Family Constellations vs. Traditional Therapy: Which is for You? #

Introduction: The Question Everyone Asks #

I've been in cognitive-behavioral therapy for three years now and have made progress, but I still feel that something is missing. Could it be that Family Constellations are what I need?"

This is one of the most frequent questions I get. And the honest answer is: it depends. But not in the vague way you would expect. It depends on what you're looking to heal, how deep you want to go, and whether you're ready for a radically different kind of work.

During my 23 years as a psychologist - trained in traditional clinical psychology and then specializing in various therapeutic techniques such as Family Constellations, Transpersonal Psychology and Shamanic Healing - I have witnessed the strengths and limitations of both approaches.

This article is not to convince you that one is "better" than the other. It is to help you make an informed decision about which approach (or combination of approaches) will serve you best right now.

Table of Contents #

1. Overview of Modern Therapeutic Approaches
2. What Family Constellations Are: Beyond the Myth
3. Comparative Table: Constellations vs Traditional Therapies
4. The Therapeutic Power of Dolls and Figures
5. When to Choose Each Approach
6. Case Studies: What Works For What
   Can I Combine Both Approaches](#combine) 8.
7. How to Decide: Your Decision Guide

1. Overview of Modern Therapeutic Approaches. #

Before comparing Family Constellations with "traditional therapy", we need to clarify: there is no ONE traditional therapy. There are multiple approaches, each with its own philosophy, techniques and applications.

The Main Psychotherapeutic Schools #

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT or CBT). #

Foundation: Your thoughts influence your emotions, which influence your behaviors. Change your thought patterns and you will change your life.

How it works: CBT focuses on identifying and modifying distorted thoughts and problem behaviors in the here and now. It is highly structured, with homework between sessions and measurable goals.

Strengths:** ** Robust scientific evidence for anxiety

• Robust scientific evidence for anxiety, depression, OCD, phobias.
• Practical and solution-oriented approach
• Relatively rapid results (12-20 sessions typically)
• Effective for specific symptoms and problem behaviors

Limitations:** ** Can be overly super-focused

• Can be too superfivioal focused, ignoring root causes.
• Does not address transgenerational trauma or unconscious family dynamics.
• Requires high motivation and cognitive ability of the patient. NOT everyone assumes this role.
• May feel mechanical or impersonal to some

Psychodynamic Therapy and Psychoanalysis Psychodynamic Therapy and Psychoanalysis #

Rationale: Unconscious conflicts from your past (especially childhood) influence your present. Making them conscious allows you to resolve them.

How it works: In-depth exploration of your history, dreams, fantasies and relational patterns. The therapist helps to interpret unconscious material and work on transference (what you project from the past into the therapeutic relationship).

**Strengths

• Addresses deep roots of problems, not just symptoms.
• Useful for repetitive relational patterns
• Allows for deep self-understanding
• Research shows benefits that persist after completion (Fonagy, 2015).

Limitations: **Long process (years, not months)

• Long process (years, not months)
• Can be intellectually fascinating but emotionally distancing
• Costly due to duration
• Does not always translate insight into actual behavioral change
• Focused on the individual, ignores the broader family system

Humanistic Therapy: Gestalt, Person-Centered, Existential #

Foundation: You are inherently good and capable of self-actualization. Therapy creates conditions for you to flourish.

How it works (Gestalt specifically): Emphasis on here and now, present experience, personal responsibility and integration of fragmented aspects of self. Uses experiential techniques such as the empty chair, polarity work, and direct contact with emotions (Perls, Hefferline & Goodman, 1951).

"Gestalt therapy is a form of psychotherapy that emphasizes personal responsibility and focuses on the individual's experience in the present moment, the therapist-client relationship, the environmental and social contexts of a person's life, and the self-regulatory adjustments people make as a result of their overall situation." (StatPearls, 2025)

Strengths: **Works with the body and emotions.

• Works with the body and emotions, not just the mind.
• Integration of fragmented parts of the self
• Creativity and spontaneity in session
• Empowerment and personal responsibility
• Holistic approach (mind-body-emotions)

**Limitations

• Requires willingness to experiment and be vulnerable

Counseling (Psychological Guidance) Limitations: Requires willingness to experience and be vulnerable. #

Rationale: Professional support in making decisions, managing life crises, and developing coping skills.

How it works: Generally briefer and focused on specific problems of daily life. The counselor acts as an empathic guide who helps clarify options and develop resources.

