Healing with the Ancestors: My Journey with Family & Systemic Constellations Across Cultures
In a world that often feels fragmented and fast-moving, many of us are searching for ways to connect more deeply—with ourselves, our families, and the larger forces that shape our lives. For me, Family and Systemic Constellations have become one of the most profound ways to do just that.
Discovering Constellations I first encountered Family Constellations in 2011, during a five-day workshop at a remote retreat center in British Columbia. It was my first experience with this work, and it left a deep impression on me—the way unseen patterns in families and communities could be revealed and transformed felt both powerful and sacred. Since then, I’ve deepened my understanding through practice and study. In 2016, I completed a yearlong Facilitator Training with Master Francesca Mason Boring, which gave me the skills and confidence to guide others in this transformative process. Up until a few years ago, constellations were more of a personal passion for me. Today, I’m thrilled to be bringing this work into our travel experiences, with workshops in Costa Rica this past spring, several in my home country of Sweden these past two years, and weekend experiences here in Washington State.
Family Constellations Workshop in Costa Rica
Ancient Roots and Modern Development Family and Systemic Constellations are far older than the modern workshops we now attend. Their origins can be traced back to the Zulu people of South Africa and Tanzania, whose community healing practices have long recognized the power of ancestral connection and relational balance. The Zulu concept of ubuntu—“I am because we are”—perfectly captures the essence of this work: our well-being is inseparable from the systems to which we belong.
Bert Hellinger, a German psychotherapist and former priest, brought these ideas into contemporary form. After living among the Zulu people, Hellinger returned to post–World War II Germany and began developing Family Constellations, blending indigenous wisdom with Western psychological approaches. He discovered that unresolved patterns in families—secrets, exclusions, grief—can echo across generations, quietly shaping how we think, feel, and relate.
A Healing Modality of our Time
In simple terms, a constellation is a guided process that makes the invisible visible. It reveals the connections, loyalties, and unresolved stories that influence our lives. By seeing these patterns, participants often experience profound shifts—releasing what no longer serves them and creating space for clarity, empathy, compassion, and new possibilities.
Many consider systemic constellations to be one of the most healing modalities of our time, because it doesn’t just focus on the individual—it honors the entire system we belong to. And they can help to loosen up the sometimes gnarly intercultural entanglements left from war trauma. When one person restores balance, the ripple effect can touch families, communities, and even cultural narratives.
Bringing Constellations to Travel
Integrating constellations into travel has been an exciting evolution for me. Workshops in Costa Rica, weekend experiences in Sweden, and retreats in Washington State have all shown me how deeply this work resonates when combined with the energy of being in a new place—when the landscape itself becomes part of the experience.
Spain Eclipse 2027: A Unique Opportunity
This brings me to something I am especially thrilled about—the Eclipse Tour in Andalucía, Spain (July 30–August 4, 2027). I will have the extraordinary honor of participating alongside two of my favorite teachers and facilitators, Dan Cohen and Emily Blefeld, together with our Spain-based partners.
Under the guidance of Dan and Emily, we will explore both personal and ancestral patterns as we gather to witness the total solar eclipse on August 2, 2027. Standing beneath that extraordinary sky, with the sun temporarily hidden and the corona blazing into view, we will experience a rare threshold—one that mirrors the essence of constellation work itself: bringing the invisible into light, and reconnecting what has been divided.
A Bridge Across Time and Space
From the ancestral practices of the Zulu, to Hellinger’s work in post-war Germany, to the modern constellation community, this healing modality has been connecting people across time, culture, and geography. Now, in 2025, as the world continues to shift and transform, it feels more relevant than ever.
As I reconnected with my teacher Francesca Mason Boring together with 35 other participants in a two-day workshop this past weekend, I was reminded how the work is ever changing, the field moving. May the healing continue!
