Entanglement

Entanglement (German Verstrickung) is the key concept of systemic constellations (#26): an unconscious identification with a member of the family system (often from previous generations) leading to the repetition of his or her fate, feelings or symptoms.

The Mechanism of Entanglement (Hellinger)

The law of exclusion. When someone in the system was "excluded" (forgotten, rejected, unmourned), someone from the subsequent generations unconsciously "replaces" him — taking on his feelings, illnesses or behavior patterns.

Not a metaphor, but a phenomenon. Entanglement is not a metaphor, but an observable phenomenon in constellation work: the representative literally feels someone else's emotions.

Typical Forms of Entanglement

• "I will follow you" — into illness or death
• "I will carry this for you" — the guilt or grief
• "I will atone for this" — for a family crime

Resolution of Entanglement

Ritual phrases restore order. Resolution happens through a ritual phrase: "I see you", "Now you have a place" — this is the restoration of the "Orders of Love" (Ordnungen der Liebe). When the excluded one returns to the system, the identification in the descendant falls away.