Strengths: Accessible and practical

• Accessible and practical
• Less stigma than "therapy
• Effective for life transitions, recent bereavement, decisions
• Focus on strengths and resilience

Limitations:** ** Not designed for severe pathology or complex trauma

• Not designed for severe pathology or complex trauma
• More superficial than depth psychotherapy
• Does not address systemic family dynamics

What ALL of these therapies have in common #

• Verbal work:** The word is the primary tool
• Individual approach:** The client is the unit of analysis
• Implicit medical model: **There is something "wrong" that needs to be fixed.
• Weekly/fortnightly sessions:** Gradual process over time
• Therapeutic relationship:** Bonding with the therapist is central

**And this is where Family Constellations come in with a completely different paradigm.

2. What Family Constellations Are: Beyond the Myth #

A Systemic, Not an Individual Approach #

Family Constellations, developed by Bert Hellinger in the 1980s, start from a radical premise:

**Your problem is not yours alone. It is the symptom of an unbalanced family system.

Family Constellations are a transpersonal systemic therapy. It aims to address a focal client's emotional, behavioral, relational, or somatic problems by uncovering and resolving transgenerational entanglements within their family system." (Booth, 2024, Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology)

This means:

• Your anxiety may be unconscious loyalty to a grandparent who lived through war.
• Your difficulty committing may reflect your parents' unprocessed divorce.
• Your chronic illness may be your way of "carrying" your mother's unexpressed grief.

**It's not about blaming your family. It's about seeing the invisible field of forces at work in your lineage that affect you without your knowing it.

How it differs from ALL of the Above #

Traditional Therapies | Family Constellations | Family Constellations | Family Constellations | Family Constellations | Family Constellations | Family Constellations
|------------------------|---------------------------|
| Verbal and Cognitive ** ** Phenomenological and Experiential ** You talk about your problems ** Spatial representation of your system
You talk about your problems | Spatially represent your system | Individual | Individual |Individual** |Individual
Individual** | Systemic | Systemic |
You are the problem | Your family system needs to be reordered | Long term | Long term** | Long term** | Long term** | Long term** | Long term
| Long term** Long term **Short term (1-6 sessions)
| **Months or years **Deep results quickly | **Cause in your history
| | Cause in your personal history | Transgenerational cause |
| | Your childhood, your traumas | The traumas and exclusions of your ancestors
| Gradual change | Change of field | Change of field |
You modify thoughts/behaviors | Family energetic system is reorganized | Gradual change | Field change | **Family energy system is reorganized |

The Scientific Basis That Now Exists #

For decades, Constellations were dismissed as "pseudoscience". **That is no longer sustainable.

Research in epigenetics has shown that trauma is biologically inherited. Dr. Rachel Yehuda, in her studies with Holocaust survivors, proved that:

"Epigenetic changes caused by trauma exposure can be passed on to children born after the event.... Parental trauma is a relevant contributor to the biology of offspring." (Yehuda et al., 2016, Biological Psychiatry)

This validates the fundamental premise of Constellations: that we carry, biologically, the trauma of our ancestors. And if it is inherited, it can also be healed transgenerationally.

The Phenomenon of the "Representative Perception". #

One of the most controversial (and fascinating) aspects of Constellations is that the representatives feel the emotions and bodily sensations of the people they represent, without knowing anything about the family.

"How participants experience visceral, nociceptive, and proprioceptive sensations, as well as emotions and movement desires that match the represented family, remains a fascinating phenomenon that is just beginning to be studied empirically." (Schmidt & Kleve, 2025, The American Journal of Family Therapy)

This suggests that we work with fields of information beyond the verbal or conscious.

Key Advantage of the Lion Method: Post-Constellation Integration**. #

The difference between a constellation that "opens you up" and one that "transforms you" is in the post-constellation integration. This is where my unique training makes the difference.

I am not just a constellation facilitator - I am a clinical psychologist with 23 years of experience trained in multiple approaches that I strategically integrate:

My Integration Toolbox: #

🔹 Humanistic and Transpersonal Psychology.

• I work with the totality of your being (body-mind-emotions-spirit).
• I do not pathologize, I empower
• I recognize your inner resources and capacity for self-healing.

🔹 Biodecoding.

