The roots for chronic illness are typically related to traumatic life events, genetics, and  stress-related lifestyle issues. Systemic Family Constellation Work (SFCW) is a bold and  effective European therapy that adds unresolved traumas in one’s family lineage as an  additional root cause and demonstrates conclusive and significant treatment outcomes.  For example, consider that a client’s existing anxiety disorder voices the void of  a stillborn sibling who was never given a proper place in the family; a daughter’s  anorexia points to the shameful suicide of her paternal grandfather; a son’s autism  embodies the suffrage of victims of war-related atrocities the uncle experienced; or  how a chronic illness honors an outcast great-aunt. Such correlations challenge the  cultural lore of individualism and place the healing process into the systemic fields  that shape individuation. The remarkable results of SFCW are recognized in psychosomatic  clinics throughout Europe and are being successfully implemented to address  addiction, eating disorders, and chronic health issues.

This one-day workshop provides an overview of the complex issues surrounding  multigenerational trauma and its effect on the chronic health conditions and relationship  and vocational problems we experience. Geared toward healthcare professionals,  discussions include basic theories of constellation patterns, case presentations, and  clinical relevance of constellation work as an adjunct intervention to psychotherapeutic  treatment. Space for one constellation will be provided to demonstrate the dynamics of the work. Contact Dr. Essl before February 20th to reserve a constellation space: http://home.earthlink.net/~brigitte.essl.

Brigitte Essl, MD, earned her medical degree in Vienna, Austria, and received  additional chiropractic training in the United States (Life Chiropractic West). She earned  her master’s degree in Counseling Psychology (Pacifica Graduate Institute). She is a  leading expert to combine chronic illness and SFCW in the United States. Dr. Essl  facilitates ongoing constellation workshops that address health issues, conducts  training seminars for healthcare professionals, and holds a private practice in Mill  Valley for homeopathy, functional medicine, and body-oriented trauma therapy.  Publications include “Illness and Ancestral Fate” (Proceedings of the 21st Annual  Conference on the Study of Shamanism) and “Therapeutic Application of Family  Constellation Work for Chronic Illness” (The Knowing Field: International Constellations  Journal).