Frieder Pfrommer, systemic child and adolescent psychotherapist, Rottenburg, on the occasion of the Barcamp working groups at the DGSF (German Society for Systemic Therapy, Counselling and Family Therapy) symposium on further education and training issues from March 17–18, 2024 in Fulda with the topic: “Systemic therapy: further training fit for the future 2035 !?!”
From the perspective of prenatal psychotherapy, it is assumed that the embodiment of human life takes place at least from the time of conception and that the experiences — both positive and negative — are stored in the so-called cellular knowledge (1) and can have an epigenetic effect (2).
Not only the circumstances and attitudes at the time of conception are important for psychosomatic development, but also those at the time of implantation, the discovery of the pregnancy, the decision to undergo prenatal diagnostics (NIPT — blood tests, ultrasound, amniocentesis) and the decision for or against an abortion.
Essential questions such as “Am I welcome in this world?”, “Will I have a safe place? ” (in utero, in the family and in extended social systems?) and “Can I belong?”, “Will I be seen and heard with what I have to say?” are always relevant for successful processes, especially at the respective transitions, e.g. at birth and afterwards, entry into daycare, kindergarten, elementary school, secondary school, puberty, vocational training, etc. (3).
The experiences from the early days can therefore be seen and reconstructed during later transitions. Both at the individual level and at the family level, the ability to self-organize, self-regulate and co-regulate is required.
From this perspective, the pre‑, peri- and postnatal areas are also important for people working systemically. Previously established interfaces are the dynamics of development from the diad to the triad, i.e. from the couple to the parent and family level, one of the so-called natural crises in the life cycle according to Virginia Satir. The events surrounding conception, pregnancy and birth also play a well-known role in the consideration of transgenerational processes in family reconstruction and in work with the genogram.
This is because the formation and development of the oocytes (oogenesis) of the first generation takes place during the 5th and 12th week of pregnancy of the maternal grandmother, i.e. the 3rd generation (4), and is epigenetically influenced by her life circumstances.
In play, children process their mostly unconsciously emerging themes, such as the joy of being discovered when hiding, building caves or searching for tunnels, etc. (5). In the therapeutic practice of parent, toddler and baby therapy, lasting changes in the bonding behavior of parents and child often become apparent in the play about a “re-experienced birth” (6).
Other areas that systemic workers are increasingly confronted with are traumatic births and the consequences of artificial insemination, surrogacy etc. for parents and children. Therefore, in my opinion, it would be important that in the future a place be given in the continuing education curricula of systemic therapy and counseling to dealing with these topics in theory, methodology and practice. With this in mind, I would like to mention a quote from Virginia Satir from 1989 (7):
“Before I leave this world, one of the things
that I wish the whole world knew about,
that human contact through the connection of skin,
eyes and the sound of the voice. These are the things,
that we were taught before we had words. The Art,
in which our parents touched us as they looked at us,
how her voice sounded, it’s all stored in us.”
Literature excerpt:
(5) Brönner Kola, Thurmann Ilka-Maria, Healing the beginning. Pre- and perinatal (play) therapy, (2021) Mabuse.Verlag
(2) Bolten, M., Nast, I., Skrundz, M., Stadler, C., Hellhammer, D. H., & Meinlschmidt, G. (2013). Prenatal programming of emotion regulation: Neonatal reactivity as a differential susceptibility factor moderating the outcome of prenatal cortisol levels. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 75(4), 351–357.
Eickhorst, A., Röhrbein, A.: Systemic methods in family counseling and therapy,
Göttingen: 2019, Vandenhoeck&Ruprecht Verlag
(2) Elbert, Meyer et al.: “Transgenerational impact of intimate partner violence on methylation in the promoter of the glucocorticoid receptor”
Evertz, K. / Janus, L. / Linder R. (eds.) Textbook of prenatal psychology ( 2014) Heidelberg, Mattes Verlag
(2) Glover, V., O’Donnell, K. J., O’Connor, T. G., & Fisher, J. (2018). Prenatal maternal stress, fetal programming, and mechanisms underlying later psychopathology — A global perspective. Development and Psychopathology, 30(3), 843–854.
(3) Groot Bramel, Regina: Transitions: How we accompany children through them. (2017) Ibbenbüren, Klaus Münstermann Publishing House
Janus, L (ed.): The prenatal dimension in psychotherapy, (2013) Heidelberg, Mattes Verlag
(6) Käppeli, Klaus, Die Schule, Geburts- und Lebensraum des Kindes, (2018) Heidelberg, Mattes Verlag
(2) Lipton, B.H.: Intelligente Zellen, wie Erfahrungen unsere Gene steuern, (2006) Burgrain, KOHA-Verlag
(3) Miller, Karen: Handbücher für die frühkindliche Bildung/ Bedeutsame Übergänge für Kinder von 0–3 Jahren, (2013) Braunschweig, Westermann-Verlag
Stachowske, R.: Leben ist Begegnung: Systemische Therapie und Beratung, (2016) Kröning, Asanger Verlag
(4) https://flexikon.doccheck.com/de/Oogenese 03.04.2024 17:05
(7) https://www.landsiedel.com/at/nlp-bibliothek/virginia-satir.html 03.04.2024 18:53