• If the constellation reveals a transgenerational conflict that manifests in your body (chronic pain, illness), I use biodecoding to understand what unexpressed emotion is somatized.
• We connect the physical symptom with the family entanglement that we reveal in the constellation.
• Example:* A client with migraines discovers in the constellation that his grandmother was violently silenced. Biodescodification helps us to work on the pattern of "not being able to express what she sees/knows" which manifests itself as pressure in the head.

🔹 Therapeutic Tarot.

• It is NOT "reading the future" - I use tarot as symbolic mirror of the unconscious.
• After the constellation, we do a spread that shows: where you were (before), what moved (during), and what needs to be integrated (after)
• Tarot archetypes give symbolic language to experiences that words cannot capture.
• Example: If you roll "The Tower" in the "what fell apart" position, we validate that the constellation broke down outdated family structures - and that's good, even if it feels chaotic.

🔹 Shamanic Healing.

• Energetic clearing of what was removed in the constellation.
• Soul retrieval (parts of you that were "frozen" in the family trauma).
• Protection of the energetic field during the integration process
• Connection with healing ancestors of your lineage (not only with the traumatized)

🔹 Gestalt therapy techniques.

• Working with polarities ("the part of me that wants to belong" vs "the part that wants to be free").
• Dialogues with constellation figures between sessions.
• Closing of unfinished gestalts revealed by the constellation

🔹 Psychoeducation.

• Ongoing assessment of your ability to integrate (don't overload yourself).
• Emotional containment when the process intensifies
• Structured follow-up (I do not abandon you after the constellation).

How Integration Works in Practice: ** #

Constellation Session (2 hours)
↓
48 hours post-session: Check-in via email/WhatsApp to contain any emotional stirrings.
↓
7-10 days after: Integration session (60-90 min) where:

• We review what changes you have noticed.
• I use biodescodification if there are physical symptoms.
• We do therapeutic tarot spreads to give symbolic language to the process.
  • I give specific rituals or practices for the following weeks.
    ↓
    Follow-up 1 month later: Anchoring session (60 min)
• We evaluate deep integration
• Adjust strategies according to what is emerging
• Decide if you need another constellation or continue integrating

Why this matters: ** Follow-up 1 month later:** #

Many people do ONE constellation in a group workshop and are:
❌ Emotionally removed without contention.
❌ With deep insights but not knowing what to do with them.
❌ Without follow-up when the family system "reacts" to the changes.

With me you get:
✅ Professional containment (23 years as a psychologist and although I do not currently practice as such in the USA I do use all my knowledge and tools to accompany you).
Personalized Integration** (no two processes are the same)
Practical tools with multiple approaches depending on what you need.
✅ Accountable follow-up (I don't leave you alone in the process).
✅ Holistic approach (body-mind-emotions-energy-spirit)

Result: You didn't just "have a profound experience" - you transformed your life in a sustainable way.

🎥 Look at how I integrate different approaches: The Lion Method in Action

Additional benefit: No extensive weekly time commitment required. A well-facilitated constellation session + structured integration process can generate changes that unfold over months, without the need for indefinite weekly therapy.

By Type of Problem #

Family Constellations is EXCEPTIONAL for: #

✅ Repetitive transgenerational patterns.
✅ Dysfunctional family dynamics.
✅ Complicated or unresolved grief.
✅ Invisible loyalties (e.g., "I can't be more successful than my father.")
✅ Psychosomatic or chronic illnesses without medical cause.
✅ Difficulty separating from family of origin.
✅ Feeling of "carrying something that is not mine".
✅ Excluded family members (adoption, abortions, unspoken death)
✅ Migration and cultural uprooting.

4. The Therapeutic Power of Dolls and Figurines #

Doll Therapy: Beyond Constellations #

Before explaining how I use figures in Constellations, it is important to understand that therapeutic use of dolls has solid scientific support in other areas of psychology.

Dolls and Figures in Family Constellations #

Why I Use Figures in Individual Sessions. #

When you work with me in an individual session, you don't have a group of people to represent your family. Instead, I use:

• Peg dolls (little wooden dolls).
• Animal figures
• Symbolic objects
• Guided visualization** Guided visualization

**Why do they work just like real people?

Because the systemic field does not need physical bodies to activate. What matters is:

1. Conscious intention: When you say "this doll is my father," your psyche recognizes that assignment.
2. The relative spatial position: How you place the figures in relation to each other reflects unconscious dynamics.
3. Symbolic projection: The dolls become "screens" where you project information from the family system.

