When preparing for a family constellation, it is important to gather as much factual information about your family as possible. This includes gathering information about family members, their relationships, and any significant events that may have occurred. It is important to keep in mind that pertinent information may emerge during the constellation, but it is best to be as thorough as possible in your research beforehand. By gathering this information, you can create a more accurate and complete picture of your family history, which can be immensely helpful in understanding and resolving any issues that may arise during the constellation.
Did any member of your family:
- have a child who died young (before 2 years)
- lose a parent early, before the child was 28 or 30 years old
- die as a result of childbirth or whose life was in danger during childbirth?
- have a difficult birth (C-section, prolonged labor?)
- have a stillborn child
- have a miscarriage or an abortion
- have an illegitimate or extramarital child
- experience an early separation from their mother (due to hospitalization, etc.)
- have children who were abandoned, passed on to foster parents or relatives at an early age
- attend a boarding school at an early age
- have children who were given up for adoption
- have a major accident, injury or serious illness
- suffer loss due to natural or other disasters
- suffer physical disabilities or mental deficiencies
- suffer from mental illness
- become imprisoned (jail, prison, reservation, internment or concentration camp, prisoner of war, etc.)
- serve in the military
- suffer exclusion from the family
- become a nun, monk or priest
- suffer bankruptcy
- emigrate from another country
- become involved in slavery (as slaves, masters, slave traders)
- have colonial rulers
- have native ancestors
- become a missing person
- never marry
- never had children
- become a homosexual, lesbian, transgender or have gender identity issues
- encounter prejudice: meaning disrespected, slandered, treated with contempt or as an outcast – due to disability, alcohol or drug use, homelessness or criminal activity
- lose their fortune
- complain of being taken advantage of (i.e., an unequal inheritance)
- experience a family feud
- were victims of violence or murder by a member of the family or others outside the family
- gain from the misfortune or death of another
- experience a traumatic life-threatening event/accident at any age
- attempt or commit suicide
- commit a crime, including a war crime
- survive or die in the Holocaust or other genocide
- have to flee their home/homeland
- have parents of different nationalities
- were not allowed to leave the parental home
