinical criteria are lost. The most serious criticism: that in this phase, Hellinger made morally equivalent statements about victims and perpetrators that many Constellators and actual victims found offensive.
**Position of the majority of serious contemporary Constellators**: Respect Hellinger's classic method (1980s-1990s) as fundamental, integrate elements of the new constellations that enriched the method (more silence, more trust in the field, less directiveness), but maintain a critical distance from the most controversial assertions of the final spiritual phase.
Evidence and contemporary voices
Academic research on 'Spiritual Constellations / Constellations of the Spirit' within the framework of Bert Hellinger's Family Constellations is virtually nonexistent in peer-reviewed literature. Clinical studies like Ortiz-Talló and Gross (2010) analyze cases of standard Family Constellations but do not explicitly address Hellinger's later spiritual phase (2010s), limiting themselves to criticisms about the absence of a hypothetical-deductive method. A report from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Spain) concludes that there is insufficient evidence to affirm efficacy or safety in mental illnesses (Repisalud, s.f.), without differentiating spiritual variants. Institutions such as the Universidad Católica Argentina (UCA) document their use in alternative contexts but warn about risks in vulnerable populations (Punto Convergente, 2023). Researchers such as Yehuda or van der Kolk are not identified as linked to this specific term.
Verifiable quotes
- "Family Constellations should not be considered a formal psychotherapy" — Dr. Molina, Family Constellations: A controversial practice encompassing emotional healing, medicine, and spirituality (2023).
Researchers and Key Figures
- Bert Hellinger — Founder of Original Hellinger Family Constellations — Development of spiritual phases in constellations
- Marta Ortiz-Talló — University of Málaga — Critical analysis of cases in Family Constellations
Auditable Sources
Notes and Open Debates
The spiritual variant lacks empirical validation and is criticized for incorporating esoteric elements such as 'the great spirit' or 'the whole,' which are incompatible with evidence-based systemic approaches (Catholic Church via Catholic.net; PSF Foundation, n.d.). Studies highlight the unfalsifiability of its premises and ethical risks in unregulated clinical contexts.
Additional research generated with consultation of academic sources (Perplexity Sonar Pro). Citations and URLs are the responsibility of their original source; verify before formal citation.
Bibliography
- Spiritual Constellations — On the Soul and Great Movements — Bert Hellinger. Rigden, 2010.
- The Orders of Love — Bert Hellinger. Herder, 2001.
These books are in the reference library that nourishes Constelando el Origen.
Related terms
Bert Hellinger
German psychotherapist (1925-2019). Founder of Family Constellations and formulator of the orders of love.
See entryThe 'new constellations' (Hellinger late phase)
Late phase of Hellinger's method (from approximately 2001): work with less intervention from the constellator, more silence, greater trust in the field, open spiritual dimension.
See entryMovement of the Soul
An evolved form of the method where the constellator intervenes minimally and allows the field to find its own solution.
See filePerpetrator and victim in systemic reading
Hellinger's controversial concept: victims and perpetrators belong to the system and need to be named. Recognition is not moral approval; it is the restoration of systemic order.
See fileA 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 order to it. Daniela accompanies each case with respect.
Sessions in Spanish only