What are Family Constellations?

If you arrived here wondering what Family Constellations are, something in your life probably brought you. An unanswered question. A repeating pattern. A pain you sense didn't start with you. This guide explains clearly — without unnecessary jargon, without empty promises — what they are, where they come from, what they're for, and how a session works.

Clear definition

The Family Constellations are a systemic therapeutic method that allows you to visualize the hidden dynamics of the family system you belong to. They work with the idea — supported today by the epigenetics of trauma — that the great unprocessed pain of one generation is passed on to the next, and that many patterns that seem "personal" to us are in reality echoes of the clan.

The method was developed by German psychotherapist Bert Hellinger (1925-2019) after decades of work with families, groups, and communities. Hellinger distilled what he called the Orders of Love — three systemic laws that govern the life of the clan — and designed a way to visualize them in space through representatives who occupy the places of family members.

The origin of the method — Bert Hellinger

Bert Hellinger was, before becoming a psychotherapist, a Catholic missionary priest for 16 years in South Africa, where he worked with the Zulu community. That experience marked him deeply: he witnessed how traditional peoples had a way of relating to their ancestors and extended family that modern societies had lost.

Back in Germany, he left the priesthood and trained in psychoanalysis, primal therapy, transactional analysis, Gestalt therapy, and family therapy. In the 1980s he began integrating all of that knowledge with what he had learned in Africa, and what we know today as Family Constellations.

His greatest discovery was that in every family group there exist three invisible laws that, when honored, allow life to flow freely — and when broken, generate patterns of suffering that can last for generations. These are the laws we explore in depth in another article: the 3 systemic laws of Bert Hellinger.

What are Family Constellations used for?

Family Constellations are not a panacea or a one-size-fits-all method. They are particularly effective when:

• There is a recurring pattern in relationships, finances, or health that individual therapy cannot explain through personal biography alone.
• You feel a chronic sadness, fear, or guilt that doesn't match anything you have personally lived through.
• You carry a maternal wound or a paternal wound that you cannot seem to resolve.
• In your family there are unresolved griefs —abortions, lost siblings, erased relatives— that weigh in silence.
• There are family secrets that you suspect but no one names.
• Your relationship with money is tied to a family history of scarcity or loss.
• You notice that you fall ill or go through crises at the same ages or dates as people in your system.

How does a session work?

There are two main formats: the group constellation —where a group of people act as representatives in a room— and the individual constellation, which is worked through 1-on-1 between the facilitator and the client, using figurines, chairs, pieces of paper on the floor, or, in virtual sessions, a shared screen and guided visualization work.

In either format, the process usually unfolds in three stages:

• Case Presentation — the client shares the issue they want to work on and, together with the facilitator, they identify which members of the family system are relevant.
• Movements of the Soul — representatives (people, figurines, or objects) are placed in the positions of the clan members. Their positions, gazes, and movements reveal the hidden dynamics.
• Healing Movements — the facilitator proposes reorderings and healing phrases that restore order to the system.

Is it science or pseudoscience?

It's a legitimate question, and the honest answer is: not entirely either one. Family Constellations are not a classical experimental science with randomized controlled trials — they don't lend themselves easily to that format. But their theoretical framework draws on disciplines that do have scientific backing:

• The general systems theory of Ludwig von Bertalanffy.
• The epigenetics of trauma by Rachel Yehuda, who biologically demonstrated the transgenerational transmission of stress.
• The studies with mice by Isabelle Mansuy, which confirmed the epigenetic inheritance of trauma through microRNAs in sperm.
• The clinical Psychogenealogy by Anne Ancelin Schützenberger.
• The somatic trauma theory by Bessel van der Kolk.

There are also clinical studies —notably those from the University of Heidelberg— that have documented significant improvements in patients who participated in Family Constellations. For more detail:

How many sessions are needed?

It depends deeply on the case. Some people experience profound changes after a single session focused on a specific knot —an unspoken phrase, someone excluded from the system, an invisible loyalty. Others prefer a more sustained process of 4 to 10 sessions, spaced out over time, to work through different layers of the family system.

The rule I apply: the system integrates better when its rhythm is respected. Forcing too many sessions in a row can cause overwhelm. Spacing them 2–4 weeks apart is usually ideal.

Do online constellations work?

Yes. This is one of the most frequently asked questions, and the short answer is: yes, perfectly well. Individual constellations via video call allow for deep work equivalent to in-person sessions. The constellation facilitator guides the client using a genogram, visualizations, healing phrases, and soul movements adapted to the virtual format.

In fact, many people find that the virtual setting offers them greater intimacy: they are in their own space, without the exposure of a group, with the freedom to take all the time they need after the session without having to travel home across a city.

Who am I, and why this site?

I am Daniela Giraldo, a holistic psychologist and Family Constellations facilitator with more than five years accompanying transgenerational healing processes. My work integrates depth psychology, Family Constellations, and the body as memory. I see clients in individual virtual sessions throughout the Spanish-speaking world.

If, after reading this, you feel something stirring inside you — a question, a suspicion, a pain asking to be seen — the natural next step is to schedule a first session. You don't need to have everything figured out beforehand. You only need to be willing to look.