Existential Personalistic and Cosmartistic Anthropology, Family Constellations, and The Quantum Revolution

While our biological origins place us within a specific family system, sometimes parents cannot or choose not to raise the children they bring into the world, and they entrust them to others to raise them through adoption, foster care, or sometimes even within the same family, like with a grandparent, aunt, uncle or other family member.

The bonds we form with those who raise us, regardless of blood relation, shape us profoundly. Our caregivers create the emotional and energetic environments in which we grow. Their influences, in turn, stem from their own family systems, creating a layered dynamic that impacts who we become and how we interact with the world. Yet, these connections do not overwrite the imprint of our biological origins.

This article does not delve deeply into the complexities of biological versus adoptive or surrogate family systems, but stay tuned for future writings exploring these intersections. As someone who was adopted at birth and has worked extensively with many different people from diverse and multicultural family backgrounds where there are experiences of adoptions, fostering and other kinds of surrogate parenting, I bring a unique perspective to these dynamics. Sign up for my newsletter to follow along as I share more insights in the future.

Expanding Awareness: Beyond the Personal

Our interconnectedness extends beyond immediate family systems to broader societal, cultural, and even planetary influences. Just as the Aurora Borealis is a visible manifestation of the Earth’s interaction with solar energy, human behavior reflects unseen energy fields and connections. Advances in science, psychology, and spirituality continue to reveal these intricate dynamics, helping us understand how past experiences and external forces shape our lives.

By embarking on personal journeys of healing and self-discovery, we contribute to the growing understanding of these complex systems. Through this awareness, we can transform inherited patterns and align more fully with our authentic selves, fostering a more compassionate and interconnected world.

Understanding Family Constellations

Family Constellations is a phenomenological therapeutic approach that prioritizes lived experiences and acknowledges the value of subjective perspectives. It examines how unresolved traumas and hidden dynamics within family systems can manifest as emotional, psychological, or physical distress. Issues such as depression, anxiety, addiction, relationship difficulties, health problems, or career struggles often trace back to these systemic influences.

Developed by German psychotherapist Bert Hellinger, Family Constellations recognizes that every family operates as a system transmitting information across generations, often unconsciously. British cell biologist Rupert Sheldrake expanded on this idea with his concept of the morphogenetic (or morphic) field—a subtle energy field within which living systems function. Sheldrake posited that this field, while currently immeasurable, is experienced and felt by many. For instance, telepathy and the “sense of being stared at” may stem from interactions within these fields.

Importantly, this concept is not mystical but grounded in the idea of interconnected energy fields that continuously influence us. For a deeper dive into morphic fields and resonance, Sheldrake’s work provides fascinating insights and experiments illustrating these phenomena.

Our increasing understanding of the ramifications of the Quantum field and what that means for us also on an individual level provides fascinating food for thought about how observing the hidden forces at work in the depths of our own psyches, and shifting our perceptions and feelings about them, can affect how we experience our own lives and our connections with our significant others.

For more information on the connection between Family Constellations work and the Quantum field, check out this article by Dan Cohen, published in 2023.

Bridging Science and Psychology

The exploration of human interconnectedness has historically been divided among science, psychology, and spirituality. Early pioneers like Carl Jung sought to bridge these domains, integrating the “spiritual” and phenomenological dimensions of life with cognitive and physiological functions. Jung’s extensive writings on personal and clinical experiences underscore the interconnectedness of the rational and the transcendental.

Antonio Mercurio, founder of Existential Personalistic and Cosmartistic Anthropology, further advanced this integration. He argued that to fully heal and evolve, we must embrace the wisdom humanity develops through the four main avenues of human inquiry: science, philosophy, spirituality, and artistic creation. He affirmed that just as religion is missing something when it is not integrated with science, science – in this particular case, the sciences dealing with mental and emotional suffering, such as psychology, psychotherapy and psychiatry – is nearsighted if it does not have a broader view of human reality, one that can acknowledge the more subtle dimensions that most of us know exist, but that are hard to “prove” in a laboratory, because they are deeply personal and subjective.

Mercurio proposed that we can access the wisdom available through all these avenues and apply it in our own unique ways to transform our past and create new beauty from even the most traumatic experiences. By doing so we become “Life Artists”—individuals who transform their wounds into energy for creating new realities, and Cosmo Artists, because by creating our own life as a work of art, we are releasing transformational energy that benefits the entire universe.

