Family Systems Constellations and Other Systems Constellation Adventures: A transformational journey Paperback – October 9, 2015

Many of us in America have been brought up with similar beliefs— the brain is most important part of us, soul is limited to what the Church says it is, and skepticism is the best reaction to anything new. Because of this, I still struggle with explaining Constellation work to others—even though it has been one of the most powerful influences on my life and in the lives of my clients.This new book, Family System Constellations, is among the best ones I’ve found to balance the natural and often inexplicable facets of Constellation work with academic study and science. Francesca Boring’s interweaving of the intellectual with the instinctive is particularly interesting as well as helpful!For those of us who have studied Constellations for years, there are new insights. Francesca’s inclusion of an article by two South African family therapists on the topic of the influence of African culture gave me a perspective I’d never considered. The chapters on how the brain is affected by Family Constellations are relevant and intriguing.As someone who has experienced the power of Family Constellations, I’ve always loved Francesca’s books. As someone who tries to share this work with others in the healing professions, I especially love this book.

I would say this book is a must have for anyone who is interested in Family and Systemic Constellation work and especially someone who feels they are drawn to train to be a facilitator of the work. I would consider it a textbook on the subject of Family and Systemic Constellation work but it is far from the dry, clinical, textbook we are familiar with from school but a rich resource written in Francesca’s unique style.As a facilitator of Systemic Constellation work myself I found so much value in reading these pages that contain personal wisdom and insight acquired during her many years as a facilitator and trainer of Systemic Constellation work coupled with the words and stories of other leaders in the field of Constellation work and related fields.Nancy Kehr

A veritable treasure-trove of information and support for constellations facilitators. This newest book by Francesca Mason Boring contains an enormous amount of information for any facilitator. She cites current literature and studies, and brings together present thought about constellations in a way that I've never seen before in print. As a facilitator, Francesca also gives me beautiful ways in which to talk about this work with others, and to share its power. As Francesca says, "this is not fringe work."

This book accompanied me through several big shifts in my career. It reminded me of my connection to an amazing healing community and fortified my decision to start facilitating. True story. I recommend buying the hard copy rather than kindle so as to return to certain chapters with greater ease!!

Essential reading for new facilitators. Francesca brings to this book her unique, spirit-infused approach to systemic constellation work. Highly recommended!

Boring is a highly unusual person and therapist. She brings to her work the wonderful instrument of herself, including her own family constellation with Native American Shoshone roots, a Western education, many years of education and training and experience and teaching in family constellation work, and a keen mind that is firmly rooted in wholistic perspectives. She also has a great gift of pattern recognition, enabling her to see, describe and explain wholistic perspectives that can broaden and enhance psychotherapeutic interventions.Family constellation therapy addresses the collective consciousness of a family, as manifested in the lives of individual family members. Manifestations of symptoms generated in individuals by stresses and traumas in other members of the family, often from previous generations, may include physical symptoms such as a pains in particular parts of the body of one family member; emotions such as depression or anger that originate from unresolved issues in previous generations; tensions or conflicts between individuals in one generation that reflect residual, unresolved conflicts from previous generations; and more.The therapy is provided through the group process of participants in a workshop, guided by the family constellation therapist. People who are strangers to each other come together and, in turn, role-play the families of various group participants. The group’s collective consciousness is activated to manifest and clarify the issues that are relevant to the family of each participant, in turn. This provides each participant with insights and healing interactions for the relevant issues that are causing their presenting problems.Boring promises in her introduction, “This book is one which will support your journey, as a facilitator of family constellation, a healer who works in service to people, or a human being who has a feeling that a broader understanding makes sense, and you feel drawn to read this...even if you’re not certain why.” (p. 8) She generously delivers insights and examples that amply fulfill her promises.Here are just a few of the many gems I found interesting and helpful in this book:• Bert Hellinger is one of the principal founders and teachers of family constellation therapy. He points out that cognitive dissections of the constellation process following the group experience may dissipate or vitiate the therapeutic effects of the insights and energetic shiftsthat are generated by the group. It is far better not to invest efforts in recalling what happened in the group, but to just let the insights and altered awarenesses percolate and manifest themselves in your life. (p. 18)• Many of the problems people experience derive from entanglements that children experience in their families as they are grow ing up. The clarifications of such issues that are experienced in constellation therapy are best left to bring about their effects without analyses anddissections within the group. (p. 19)• The group enables people to re-engage childhood experiences from the perspectives of an adult, thereby bringing about shifts in awarenesses and relationships.• In groups of four, participants explore aspects of racism that have manifested in their families.(p. 94)• Disease can be a manifestation of family issues, revealing past traumas and current tensions between family members. (p. 166)Technically, the book suffers from occasional oversights in editing, which at times may leave a reader unclear or confused about the materials that are presented. An index would also be helpful for readers who would like to revisit particularly interesting and helpful. These criticisms don’t seriously diminish the enormous value of this book, which I highly recommend to anyone interested in broadening and deepening their understandings of family constellation therapy.

Francesca Boring Mason est un des écrivains parlant de constellations que je préfère. Elle enrichit ce domaine d'activité d'une expérence différente, originale et qui donne plein d'idées de pratique. Merci.