🎥 Look at how I work with figures: Constellations with Dolls

My Process with Figures (Lion Method) Constellations with Dolls #

STEP 1: Intuitive Selection [Intuitive Selection

I ask you to choose figures to represent key members of your family. This selection is not rational - you rely on your first impulse.

Some clients choose:

• Specific colors ("My mother is the blue figure").
• Sizes ("My father is the biggest")
• Animals ("My sister is this owl")
• Abstract shapes

**There is no wrong choice **Your unconscious knows.

STEP 2: Spatial Placement.

I invite you to place the figures in space (a table, the floor). Without thinking too much, you position them:

• How close or far away are they?
• Which way are they facing?
• Are they facing forward, backward, sideways?
• Are any of them separated from the group?

**This configuration is a three-dimensional map of your unconscious family system.

STEP 3: Reading the Field.

This is where my experience as a psychologist and shamanic healer comes in. I observe:

• Spatial patterns: Who is excluded? Who is overloaded?
• Direction of gaze:** Who is looking past? Who can't see whom?
• Power dynamics: Are the parents in place? Are the children parented?
• Energetic sensations:** I read the field around each figure.

I also ask you: ** "What do you feel when you look at this configuration?

Your answer is key information.

STEP 4: Healing Movements** **Step 4: Healing Movements

Based on what I see, I propose movements:

• Reposition figures to restore order.
• Add figures of excluded members
• Changing the orientation of the figures
• Healing phrases that you "say" through the shapes

Every move is done only when your system is ready. I do not force.

STEP 5: The New Image.

At the end, we create a healed image of your family system. This new configuration is engraved in your psyche and begins to reorganize the actual systemic field.

Many clients take pictures of the final configuration to remember the new order.

Advantages of Working with Figures. #

✅ Total privacy: You don't need a group.
✅ Control: You can pause, reflect, move at your own pace.
✅ Less intimidating: For introverted or traumatized people.
✅ Accessible online: You can have your own figures at home.
✅ Replicable: You can go back to the configuration days later to integrate.
✅ Transitional object therapy: The figures become "healing objects" that you can keep.

The Science of Using Objects in Therapy. #

Beyond Constellations, there is evidence that working with symbolic objects activates different brain areas than purely verbal work.

A study on the use of dolls and figures in therapy found:

"The use of dolls and figures in play makes extensive use of narrative and storytelling.... Dolls are an effective tool for helping aggressive children externalize the problem within a narrative therapy approach." (Guterman & Martin, 2016)

What this means for adults:.

When you use figures to represent your family, you are:

1. Externalizing the problem (you take it out of your mind and make it tangible).
2. Creating psychological distance (you can observe it from the outside).
3. Activating the right hemisphere (emotional, intuitive, spatial).
4. Bypassing cognitive defenses (your rational mind can't "edit" what arises)

5. When to Choose Each Approach? #

Choose Psychodynamic Psychotherapy if: #

✅ You want deep self-knowledge.
✅ You have repetitive relational patterns (you always attract the same type of partner).
✅ You are willing to go through a long process (1-3 years).
✅ You are interested in understanding how your past affects your present.
✅ You value the therapeutic relationship as a healing space.
✅ You can commit financially to long-term therapy

⚠️ NOT ideal if:

• You need urgent symptom relief
• You prefer a hands-on vs. exploratory approach
• Your problem is clearly systemic/familial, not just intrapsychic

Choose Gestalt Therapy if: #

✅ You want to integrate fragmented aspects of yourself.
✅ You feel disconnected from your emotions or body.
✅ You are looking for creativity and spontaneity in therapy.
✅ You are willing to experiment (empty chair, role-playing).
✅ Prefer present focus vs. analysis of the past
✅ You value personal responsibility and empowerment

⚠️ NOT ideal if:

• You need very clear structure
• You are not comfortable with experiential techniques
• Your problem requires addressing transgenerational dynamics

Choose Family Constellation if: #

✅ You repeat patterns that come "from family ".
✅ You feel invisible loyalties ("I can't be happier than my mother.")
✅ There are secrets, exclusions, or traumas in your lineage (unspoken deaths, adoption, forced migration)
✅ You have been in traditional therapy for years and something is missing.
✅ Your problem seems "bigger" than you (as if you're carrying something that's not yours)
✅ You experience psychosomatic symptoms with no medical cause ✅ You experience psychosomatic symptoms with no medical cause
✅ You have complicated grief (especially for parents or grandparents).
✅ You sabotage your success just when you are on the verge of achieving it ✅ You can separate yourself from your success ✅ You can separate yourself from your success
✅ You can't emotionally separate yourself from your family of origin.
You are a migrant and feel disconnected from your roots.

