Franz Ruppert is a professor of psychology at the Catholic University of Munich and, based on Hellinger's method, developed a variation focused on early trauma: the “Multigenerational Identity Method” or “Constellations of Intention.”
His thesis: many systemic dynamics that Hellinger attributes to the clan's soul are better explained by the trauma model. When early trauma (interrupted bond, abuse, abandonment) is not processed, it fragments the psyche into parts—a healthy part, a traumatized part, a surviving part—and these fragmentations are transmitted generationally.
Ruppert is one of the authors who has most rigorously attempted to build bridges between Family Constellations and contemporary trauma theory (van der Kolk, Levine). His books Trauma, Bond, and Family Constellations and My Body, My Trauma, My I are essential reading in serious systemic training.
Bibliography
- Trauma, Bonding, and Family Constellations — Franz Ruppert. Herder, 2010.
These books are in the reference library that nurtures Constelando el Origen.
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Related terms
Transgenerational trauma
Pain or trauma unprocessed by one generation that is transmitted—psychically, somatically, and, according to recent evidence, epigenetically—to subsequent generations.
See entryInterrupted bond
An early rupture of the bond between a child and their primary attachment figure—usually the mother—that leaves a deep systemic imprint.
View detailsFamily Constellation
A therapeutic method developed by Bert Hellinger that makes visible the hidden dynamics of the family system using representatives in space.
View detailsA session that names what hurts
If you recognize this dynamic in your own history, a Family Constellation can reveal where it comes from and what movement brings order to it. Daniela accompanies each case with respect.
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