Subhan writes about a workshop module he has devised to explore the hidden roots that shape our behaviour, relationships and decisions (27+28 June 2026, San Marcos, CA)
Looking beneath the surface
This exploration has been happening for more than forty years! Again and again, I have found that much of what we think, feel and do is influenced by forces operating beneath our conscious awareness. To help bring these influences into the light, I work with two complementary approaches: Family Constellations and Inner Mind Systems.
Although they look at human experience from different angles, both approaches help us understand why we behave as we do and how deeply our conditioning has become woven into everyday life.
Family Constellations
My work with Family Constellations is based on the understanding that many of our struggles do not begin with us. They may have roots in our family system and even in experiences that occurred generations before we were born.
The foundations of this work can be traced to the family therapist Virginia Satir, although it became widely known through the work of Bert Hellinger, who developed Family Constellations as an experiential method for exploring family dynamics. Through role-play and systemic exploration, hidden loyalties, unresolved traumas and unconscious identifications can become visible.
I trained in Family Constellations with Dietrich Weth, a direct student of Hellinger, and have been facilitating this work for more than twenty years. During that time, I have also integrated many insights from Osho’s understanding of family conditioning. As a result, my approach differs somewhat from more traditional constellation work.
What continues to fascinate me is how strongly family influences remain active long after childhood. Many people discover that patterns they have struggled with for years are connected to dynamics within their family system. By seeing these patterns more clearly, it becomes possible to relate to them differently and, in some cases, to release them altogether.
Inner Mind Systems
The second approach I work with is something I call Inner Mind Systems.
Although I have given it this name, the understanding behind it is very old. It can be traced to Mahavir, who described what might be called a polypsychic mind. In other words, the mind is not one unified entity but a collection of different personalities, impulses and voices, many of which are in conflict with one another.
Osho spoke about this frequently, and in recent years Richard Schwartz has brought a similar understanding into contemporary psychotherapy through Internal Family Systems. My own approach also draws on insights familiar from Primal Therapy, including the inner child, the rebellious teenager, the critical parental voice and the rational mind.
We can observe this directly in our daily lives. One evening, we decide that tomorrow we will begin a diet. The intention seems clear and firm. But when tomorrow arrives, the voice that made the decision has disappeared, replaced by another voice that wants comfort food and immediate satisfaction. Or the opposite happens: one part wants pleasure, while another insists on discipline and control.
When we find ourselves caught in indecision, Inner Mind Systems suggests that at least two different parts are involved, each pulling in a different direction. Understanding this can bring a great deal of clarity. Instead of seeing ourselves as confused or inconsistent, we begin to recognise the different inner personalities that are competing for influence.
Bringing awareness to conditioning
Over the years, I have found that Family Constellations and Inner Mind Systems complement one another remarkably well. One helps us understand the conditioning we inherit from our family and ancestry. The other helps us recognise the different voices and personalities that operate within our own psyche.
Together, they provide practical ways to bring unconscious conditioning into awareness. And when something becomes conscious, the possibility for understanding, freedom and transformation begins to surface.
Family Constellations & Internal Mind Systems Workshop with Subhan & Shanti, 27+28 June 2026, Questhaven Retreat, 20560 Questhaven Rd, San Marcos, CA 92078, USA. More info: oshoniranjana.org
Video presentation: vimeo.com
Photo by June Hansen on Unsplash
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