⚠️ NOT ideal (yet) if: ** You are in acute psychiatric crisis.

• You are in acute psychiatric crisis (stabilize first)
• You are unwilling to see your family with compassion
• You are looking for spiritual entertainment, not real transformation

6. Real Cases: What Works for What #

Case 1: Ana - CBT Wasn't Enough, Constellations Did #

Problem: Generalized anxiety, panic attacks when separated from her mother.

What she tried first: 2 years of Congnitive Behavioral Therapy

• Learned breathing techniques
• Identified distorted thoughts
• Improved to 60%... but anxiety returned.

What the constellation revealed:** **His mother had lost her own mother.

• Her mother had lost her own mother (Ana's grandmother) when she was a child
• Ana was unconsciously "replacing" the grandmother.
• She felt that if she was separated from her mother, her mother would die (like her grandmother).

Outcome: One constellation session + 3 integration sessions

• Ana was able to symbolically "return" the grandmother to her place.
• She was freed from the mission to "save" her mother.
• Her anxiety decreased by 90%

Case 2: Carlos - Psychodynamics Opened the Door, Constellations Closed It #

Problem: Difficulty in maintaining relationships, always chose emotionally unavailable women.

What he tried first: 3 years of Psychodynamic Therapy

• Understood that he was repeating the relationship with his distant mother
• Worked through the abandonment wound
• Improved his self-esteem...
• ...but continued to choose the same women

What the family constellation revealed:** ** His mother was entangled with his own mother.

• Her mother was entangled with her own father (Charles's grandfather) who died in an accident when she was 10 years old
• The mother was never able to fully love anyone because her heart was with her dead father
• Carlos unconsciously "honored" that loyalty by choosing women who could not be emotionally available

Integration with the Lion Method: **Biodecoding: **Biodecoding: **Biodecoding: **Biodecoding: **Biodecoding

• Biodescodification: **We worked on his chronic back pain (devaluation conflict + overload of emotionally "supporting" his mother).
• Therapeutic Tarot:** She drew "The Hermit" and we validated that she needed time of conscious solitude before trying a new partner.
• Shamanic Healing:** Ceremony of symbolic "return" of the grandfather to his place, freeing the mother and Carlos.

Result: 6 months later, Carlos began a relationship with an emotionally mature woman for the first time in his life.

Lesson: Psychodynamics gave him intellectual understanding. Constellation + holistic integration gave him real systemic liberation.

📖 Read more: What Happens in a Family Constellation Session: Complete Guide

Case 3: Maria - Migrant Seeking "Family Constellation Therapy Near Me". #

Profile: 38 year old Latina, migrated from Mexico to Florida 10 years ago. She googled "family constellation therapy near me" and "constellation therapy near me" without knowing exactly what it was.

Problem:.

• Paralyzing anxiety every time her career progressed.
• Feelings of guilt for "leaving behind" her family in Mexico
• Inability to enjoy her success ("I don't deserve to be better off than them")

Why cognitive therapy didn't work:** ** Why cognitive therapy didn't work:** Her CBT therapist told her that she was not happy.
Her CBT therapist would say, "Your thoughts of guilt are irrational. Your family wants you to succeed."

But Mary knew it was deeper than that. **It wasn't irrational thinking - it was an invisible loyalty.

**What the family constellation revealed.

We used peg dolls to represent her system:

• His mother (purple figure) looking back toward Mexico.
• Her father (brown figure) with his back to everybody
• Maria (yellow figure) between her parents and her new life in the USA.
• Her siblings (small figures) huddled together, facing towards Maria

The image revealed all: Maria was divided between two worlds, feeling betrayed if she prospered because her family had been left behind in difficult conditions.

The moment of truth:** The moment of truth:
When I moved Maria's figure forward (to her life in the USA), she began to cry, "I feel like I'm abandoning them. I feel like my success is their failure."

There was the entanglement: family loyalty manifested as self-sabotage.

Integration with the Lion Method: ** Family loyalty manifested as self-sabotage.

