What's Out of Order Here?

„What makes this book special is the richness of the illustrations of how symptoms of illness embody concrete events in a family and how family constellations can bring this to light with a respect that allows symptoms to recede and disappear. As far as I am aware, this has never before been identified and illustrated so clearly. This book is a first class pioneering effort. Alongside new insights, it also details the concrete steps that have led to new and often surprising resolutions.“


Bert Hellinger



When a machine is out of order, we look for the broken part and attempt repairs. When something goes awry with the human mind, body and spirit, we need to look with a more holistic view for solutions. This book presents the experiences of a physician and psychotherapist who has gone far beyond the ‘parts repair’ approach to medical treatment to look not only at the whole person, but also the entire family system using the method of family constellations.

The book is comprised of two parts. The first is a basic explanation of the approach, which was first developed by Bert Hellinger. In the second part of the book, practical applications of the method are documented in a wide variety of case studies. Illness and symptoms are viewed in the context of larger systems, and constellations are used to identify disturbances and restore a more health-supporting order.

This report on the method of family constellations is a fascinating trip through theory and practice that offers a new concept of healing for lay readers as well as professionals.



The Authors:Ilse Kutschera, M. D., born in Vienna, Austria in 1936, studied medicine in Graz. She worked as a physician until 1998, when she retired from her position as head of a rehabilitation clinic to devote her time to her private psychotherapy practice. During her career, she had developed a keen interest in psychotherapy and trained in various approaches including primal therapy, transactional analysis, gestalt therapy, NLP and Bert Hellinger’s constellation work. This book is an expression of her interest in integrating psychotherapy and classical medicine.

Christine Brugger, born in Germany in 1962, is head of a radio station in the East Tyrol in Austria. Through her friendship with Dr Kutschera, she became interested in writing about constellation work in the medical field. The book is the result of many interviews, discussions and recorded case histories.