Step Toward the Solution: Fresh Perspectives Through Systemic Constellations

Article written by: Rita Klemmayer și Dr. Petra Müller-Demary

Step Toward the Solution: Fresh Perspectives Through Systemic Constellations offers new ways of looking at the concerns and challenges in our lives with fresh eyes. The method of Systemic Structural Constellations, developed by Insa Sparrer and Matthias Varga von Kibéd, draws, among other influences, on the work of Virginia Satir (family sculptures), Milton Erickson (hypnotherapy), Heinz von Foerster and Humberto Maturana (radical constructivism), and Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg (Solution-Focused Brief Therapy).

By setting up a system, it becomes possible to place in space the inner images and constructions we unconsciously hold about a particular topic or issue and to perceive the current situation more consciously. Patterns of interaction and connections within the system become visible and easier to understand. The body is used as an extraordinary “organ of perception.” Through appropriate interventions, it becomes possible to shift perspective, discover new solutions, and take concrete steps in the desired direction.

Using Systemic Structural Constellations is like learning a new language. There is a clear grammar governing how interventions are carried out, while also leaving ample space to explore a wide range of possibilities.

Step Toward the Solution: Fresh Perspectives Through Systemic Constellations

After a preliminary solution-focused conversation, the central elements related to the topic or issue are defined together with the client. These may include people, goals, resources, obstacles, and other relevant factors.

The client chooses representatives for each element of the system and positions them in the space according to their intuition. This initial image often offers surprising and profound insights. In the next step, the representatives are asked about their physical perceptions and their relationships with the other elements.

In the final step, adjustments are made, and the constellation concludes when the client reaches a resourceful position in relation to the topic being explored.

The Core Grammar of Systemic Structural Constellations

• The approach is solution-focused.
• The coach offers suggestions for change, while the client or representatives decide whether and how these suggestions are implemented.
• Different options for action can be explored.
• Each constellation concludes when the client feels connected to their own inner resources – such as clarity, confidence, calm, and the ability to act – and has gained a new perspective or identified a possible solution.

Important:

Unlike Bert Hellinger’s theory of family constellations, Systemic Structural Constellations are based on the theory of radical constructivism. Each constellation reflects the client’s inner construct of the topic rather than an objective reality.

In other words, when an employee sets up a team, the representatives may take different positions and express different perceptions than they would if the same team were set up by the employee’s manager. This assumption encourages the client to discover new ways of addressing the issue, because when a problematic inner image is transformed into one that is oriented towards solutions, the client’s perspectives and thoughts about the topic also begin to change. This opens a new door to more effective and conscious action.

Systemic Structural Constellations offer different formats and procedures for a wide range of topics, including organisational and family constellations, decision-making, and goal achievement.

Microconstelații

Micro-constellations were developed for use in individual coaching, therapy, and counselling.

This method gives clients the opportunity to explore a topic from different perspectives, shift their perception, understand the dynamics of a system, and construct a new, more useful reality that enables them to navigate the situation more effectively.

Our bodies have a remarkable capacity for “representative perception.” When we stand within a system, we think, feel, and act differently depending on our position. Although the subtle factors that create these differences remain a mystery, we use them for the benefit of our clients.

Micro-constellations can be easily integrated into coaching conversations, adding the dimension of space to our language.

For example, if I am in conflict with a partner over a particular project, I might perceive the partner as standing in front of me, with the project as an obstacle between us. My communication will be very different from how it would be if I perceived the partner standing beside me, with both of us looking towards the project.

By inviting the client to view the project from both perspectives and asking solution-focused questions from each position, we often uncover new insights into how the situation can be approached and resolved.

Constellations also give us the opportunity to experiment with different interaction options: we can explore their impact on the dynamics of the system and observe how the relevant elements respond. In complex situations, this creates a safe space for experimentation and for understanding the impact of one’s own actions.

Constellations also help us look at our inner world systemically.

For example, I once worked with a young woman who was unable to fully enjoy her life. A few years earlier, she had suffered from a serious illness and, although her doctors had told her she had fully recovered, fear was still preventing her from taking action. When I invited her to position herself in the room and give the illness a place, she placed it directly in front of her, blocking her view and capturing all her attention. When we changed the position of the illness and placed it behind her – representing the past – her body language changed visibly.

After working with statements such as, “You belong to my past, and from now on I will take care of my future,” she turned towards what represented the future, and we continued the session by exploring possible next steps and signs of progress.

The Three Stages of Finding Solutions

In constellations, we use two main types of interventions:

1. Repositioning – changing the position of one element in relation to another (e.g. moving the illness from the future into the past).
2. Process work – interactions between elements (e.g. simulated dialogues and expressions of acknowledgement).

Both types of intervention help clients connect more deeply with their resources or desired outcome. For example, I once worked with a client who could not imagine how things might miraculously improve. In conversation, this possibility felt inaccessible. However, when I invited her to position the “miracle” in the room, she placed it outside the room, where she could not even see it. By stepping into the position of the “miracle,” she was able to develop ideas about how it might work and what would be needed to access it.

In other situations, positioning the miracle can provide an extraordinary resource, allowing the client to view the problem from a new perspective. In the “miracle state,” we are simply the best version of ourselves. We invite the client to explore this world through conversation and imagination, while also involving the body and creating a deeply felt experience.

Micro-constellations are a valuable tool for harnessing the power of the mind and the wisdom of the body.

👉 To learn more about constellations and Petra Müller-Demary’s work with Systemic Structural Constellations and Micro-Constellations, visit her website and explore the workshops, retreats, and individual sessions she offers.