Family sequence therapy is a concept coined by psychotherapist Bert Hellinger and has recently been popularized by a series aired on a digital broadcasting platform. Family sequence therapy involves the understanding that families are connected to each other by an invisible bond across generations. The fact that some people choose this as a solution for various ailments brings about more important discussions.
Family sequence therapy originated in Germany by the German psychotherapist Bert Hellinger. It is different from a normal therapy, this therapy method, which is applied by focusing on family members, is a therapy method that attaches importance to the position of the individual with his family. He thinks that the situations that happen to the individual and that they are under the influence of create a trace in the human DNA. Therefore, the reasons for some events and situations in your current life may be hidden in your DNA.
For example, if a woman became pregnant as a result of great difficulties and this event affected that woman very much, this may be reflected in the genetics of the individual. Therefore, the child of the person who carries this genetics in the future may have problems with these issues when they grow up.
Infamily sequence therapy, every emotion, movement, thought, behavior patterns that are seen as a problem in life can become the source of every problem such as anxiety, addiction, problems in business life, financial problems, unhappy marriages, family problems, fear of authority, physical discomfort, obesity.
Family Sequence Therapy is not currently considered a scientifically proven, traditional therapy method. Although it is said that there are connections between the unconscious and cognition, this method needs to be proven by many scientific studies in order to be a method of therapy and healing.
Even if there is a traumatic memory in such applications, it may not be known what the thoughts and feelings brought by that traumatic memory are, and it may pave the way for even worse mental problems.
What are Examples of Family Sequencing?
Examples of family sequences are the negativities experienced in a person's private life, family problems, and the migration story that occurred in the family. Problems and family sequence examples from the past of family members can increase even more. We can list the traumatic events that occurred in the genealogy and that hit the family system as follows;
- Murder
- Suicide
- Sudden deaths
- Deceived/betrayed
- Unwanted relationship
- Abandonment
- Rape, harassment
- Torture
- Divorces
- Unintended pregnancy
- Losing the baby
- Abortion
- Don't give it to another family
- Congenital mental and physical problems
For example, a man is betrayed by his lover. He then settles down with a different woman and a child is born. This intense, grief-filled experience of the man is passed on to the child, even if it was done by a different woman, and the child can never trust the opposite sex and is always suspicious.
Who Can Have Family Sequencing?
Family sequence therapy is applied in combination with individual and group therapies. If it is applied with group therapy, the individual undergoing family drama therapy needs individuals representing themselves, their relatives during the drama and the audience. Therefore, family sequence therapy should be with at least 10 people. This number varies according to the individuals undergoing family drama therapy. If family sequence therapy is only individual therapy, the therapist replaces the relatives of the individual and the therapist is constantly shifting between family members. In individual therapies, dolls are also used instead of family members in order to evaluate them.
The starting point offamily sequence therapy is the parallelism of past experiences with current problems and may seem logical. However, this method is not a widely practiced and scientifically studied method. The benefit of family sequence therapy in solving mental problems is not yet clear. We cannot attribute the source of every mental problem in human life to a single traumatic memory. It can usually be caused by memories created by reinforced thoughts.
If an alternative is sought for this situation, the method is love. Love is a big parameter in healing. Therefore, as much as possible, a relationship should be established within the framework of plenty of love from the individuals who take care of the sick person. Love enables the sick person to progress more positively towards the treatment of the disease.