Following along the lines of physicist John Wheeler’s Participatory Anthropic Principle, Mercurio believed that redefining the purpose of human life and recognizing that psychological and emotional transformation from a reactive state where we are focused on our trauma, to one where we can grow into profound love for ourselves and others is fundamental for the evolution of the universe. For Mercurio, love is not merely a feeling but a deliberate act of supporting and enhancing the life project within ourselves and others and the Universe itself.

Another physicist who resonates with Wheeler’s ideas, Federico Faggin, who designed the first microprocessor and is thus one of the principle initiators of the current information technology revolution we are living in, has some beautiful ideas on the subject in his recently released book Irreducible.

I am not affirming that the scientists mentioned are in any way associated with Existential Personalistic and Cosmoartistic Anthropology or with the currents found within the field of psychological/psycho-emotional healing that are tapping into the new science of consciousness. But there is no question that these various “currents” that are now ever more evident within our world are like tributaries of a new river of human awareness that offer incredible new horizons for each one of us as individuals, and for humanity – and perhaps the entire Universe – as a whole.

It is a vision that unites humanity and the world we live in, shifting us out of a childlike mentality where we are either completely dependent on powers outside of ourselves to explain the meaning of our lives and of the struggles and pain we experience, or expressions of a soul-less life force that has no ultimate meaning or purpose. This vision is one that many people are beginning to glimpse, and it is truly fascinating to see it express and expand as it takes on new shapes and forms, just as Life itself does, both within the privacy of our own minds and our interactions with others, and on larger scales of expression throughout our planet and the Cosmos.

Bert Hellinger and the Origins of Family Constellations

Hellinger’s work in Family Constellations was apparently deeply influenced not only by the emerging phenomenological currents found in psychotherapy by the middle of the past century, but by his time as a Catholic missionary with the Zulu people in South Africa. He observed their profound connections to both living family members and ancestors, recognizing how these bonds transmit life energy and resolve traumas across generations. Returning to Germany, Hellinger left the priesthood to focus on psychotherapy, where he integrated these insights into his practice.

Drawing on Sheldrake’s morphogenetic field theory, Hellinger developed techniques to explore how family systems influence individuals. He identified that family systems often impose unspoken rules and agreements that shape members’ beliefs and behaviors, sometimes leading to suffering when these dynamics remain unconscious. For example, intergenerational trauma can manifest in ways that affect descendants on cultural, psychological, emotional, and even genetic levels—an area increasingly explored through epigenetics.

The Power and Pitfalls of Family Conditioning

Family conditioning can be both a source of strength and a limitation. Positive family patterns provide a sense of belonging and cohesion that supports not only survival, but individual and collective growth. Conversely, restrictive or harmful patterns can inhibit authentic self-expression and create suffering. For example, unconscious adherence to outdated family beliefs can perpetuate prejudice, violence, or self-destructive behaviors.

Understanding these patterns is crucial for breaking free from limiting influences. As we become aware of the hidden dynamics within our family systems, we can heal from past wounds and build healthier lives. This process not only benefits individuals but also contributes to the collective evolution of humanity, and, as Antonio Mercurio discusses in his book Cosmo Art Dialogs: A Revolutionary Idea About Human Life and the Life of the Cosmos, may very well be an expression of the most profound impulses coming from the core of the universal consciousness itself.

 

Understanding Family Constellations and the Orders of Love

As mentioned above, at the heart of Hellinger’s ideas lies the concept of The Orders of Love. These are seen as laws that govern life and relationships that, when disrupted, can create personal and intergenerational suffering.

The Right to Belong: Hellinger’s First Order of Love

One foundational principle is that every member of a family system has an inherent right to belong. Exclusion—whether due to shame, rejection, or neglect—creates imbalances that ripple through generations. For example, if a family member is shunned due to an unwanted pregnancy or disruptive behavior, their exclusion can manifest as unresolved emotional patterns in later generations. Sensitive individuals within the family often intuitively perceive these disturbances, leading to symptoms such as anxiety, depression, or unexplained physical ailments.

Emotional Repression and its Consequences

Many families and societies perpetuate a culture of emotional repression. Hellinger’s observations resonate with broader critiques of Western thought, such as of the Cartesian emphasis on the separation from the mind from the body and emotions (“Cogito Ergo Sum” – “I think, therefore I am” – which has placed intellectual development above a more holistic understanding of the human being and all of life itself).

This perspective has encouraged a mechanistic view of human life, sidelining the importance of emotions in the human experience, and in our general health and well-being.

