I have recently become aware of how fond I am of my psychotherapy clients and how familiar they have become to me. What do I mean by this? My psychotherapy clients feel familial, as if we are related. And, in fact, we are! We are related in our humanity, in the proverbial “Family of Man”.
Nowhere is this familial connection more apparent than in the Family Constellation workshops that I facilitate. I suspect this is the reason why these workshops feel so safe for participants. In just a few hours together, strangers feel and trust the support of the other workshop participants and become bonded and trusting in our time together. In these workshops we celebrate our humanity, the ways that we are connected, common and familiar. We are not separate but connected in our humanness. Here, in this time, there is no more loneliness.
Yes, of course, we carry the blood of our ancestors. These connections are what we are there to explore in the workshops. Nevertheless, there is more to these Constellation Workshops.
DNA science has demonstrated that if we look back far enough, we discover that the strains of blood that we carry are rarely pure. These strains are intermingled with surprising threads. It is my hypothesis that the intermingling of these threads is what creates our strength, vitality and evolutionary adaptability. One might view it as notes and tonal variations, perhaps even some discordant notes. And yet, when we come together, these notes resonate in unsuspected harmonies to become the miraculous one-of-a-kind symphony which reflects our individuality and our unions!
So, what we also see and experience in these moving workshops is our connection, despite our diversity. In these workshops we experience the humanity that unites all of us. This is the aspect of the work that leaves us feeling uplifted and open-hearted after our workshop experience. It is also what I see as the unification of the seemingly diverse aspects of my professional and spiritual practice: Integrative Psychotherapy, Family Constellations and my Ministerial functions.
And so, in conclusion, I believe that Hitler, and Donald Trump, had and have it all wrong! It’s our diversity that makes us strong, beautiful and connects us into a powerful, loving and familiar family. Today, and all days, celebrate the diversity and honor our connections and, care for your family!