Q&A with Joy Manné, author of Family Constellations
Question 1. As you state throughout the book, the “constellation method” was created by Bert Hellinger, a German psychoanalyst, whom you trained under. Since Hellinger has written a great deal of literature about this method, what is the purpose of your book?
Answer: I didn’t train under Hellinger. At the time I did some work with him, one was an apprentice, until one felt confident enough to work. Now Hellinger runs his own trainings.
Hellinger says in his foreword to my book that it is a long-awaited introduction. Its purpose is to be accessible and it is succeeding. The book, which first came out in French, has become the introduction of choice for French constellators. Hellinger’s books are inspiring and irreplaceable, and they are written for professionals. Many of them are transcriptions and discussions of constellations and their integration done in seminars. My book presents the rules and patterns that govern the family system, allowing readers to understand their own personal position within that system, and thus avoid doing harm to themselves and others in their family and outside it.