Emotional repression can lead to a variety of problems, including addiction, mental health struggles, and a disconnect from the natural world. There is increasing consensus among many in the mental health professions that the roots of many psychological, emotional and even physical disturbances lie in early childhood trauma; the burgeoning field of trauma-informed therapy acknowledges that CPTSD is much more widespread than previously thought, and it can be seen as the actual problem underlying many of the diagnoses currently identified in the mental health literature.

If it is true that problems on an individual level can be traced back to early childhood, it only makes sense to recognize that unresolved family traumas create the fabric of the emotional and relational “atmospheres” that we grow up in, which then can manifest as misplaced loyalties or unhealthy entanglements that block personal growth and fulfillment.

The Role of Sensitivity in Healing

Sensitive family members, often labeled as “black sheep,” play a crucial role in highlighting these imbalances. Their struggles can serve as a catalyst for healing, pushing the family system toward greater awareness and growth. Hellinger and other courageous thought leaders like Antonio Mercurio assert that pain can be a transformative force, driving individuals to seek new solutions and expand beyond inherited limitations.

Restoring Balance Through Family Constellations

Family Constellations workshops provide a structured approach to uncovering and addressing these hidden dynamics. Through the morphogenic field, participants tap into the collective energy and history of their family system. This field, much like the electromagnetic field surrounding the Earth, holds the memories and unresolved tensions of the family.

Practical Example:

Consider a family where a great-grandfather was an alcoholic, leading to his eventual exclusion and condemnation. No one in the family wants to talk about this great grandfather who shamed and abandoned his family.

But by trying to eliminate him and pretend he did not exist, the family is violating the first order of love, which instead is that every family member has an equal right to belong. Even though this man harmed his family, the family is causing even greater harm by attempting to deny and repress the fact that this man was a human being that yes, had a very serious problem that caused a lot of pain, but he was still a part of the family, and thanks to him children were born who became then parents themselves etc..

The unacknowledged trauma caused by his elimination is just as serious as the trauma his illness created. The attempt to solve the problem by pushing it away causes a ripple effect and instills patterns of repressed and shame and emotional suppression in subsequent generations.

In a Constellation session, a facilitator might guide the client to represent this ancestor within the field, allowing the family’s unresolved pain to surface and be addressed with empathy and understanding. By welcoming the banished and shunned family member back into the family and returning him to his own place, others in the family system can also find their proper place, and stop trying to compensate for the gap.

This restores a feeling of balance and resolution to the family field, and it is extraordinary how these effects can be sometimes then be felt not only by the person who has requested the constellation work, but by others in the family.

Integration with Broader Healing Practices

Hellinger’s work aligns with a growing recognition of the interconnectedness of mind, body, and spirit. By embracing emotions as integral to human experience, Family Constellations foster a shift from a survival-driven and competitive mindset that has dominated human culture and has become particularly disconnected since the celebration of the rational mind over a more integrated state. As we reconnect with a deeper sense of belonging and inclusion as a true value and benefit rather than as a weakness, “Cogito, ergo sum”—“I think, therefore I am” can give way to an aspiration centered on love and integration “Amo, ergo sum”—“I love, therefore I am”.

Steps Toward Healing

1. Acknowledgment: Recognize unresolved family dynamics and their impact on your life.
2. Empathy: Develop compassion for yourself and others within the family system.
3. Engagement: Participate in individual or group Constellation sessions to explore and address imbalances.
4. Integration: Apply insights gained from the process to cultivate healthier relationships and personal growth.
5. Synthesis: Through awareness of how our family dynamics influence us today, we can become masterful in creating a synthesis of opposites within ourselves and our lives. Rather than striving for perfection, we strive for understanding of both light and dark, the ugly and the beautiful, love and hate, right and wrong, and by becoming ever more capable of actuating such syntheses we become an Artist of Life.

A Vision for Collective Healing

Family Constellations offer a pathway to transform inherited trauma into a source of strength and wisdom. By honoring the interconnectedness of all aspects of life—mind, body, emotions, and spirit—this method helps individuals and families embrace their full potential and foster a more compassionate and inclusive society.

Conclusion

Through Family Constellations, we gain access to profound insights about our family systems and ourselves. This approach not only illuminates the roots of our challenges but also empowers us to create new patterns of love, empathy, and understanding. By prioritizing connection and integration over repression and denial, we move closer to a world where love and life flow freely for all.