International Association of Exorcists Reiterates Warning About the Risks of «Family Constellations»

(ZENIT News – Porta Luz / Santiago, Chile, 07.23.2026).- In a recently published statement, the International Association of Exorcists (IAE) reiterates its concerns regarding the alternative analysis and psychotherapy technique known as «Family Constellations.» Developed by German Bert Hellinger (1925-2019), whose technique, the Association warns, «has in no way been scientifically proven effective,” the practice involves content and aspects that raise serious concerns, and not only within the clinical sphere.

According to «Family Constellations,» individuals’ problems, difficulties, and illnesses are linked to the life experiences and destinies of past family members or the ethnic group to which they belong. «One immediately notices the presence of themes pointing to the world of magic and spiritism, elements assimilated by the technique’s creator through his contact with the African tribal context,» the IAE warns.

Hellinger was, in fact, a former Catholic priest and a missionary in South Africa, where he lived in contact with Zulu tribes, observing their customs, beliefs, and rites, particularly ancestor worship. Subsequent ecumenical and intercultural experiences led the German missionary not only to engage with native culture but also to align «his ideals» with the truths of the faith. Furthermore, the IAE notes, «Hellinger had also gravitated toward Theosophy, an esoteric and syncretic doctrine with Masonic ties, which aims for a universal brotherhood of mankind built upon a common religious foundation.»

The IAE recalls that, subsequently, due to his actions, Bert Hellinger was laicized; he «abandoned the Christian faith and dedicated himself to the study of psychoanalysis.» He then adopted the method of the American Virginia Satir and her «family sculptures,” an approach based, from a dynamic perspective, on group therapy involving individuals with shared problems and suffering. During the session, participants assume various postures and positions; through their interaction, they create a visual «sculpture» that serves as the basis for an assessment and the ensuing therapy. In practice, family members are asked to create a visual and spatial representation of their self-image (and of any stagnation in their relationships) by arranging their bodies in the space and directing their gazes toward one another.

In these group dynamics adopted by Hellinger, a person is chosen to represent a family member whom they do not actually know, yet who agrees to answer questions regarding personal issues and problems. These «actors» or «figures» even claim to express the same symptoms and feelings that the person they are «portraying» would have experienced, even if that person has passed away. This practice also draws upon the psychodrama of Jacob Levi Moreno; for Hellinger, it evoked Zulu ancestral spirituality and the role of the sangoma (shamans) who engage in practices akin to spiritism. Drawing on this information and experience, Hellinger created the «Family Constellations» method, a practice that sparks considerable questioning and criticism, the IAE notes.

Proponents of «Family Constellations» — the IAE continues in its critique –, seek to address what is deemed «out of place» or in violation of supposedly established norms. «They therefore propose the need to untangle ‘knots’ formed within families over generations, acting almost as if every human being carried within themselves data, information, and conditioning inherited from past lives. We are thus faced with claims that are as scientifically absurd as they are morally questionable,» the Association asserts.

In the «family constellation» technique, the patient presents the issue that concerns them, and the therapist (who directs or «facilitates» the session) asks for information regarding events in their family history, such as premature deaths, suicides, homicides, serious illnesses, previous marriages, children, or siblings. Based on this information, the patient is asked to select individuals from the therapeutic group — ideally people unfamiliar with their personal history –, to «represent» how the patient perceives the relationships at the core of their story (that is, their emotional experience).

Subsequently, guided by the reactions of these representatives (acting as improvisational actors), the therapist steers the process, whenever possible, toward a resolution in which everyone occupies a position that makes them feel at ease within the family system that forms the focus of the therapy.

However, the IAE questions this, noting that «this technique is based on a flawed concept and bears strong analogies, in terms of both content and perspective, to the spiritism practiced according to the animist conception.» Indeed, as a Brazilian spiritist explained — cited by Miraglia Zani in a paper presented at a conference on the subject [1], from which we draw extensive excerpts for this note –«The family is a constellation in which the father is the sun, the mother is the moon, and the children are the stars revolving around this group. Other relatives are asteroids.» It is worth noting the use of language rich in «astral» metaphors. In essence, everything that occurs in life and affects us, including events experienced by our ancestors, can misalign these «constellations,» causing problems and suffering; for this reason, the so-called «energy» present in families and generations must be «realigned.» The technique is by no means harmless and proves decidedly invasive on a moral level. Hellinger asserts that the method’s effectiveness stems from the «communion of souls» existing between the «actor» and the person being represented, even if they do not know each other; this occurs because energy can «flow» between them. «The recurring concept of energy invoked in this method points us directly to the New Age universe and its magical-esoteric implications,» the IAE clarifies.

Persuasion techniques, mental suggestion, and induction, the IAE notes, constitute a potent mix of alternative psychotherapy and animist or pseudo-mystical doctrines. In this context, the «actors» are influenced by their own inner state and claim to be connected to the «soul» or «energy» of the people they represent. «The real risk arising from this scenario is the introduction to a New Age worldview, in which concepts such as reincarnation and the transmission of guilt and suffering down the family tree, creating a line of continuity between past, present, and future generations, place the ‘constellations’ technique within an initiatory framework. This can lead to situations of grave moral and spiritual danger,» the International Association of Exorcists points out.

The IAE concludes by citing Monsignor Miraglia Zani’s exhortation and analysis regarding this matter: «We Christians should not compromise with realities of this kind. Beyond giving thanks to God, we have many other ways to work within the Catholic Church in an appropriate and balanced manner, both on a spiritual level (spiritual direction) and on a medical level (therapies approved by national medical and psychological associations). Otherwise, we run the risk of becoming entangled in spiritist practices, thereby opening the door to the extraordinary action of the devil.»