Session 1 - Constellation (2 hours):** ** Session 2 - Constellation (2 hours): ** **Session 3 - Constellation (2 hours)

• We rearrange the system: Parents look forward (blessing their path).
• We added a figure for Mexican ancestors who emigrated generations ago (your great-grandfather also left your village)
• Healing phrase: "I honor my root and follow my path. You bless me."

Session 2 - Integration (7 days later, 60 min): **Biodecoding.

• Biodecoding: Her anxiety (tightness in chest) = territory conflict (she does not feel entitled to occupy her space in USA).
• Eneagram:** Type 2 with wing 3 - her identity was in being "the one who helps" the family. We worked on her permission to receive without having to constantly give.
• Therapeutic Tarot: ** Shamanic rituals
  • Shamanic ritual: I gave her a "rooting in two lands" ritual - every morning, honor Mexico (one candle) and thank USA (another candle). Both can coexist.

Session 3 - Anchoring (1 month later, 60 min): **Session 3 - Anchoring (1 month later, 60 min): **Session 4 - Anchoring (1 month later, 60 min).

• Maria reported, "It's like I've been given permission to be happy."
• Accepted a promotion she would have turned down before.
• She called her mother and for the first time she was able to speak without guilt
• Her anxiety decreased 80%

6-month follow-up:** ** 6-month follow-up:** 6-month follow-up:** 6-month follow-up

• Maria is in another city for her job, prospering
• She sends money to her family without resentment (before she did it with guilt and anger mixed)
• Her relationship with her family improved because she is no longer entangled

For migrants, family constellations are INVALUABLE. Migration trauma is transgenerational and requires systemic healing, not just cognitive management of "irrational thoughts."

🎥 Are you a migrant and feel you are carrying something that is not yours? Watch this video on migration trauma

Case 4: Roberto - CBT + Constellations = Winning Combination #

Problem: OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) with extreme cleansing rituals

What worked: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy + Family Constellations

• CBT (6 months):** Exposure and response prevention techniques. Reduced rituals from 4 hours/day to 1 hour/day. 60% improvement
• Family Constellation (3 session + integration):** Revealed that his maternal grandmother had been a victim of sexual abuse that the family never talked about. Roberto's OCD was his way of "clearing" unprocessed family shame.

Integration Leon Method: **Biodecoding: **Biodecoding

• Biodecoding:** OCD as an inherited "dirt/dishonor" conflict
• Shamanic Healing:** Energetic cleansing ceremony of the mother's lineage
• Tarot:** The Tower + The Judgment - breaking of family secrets and liberation

Result: After constellation, rituals decreased to 15 min/day (95% improvement). CBT gave her tools. The constellation healed the transgenerational root.

Lesson: It's not "either this or that" - sometimes the combination is perfect.

Case 5: Elena - When ONLY Constellations are Appropriate #

Problem: Inability to have children after 3 years of trying. Medically everything was fine.

Why other therapies didn't apply:** ** No clinical anxiety or depression.

• No clinical depression or anxiety
• No personal trauma of abuse
• Her relationship was strong
• No "irrational thoughts"

Google search: "constellation therapy near me" + "fertility issues family patterns".

What the constellation revealed: ** **Working with figures (because it was individual session with me): What the constellation revealed: **
Working with figures (because it was individual session with me):

• Her mother had had 2 miscarriages prior to having Elena.
• Those babies were never mourned or honored
• Elena unconsciously felt she "had no right" to have what her mother could not keep.

The constellation:** ** The constellation
We added two small figures for Elena's unborn siblings. I asked her to say to them:

• "I see you. You are part of this family, too."
• "I am the next generation. You give me your blessing to be a mother."

Elena cried for 20 minutes. Something was unleashed.

**Lion Method Integration

• Shamanic ritual:** Ceremony to honor the "angel brothers" with candles and flowers.
• Eneagram:** Type 1 (the perfectionist) - we worked on her fear of "not being the perfect mother" as an additional blockage.

Result: Elena became pregnant 5 months after the constellation. She gave birth to a healthy baby girl.

Coincidence? Maybe. Change in the systemic field that allowed life to flow? Also possible.

Lesson: There are problems that are NOT psychological in the classical sense. They are systemic, energetic, transgenerational. For those, family constellations are the right tool.

