Systemic approaches in one-to-one settings

Floor anchors
In individual counselling, I frequently use systemic approaches. These can take various forms. I usually use floor anchors.

Different uses of floor anchors
These can be physical objects (mats, sheets of paper, symbols, materials), but also imaginary positions in the space. I usually use coloured circles that also indicate a line of sight.

1. Representation of family members or themes
Floor anchors can represent (among other things):

• Mother, father, child
• Child part (younger part of yourself)
• Absent or excluded family members
• Themes such as responsibility or freedom
• Feelings
• Perpetrator(s) or victim(s)
  

Although, in principle, anything can be set up. The work is phenomenological. The facilitator tunes into you and your system and senses in the moment where the emotional weight lies and from where the constellation may begin. This also means that a constellation can go in many different directions. Let us first take the example below.

We assume that various elements are set up.
We have identified these, after which they are given a place in the room.

I then ask the client to choose a place in the room independently.
The client then positions themselves in the constellation in relation to the other elements or ‘representatives’.

At the same time, the focus is on what is happening in the body. Sensations, emotions and impulses are not directed, but observed.

Does someone feel that they ‘cannot feel’?
Then this can already be a good starting point.

2. Positioning and taking one’s place
Many complaints are linked to not being in the right place. By moving (slowly) through the constellation, one can sense whether that position feels ‘right’ in relation to the other person, or perhaps feels burdensome. It remains important to experience this physically. This can already provide valuable insight, precisely because patterns become visible and are felt .

For example, one might experience:

• That familiar tension being triggered precisely when
  moving in a certain direction
• What it is like to stand ‘too small’ or ‘too large’
• How it feels to return a parental burden
• How the body reacts when one takes one’s own place

3. 3. Both facilitator and representative
It happens that, as the facilitator of the constellation, I also choose the role of representative. In doing so, I personify what is set up. For example, the brother, father, mother or a child part. This is slightly different from when there is only a floor anchor on the ground. Although one can work effectively with floor anchors alone, this can sometimes be experienced as more authentic or compelling.

Especially when intervention phrases are used.

4. Intervention phrases
Within constellations, one can work with so-called intervention phrases. By this I mean carefully chosen words that can facilitate a shift within the system. An intervention phrase might be:

“This is your fate, I leave it with you”
or
 “I am the child, you are the parent”

The use of such sentences within constellations can have a deepening and healing effect – provided they are applied with integrity. That means being attuned to the client and the system. And that does not mean: directing or solving. Constellation work is a craft and requires a great deal of effort. Fortunately, sentences can be tested very effectively. If the client can say it out loud, you can ask whether the sentence feels right.

When such a phrase is spoken at the right moment – and can be received by the body – something that has been stuck for a long time may well be released. Recognition and ordering can bring about a healing process.

5. Generational constellations
Floor anchors can also be used to:

• Make generations visible

Among other things, this can provide a very clear insight into what burdens may exist in, for example, the paternal or maternal line. Here too, it can be useful to see and acknowledge the constellated representatives (including what they carry with them) from your family line.

6. Inner parts and conflicts
Inner dynamics can also be approached systemically:

• A part that wants and a part that is reluctant
• Loyalty versus autonomy
• Desire versus fear

Often, it then becomes naturally apparent where the tension or blockage lies, and work can continue from there.

The role of the facilitator
As a facilitator, I remain inwardly present, observing what the system reveals and what arises in the moment. Only when appropriate do I take on the role of a representative myself to make something more tangible. This is never done to steer or resolve, but to create space for the client to experience things for themselves.

Systemic work is thus a subtle interplay: the client, representatives (floor anchors) and the entire dynamics of the system together form a field in which patterns become visible and movement can take place. As a facilitator, I support this process without determining the outcome. In this way, the client is given space to experience where something is stuck, where patterns are burdensome, and from where movement, relaxation and healing can arise.