Knowing Field

Knowing Field (German wissendes Feld) is the central concept of the method of systemic constellations (German Familienaufstellung, #26), founded by Bert Hellinger (1925–2019).

The informational field of a system. It is the informational field of a family or organizational system manifesting through the bodies and sensations of the "representatives" (German Stellvertreter).

The Representative Phenomenon

The main observation. Participants of a constellation, unknown to the client, when placed in the position of members of his system begin to experience physical sensations, emotions and impulses that correspond to the real relationships in the family.

"Movements of the soul". Hellinger called this "movements of the soul" (Bewegungen der Seele) — spontaneous impulses arising in the representative.

Hypotheses of Explanation

The Knowing Field has no commonly accepted scientific explanation. Current hypotheses include:

• Morphogenetic fields — Rupert Sheldrake, Morphic Resonance, 1981
• The collective unconscious — Jung, Kollektives Unbewusstes
• Mirror neurons — contemporary neuroscience
• Extrasensory perception — parapsychological hypotheses

Scientific Status

Clinical practice vs RCTs. Clinical observation data are extensive, but RCTs (randomized controlled trials) are limited. The method works in practice but lacks strict experimental confirmation.