Read more about Constellations and Reproductive Blockages

7. Can I Combine Both Approaches? #

**Short answer: Yes, absolutely. And many times it's ideal.

The Best Combinations #

Psychodynamics + Constellations Psychodynamics + Constellations #

When: You are in a long process of self-knowledge and a clear systemic pattern appears.

How it works:** **You continue your weekly therapy

• You continue your weekly therapy
• You do 1-3 constellation sessions spaced out.
• You process what emerges in the constellations with your therapist.

Advantage: Your psychodynamic therapist knows you deeply and can help you integrate revelations from the constellations.

Important note: Inform your therapist that you will be doing constellations. A good therapist will support your process. If he or she objects without reason, question his or her open-mindedness.

Gestalt + Constellations (My Favorite). #

Why it works so well:
Both share:

• Emphasis on the here and now.
• Experiential work vs. verbal only
• Use of body and space
• Personal responsibility

How I integrate them into the Leon Method:** ** How I integrate them into the Leon Method

• I use Gestalt techniques (empty chair, dialogue with polarities) in post-constellation integration sessions.
• Constellations reveal the "unfinished business" (gestalts) of the family system.
• Gestalt helps to close these gestalts on a personal level.

Counseling + Constellations #

When: You are in a life transition (divorce, job loss, moving) and discover that family patterns are affecting your decisions.

Example: Woman in the process of divorce who discovers in constellation that she is repeating the divorce pattern of her parents and grandparents. The counseling helps her with practical decisions, the constellation heals the pattern.

What NOT to Combine (or Combine with Care) #

Psychiatry with Medication + Constellations #

Important: If you take psychiatric medication (antidepressants, anxiolytics, antipsychotics), Do NOT stop taking them for constellations.

• Continue your psychiatric treatment
• Inform your psychiatrist that you will be doing constellations.
• Constellations can help, but they do NOT replace necessary medication.
• In my experience, many clients reduce medication after systemic healing, but this is ALWAYS under medical supervision.

Trauma Therapy (EMDR, Somatic Experiencing) + Constellations #

Caution: If you are in the active process of complex trauma, constellations may be too intense.

Safe Sequence: Safe Sequence:

1. Stabilization with trauma therapy (3-12 months).
2. Constellations when you are more regulated
3. Return to trauma therapy if something very strong is removed.

Why: Constellations can trigger traumatic memories. You need to be stable enough to process whatever comes up.

How to Communicate to Your Current Therapist #

If you are in therapy and want to try constellations, tell her:

*"I am interested in exploring family constellations as an adjunct to our work. I've read that it can help with transgenerational patterns, what do you think?

Possible answers:** Possible answers:** Possible answers:** Possible answers

✅ "Sounds interesting to me, go ahead " → Good therapist, open minded.

⚠️ "I don't know much about it, but if you think it might help, try it " → Honest, not defensive.

❌ "That's pseudoscience and will hurt you " → 🚩 Rigid therapist, consider if it's the best fit for you.

My recommendation: A good therapist respects your autonomy and is open to complementary approaches, even if they don't practice them.

8. How to Decide: Your Decision Guide #

Quick Quiz: What Do I Need Now? #

Answer YES or NO to each statement:

Block A: Symptoms. #

1. I have panic or anxiety attacks that interfere with my daily life.
2. I have obsessive thoughts or compulsive rituals.
3. I have a specific phobia (flying, closed spaces, etc.).
4. I need practical tools to manage my anxiety/depression NOW.

If 2+ are YES → Start CBT.

Block B: Deep Patterns #

I repeat the same patterns in relationships even though I "know" they are harmful 2.
I feel like "something is holding me back" from being happy/successful but I don't know what it is 3.
3. I feel like I am carrying something that is not mine.
4. There are secrets, unspoken deaths, or exclusions in my family.

If 2+ are YES → Family Constellations will probably change your life.

Block C: Self-awareness #

I want to understand why I am the way I am
2. I am interested in exploring my unconscious and deep patterns.
3. I am willing to go through a long process (1-3 years).
4. I value the therapeutic relationship as a space for healing.

If 2+ are YES → Psychodynamic or Humanistic Therapy If 2+ are YES → Psychodynamic or Humanistic Therapy.

Block D: Crisis/Transition #

1. I am going through divorce, recent bereavement, or job change.
2. I need support in making important decisions
3. I do not have severe pathology, I just need guidance.
4. I prefer something brief and focused on the present.

If 2+ are YES → Counseling.

