For Diaspora Communities

In this blog post my focus is on what the Ancestral Constellations method has to offer Diaspora communities of colour who may find it difficult accessing therapy or counselling that meets their needs.  This process is synthesis of Western systemic theory and African Indigenous ancestral concepts, that I believe can be of value as a cultural resource.  As I started developing my own approach with the constellations method, I found clients coming who were attracted by the Ancestral in the work and curious about what it could offer them.

My personal experience

I have dipped in and out of therapy over my lifetime.  Sometimes it  lasted for 6 months and at other times over two years.  It took me a long time to realise that my issues, ‘weren’t just going to go away,’ I had to learn that therapy for me at least was about living with some of the deeper traumas that have surfaced over many generations. But I also felt that something was missing until I found my last therapist and that was the known, acknowledged and lived experience as a Diaspora woman or Black Caribbean descent. She encouraged me to look deeper  into my value system and find my own path personally and professionally.

Coming to constellations work

So when I first started learning the family constellations process, I recognised the family patterns and behaviours in relationships down my ancestral line. And I also noticed the inclusion of principles in the method that spoke to the African Caribbean experience. I saw the relevance of the embedded indigenous spiritual wisdom, when working with black families and those of African heritage. And I wanted to support those stepping into therapeutic spaces by adapting my approach to more closely meet the needs of African heritage families. What I began to develop became in time my Ancestral Constellations practice, ‘healing ritual with a therapeutic edge’.

For many of us, migration, family relocation, war or community strife has created dislocation and barriers to finding out more about where we have come from and even more importantly who we are now and where we are going.

Family and community are indivisible

Often the Back family and community are indivisible, so the Ancestral Constellations approach maps a family structure that is resonant with other aspects of community life, like country of origin, country of immigration, land of our forefathers and place of birth. All are relevant and important aspects of the work. In the African and Caribbean community, church can often be the place to find support and solace and the extended family, those of blood and otherwise often play an important part in socialising children.  I view this approach as a kind of ‘walk-in’ therapeutic experience. 

The constellation can also act as a snap-shot, a moment to explore and go deep, a way of reflecting on something deep and troubling, without an ongoing commitment. In a way it can be seen as a brief therapy.  The traditional counselling method doesn’t work for all people, there are often financial factors, issues of building trust in the relationship and often a lengthy time commitment. Thats not for everyone! And there are unanswered questions about the European therapeutic model and its application for people of different cultures.: 

Three key elements

Within the Ancestral Constellations approach that makes it particularly appropriate for people from an African heritage…..

1. Acknowledgement and inclusion of Ancestors within the creation of sacred space
2. Exploration of ritual as a form of family and community healing of trauma
3. Foregrounding the Indigenous African Wisdom for example the recognition of elders

The impact of ancestral trauma

The past has an impact on the present and the future, we forget that to our detriment. There is often a fear of looking back, but we do not look back to get stuck in the past, we look back so that we can see more clearly what is happening in the present. When we can do that, brush away the fear and look closely at what the past has to tell us, we can start to see the obstacles that are holding us back in this lifetime. And start to find solutions that can move us forward. Explore what is on offer at All Events