Acknowledging What Is: Conversations with Bert Hellinger.

Bert Hellinger and Gabriele ten Hoevel.

Acknowledging What Is
Conversations with Bert Hellinger
Translated by Colleen Beaumont
English edition of "Anerkennen was ist"

Carl-Auer-Systeme Verlag, 1999, 162 p., Paperback
ISBN 1-891944-32-0, € 24.90

www.carl-auer.de/index.php

or

Phoenix, AZ, Zeig, Tucker, 1999. 162pp. Paperback.
ISBN 1-891944-32-0. US$55.95.

www.zeigtucker.com

Considered one of the most innovative psychotherapists in the world today, Bert Hellinger has captured the attention of the international therapy community, as well as the segment of the lay community interested in recovering sources of healing and wholeness. In "Acknowledging What Is", Hellinger sheds light on his unique use of family constellations to reveal hidden - often destructive - family dynamics and to active healing resources.

Bert Hellinger

Bert Hellinger is probably Europe's most innovative and provocative psychotherapist and a best-selling psychotherapy author. A former priest and a missionary in South Africa for 16 years, as well as an educator, a psychoanalyst, body therapist, group dynamic therapist, and family therapist, he brings a lifetime of experience and wisdom to his work. The family constellations, which have become the hallmark of Hellinger's approach, as well as his observations about systemic entaglement and resolution, have touched the lives of thousands of people and have changed how many helping professionals carry out their own work

Gabriele ten Hövel

Gabriele ten Hövel is a political scientist who lives in Hamburg, Germany. Also a freelance journalist and editor, she is married and has three children

Independent Review by:

Ingeborg Stiefel
Senior Clinical Psychologist
Children's Hospital Westmead, Sydney

Published in Australian & New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy

Acknowledging What Is, as the title promises, consists of conversations between Bert Hellinger and Gabriele ten Hoevel, a freelance journalist who has had some first-hand experience with Family Constellation Therapy. The text is translated by Colleen Beaumont.

The book is divided into 22 chapters and each chapter highlights subtopics. Some of the chapter titles sound rather provocative, e.g. 'Suffering is easier to bear than resolution'. Chapter 1 is a transcript of a radio interview, which describes aspects of the therapy model with help of brief clinical examples. Chapter 2 discusses phenomenological psychotherapy with an emphasis on the therapeutic posture. The following chapters cover diverse themes. Some of the topics relate more closely to Family Constellation Therapy and the therapeutic process, whereas other chapters have a wider focus. The scope of the book spans the individual, couple relationships and the family system, but also discusses social, political, and cultural issues. The subheadings cover conscience, guilt, innocence, fate, the soul, loyalty, rebellion, life, death, envy, anger, happiness, space, adoption, incest and illness. Similarities and differences between Family Constellation Therapy and other models of therapy are also discussed.

As stated on the cover, the purpose of Acknowledging What Is is to clarify ideas, lay to rest misunderstandings, and help readers understand what Hellinger means by 'movements of the soul'. The interview format, the diversity of topics, the short chapters and the range of sub-headings give the book a somewhat piecemeal style. However, the broader themes come together eventually, allowing the reader to understand the essence of the model: one of the main forces in all close relationships is the 'unwavering search for love' which can lead to systemic entanglement but which can also offer opportunities for healing and change.

No doubt, Hellinger's statements are provocative, brusque, decisive, and his position is at times traditional. I would think therapists coming from a postmodern or feminist position will feel invited to argue some of the points Hellinger makes in the book. The book certainly encourages the reader to reflect, to rethink beliefs about common themes in therapy and the therapeutic process.

I would not recommend this book as an introductory text, as the book does not give a detailed account of the therapy process. However, it could be useful to readers already familiar with the model. It would be especially suitable to those who want to understand Hellinger's concepts in more depth.

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