Visual Decision Tree #

Do you have URGENT symptoms that prevent you from functioning?
│
├─ YES → Start with CBT or Psychiatry.
│ └─ Then consider Constellations for the root.
│
└─ NO → Do you feel that your problems run "in the family"?
       │
       ├─ YES → FAMILY CONSTELLATIONS (first choice).
       │
       └─ NO → Do you want deep self-knowledge?
              │
              ├─ YES → Humanistic/Psychodynamic therapy.
              │
              └─ NO → Counseling or coaching.

Final Questions to Decide #

If you are considering Family Constellation, ask yourself: **.

1. Am I ready to see uncomfortable truths about my family system?
   Can I look at my parents/family with compassion, even if they hurt me?
2. Am I willing to have my family react when I change?
3. Do I prefer deep experience vs. intellectual conversation?
4. Do I seek real transformation vs. spiritual entertainment?

**If you answered YES to 4-5: Constellations are for you!

**If you answered NO to 3+: Maybe you need another approach first?

Conclusion: There Is No "Best" Therapy - There Is the Right Therapy For You Now #

After 23 years as a psychologist in Europe, I have learned that the question is not "which is better? " but "what do I need at this point in my life? ".

And many times, you need a combination.

What Makes the Lion Method Unique #

If you choose to work with me, you don't get "just" family constellations. You get:

✅ 23 years of experience as a psychologist (I know when to push and when to hold back).
✅ Integration of multiple approaches (biodecoding, dream work, therapeutic tarot, shamanic healing).
✅ Figure/doll work in one-on-one sessions (total privacy).
✅ Structured post-constellation follow-up (I do not leave you alone in the process).
✅ Cultural sensitivity (I understand Latino dynamics and migration trauma)
✅ Bilingual (Spanish/English - heals in the language that inhabited the trauma)

Ready to Make the Move? #

If you searched for "family constellation therapy near me", "constellation therapy near me" or "family constellations near me" and came here, it's no coincidence.

Your system is ready to heal.

Book your session:

• 📧 Email: contacto@alejandraleon.com
• 🌐 Web: www.alejandraleon.com
• 📍 In person in St. Augustine, FL or Online (work with clients in USA, Canada, Spain, Latin America).

Services available:

• Individual Family Constellation Session (2 hours)
• Lion Method Transformation Packages (3-6 sessions)
• Group Constellation Workshops
• Ancestral Healing Retreats

Before you book, see how I work:** See Lion Method videos

📖 Keep reading:

• What Happens in a Family Constellation Session: Complete Guide
• 10 Signs You Need Family Constellation
• Transgenerational Trauma and Epigenetics: The Science of Constellations

References #

• Booth, D. (2024). Family Constellation therapy: A nascent approach for working with non-local consciousness in a therapeutic container. *Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology, 186, 33-38.

• Fonagy, P. (2015). The effectiveness of psychodynamic psychotherapies: An update. World Psychiatry, 14(2), 137-150.

• Hellinger, B., Weber, G., & Beaumont, H. (1998). *Love's Hidden Symmetry: What Makes Love Work in Relationships. Zeig, Tucker & Co.

• Konkolÿ Thege, B., et al. (2021). The effectiveness of family constellation therapy in improving mental health. *Family Process, 60(2), 409-423.

• Mitchell, G., McCormack, B., & McCance, T. (2014). Therapeutic use of dolls for people living with dementia: A critical review of the literature. *Dementia, 15(5), 976-1001.

• Perls, F., Hefferline, R., & Goodman, P. (1951). *Gestalt Therapy: Excitement and Growth in the Human Personality. St. Julian Press.

• Pezzati, R., et al. (2014). Can Doll therapy preserve or promote attachment in people with cognitive, behavioral, and emotional problems? Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 342.

• Schmidt, G., & Kleve, H. (2025). What happens to representatives during family constellations? *The American Journal of Family Therapy.

• Yehuda, R., et al. (2016). Holocaust exposure induced intergenerational effects on FKBP5 methylation. Biological Psychiatry, 80(5), 372-380.

• Zhang, Y., et al. (2023). Doll therapy for improving behavior, psychology and cognition among older nursing home residents with dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 115, 105227.

*Looking for "family constellation therapy near me" or "constellation therapy near me" in Florida? I offer in-person sessions in St. Augustine and online sessions throughout the United States, Canada and Latin America.