An Open Letter of Clarification to the Systemic Constellations Community from DGƒS and ISCA

An Open Letter of Clarification to the Systemic Constellations Community from DGƒS and ISCA

Bert Hellinger and Marie-Sophie Hellinger have recently made publicstatements with regard to the state of systemic constellations that webelieve to be inaccurate, and they have taken actions that are ofconcern to us. For this reason we want to clarify the significantdifferences between the understanding and application of systemic workrepresented by Hellinger Sciencia on the one hand and DGƒS (GermanAssociation for Systemic Constellations) and ISCA (InternationalSystemic Constellation Association) on the other.

1. We are deeply indebted to Bert Hellinger's creative work. He hasbeen instrumental in bringing systemic innovation into the world. Itis also true that he has been strongly influenced by other workerspreceding him. He has also been supported faithfully and generously byfriends and students who have contributed significantly to his successover several decades. We know that in addition to Bert Hellinger'snewer contributions, many other facilitators are making usefuldiscoveries and finding refinements for some of his generalizations.We believe that because of these various contributions BertHellinger's achievements are greater than would have been the casewithout them.

We hope that the systemic constellation work will continue to growboth for him and also beyond his personal contributions, just aspsychoanalysis continued to grow beyond Sigmund Freud's originalformulations. We regret that Bert Hellinger currently and increasinglypresents himself as the sole source and transmitter of this great andconstantly unfolding work and neglects to acknowledge the work of manyother significant contributors.

Both DGƒS and ISCA affirm the creative potential of facilitators tocontribute to the development of the work, and we will continue tosupport networking and mutual support among our respective members andthe general public.

2. Both DGƒS and ISCA are non-profit associations of constellationfacilitators whose purpose is to support the continuing development ofthe systemic approach through dialog, networking, mutual learning, andcommunity. Both organizations are dedicated to the vision thatcooperation for the purpose of mutual learning best serves thelong-term success of the systemic constellation work. HellingerSciencia is attempting to copyright the name "Bert Hellinger" and"Family Constellation" and to establish a franchise. While we respecttheir right to do so, at the same time, we regret their decision andtheir methods. Both DGƒS and ISCA will continue to build aninternational community and to offer our services to personsinterested in an "open source" approach to the continuing developmentof this body of thought and work.

3. In earlier years, Bert Hellinger was generous in granting peoplethe right to use his name in developing institutes and trainingprograms. Their work has contributed greatly to his recognition andsuccess. Hellinger Sciencia is now asking some of those people whohave chosen not to join the franchise to forego using the Hellingername. By many reports, the methods used in doing so have violated theprinciples of collegial interaction and have exceeded normal businesspractice. Both DGƒS and ISCA affirm that such methods are aninappropriate application of systemic method and theory, and weexpressly distance ourselves from such methods. Further, we commitourselves to hold to high standards of ethical behavior in dealingwith colleagues and the public.

4. In their personal work with seminar participants and in their workwith the larger themes of collective trauma and victim-perpetratordynamics, Bert and Marie-Sophie Hellinger have practiced interventionsand attitudes that make them immune to the usual and necessarycollegial exchange and the process of professional peer review. Thesemethods have included encouraging what we believe to be inappropriateidealization and use of group exercises historically associated withobedience to totalitarian regimes. We believe such idealization andgroup exercises are unnecessarily provocative and have limitedconstructive effect at best. In addition, these actions can be highlyinsensitive to both the perpetrators and victims of all nations whostill suffer the consequences of events documented by history. Inappropriate and unethical actions are, in our opinion, contrary tothe work as originally formulated by Bert Hellinger and as furtherdeveloped by members of DGƒS and ISCA. We expressly disassociateourselves from such actions and attitudes and urge persons interestedin the continued constructive development of the work to make a cleardistinction between any of Bert and Sophie Hellinger's personalactions that may be construed as being inappropriate or unethical andthe larger field of systemic constellation work.

Hunter Beaumont, PhD, President, ISCA
Heinrich Breuer, PhD. Chair, DGƒS
Albrecht Mahr, MD, Former Chair, DGƒS
Constanze Potschka-Lang, Second Vice-President, ISCA
Jakob Schneider, Chair elect DGƒS
Richard Wallstein, PhD, Vice-President, ISCA
Gunthard Weber, MD, Founder, Former Chair, DGƒS