What are Identity Constellations and IoPT ?

Claiming who we are so we live, love and create the life we want.

The IoPT constellation process of self-encounter and resonance helps heal the splits in our psyche from early trauma and survival which we still embody and hold until we have seen and reintegrated them. We access the unconscious parts of ourselves through resonance work. Understanding more about our inner world and the emotional trauma we hold in our bodies which plays out unconsciously in our anxieties, pathologies and destructive behaviour is vital right now to keeping us well. IoPT brings a self-knowing where more focus, creativity and sense of who you are in the world is essential. It brings healthier autonomy and intimacy in how we are in our relationships with loved ones, family, friends and colleagues. We may also experience physical health boosting the immune system and releasing embodied stress and anxiety.

What is Identity Trauma Therapy ? IoPT*

Do you find yourself anxious in certain social situations, not sure of yourself, sometimes disconnected from others? Do you question your life and what you want for yourself and in a relationship ? Do you feel true to yourself or find yourself being what others expect of you ? Do you see yourself repeating the same old patterns with your partners, children and family ?

Through somatic resonance using a Personal Intention for the process, we look at pre-birth, birth and infant relational trauma and how we adapted to survive and keep in relation to our primary carers, especially our mother. We see, understand and feel these parts of ourselves in an identity constellation.

Trauma is held in the body and resolving it helps us keep healthy physically, psychologically and in relationship to others. Preverbal trauma affects our psychoneuroimmunoendocrinal network and the IoPT* method in focusing on subtle body movement and emotional expression offers a process to help us see, feel and reintegrate the spilts in our psyche as a result of emotional trauma.

Pre-birth, birth or early attachment trauma, multi-generational trauma and patterns of survival within our families and culture affect who we are. IOPT helps us to see how we are affected and the survival structures we create to adapt and cope. These survival structures can be healthy but also can be obstructive to seeing who we truly are and who we may be.

In 1:1 sessions, by working with an Intention in a resonance process, we become aware of the healthy, trauma and survival parts of ourselves. Step by step we gently integrate these parts, freeing ourselves to make informed choices and to relate differently to those we love.

Identity-oriented Psychtrauma Therapy (IoPT) is a method of self-encounter using Personal Intention. It is continually being developed by Professor Franz Ruppert (Professor of Psychology, Munich University of Applied Sciences ) and the wider international community.

Identity Therapy can help you with personal issues around:

Identity – True and Constructed – Who you are and what you want.
Life transitions
Family or relationship
Parenting or as a carer
Health or illness / medical treatment recovery issues
Prenatal, birth and early childhood attachment / trauma issues
Your work, business or organisation
A social, intercultural or community issue.

How does the IoPT process work ?

In a 1:1 in-person / online session, you come with a self-enquiry – something you want to understand about yourself.

You form an intention for your workwhich feels right for you. This may be a sentence or images.

For example, “I want to value myself more” “Why can’t I start my business ?” “I want to explore my migraines.”

You write the words of the Intention to commit and guide you.

You choose 2 or 3 words important to you and use markers to represent them. When you connect with the words you will experience physical sensation, emotions and thoughts – this is resonance. As you continue, you will begin to see the split parts of yourself in the resonances and how they work against or resource each other.

In this process you begin to understand, feel and connect with the healthy, traumatised and surviving parts of yourself, even if in just small steps at first. You may experience a sense of energy shift – you feel freed or lighter- some trauma energy released, parts of yourself beginning to connect differently, an altered understanding. A sense you are integrating splits within you. This may also not occur until days or weeks after the IOPT process.

This work is a step by step approach to finding more about yourself and the way you relate to others in a safe, sensitive way, well-held by an experienced facilitator.

You can use small felts or pebbles or playmobil and resonate with them. You may also chosse to use post-it notes for the words attaching them to you as you get information from each part.

How safe is the IoPT process work ?

I work online with a clear contract and confidentially within the ethical guidelines of my profession. For myself in my own process I find the method of IoPT holds a safe way of working with trauma. Why? Research from Lund University shows:

The way of facilitating was non-intrusive
The client was in the driver’s seat and would only steer where s/he was able to go
No solution came from the facilitator
The clients owned their process

I have worked 1:1 online for eight years doing IoPT and run online / in-person workshops for12 years as a constellation therapist.

IoPT (identity-oriented psychotrauma theory & therapy) is a process developed by Professor Franz Ruppert (Psychology. Munich University) and the extended community of practitioners worldwide. This work helps us explore who we truly are and what we want in life, bringing healthy relationships with our partners, friends and family. It looks specifically at pre-birth, birth and infant relational trauma and how it affects our who we are, how we are triggered and the survival structures we create to adapt and cope. These survival structures can be healthy but also can be obstructive to seeing who we truly are and who we may be.

“Kate is a thoughtful, empathic facilitator who creates a safe and generous space for deep work. The constellation process is firmly with the autonomy of the client, yet facilitating this process requires fine navigation. Kate’s experience of facilitating and doing her own personal work gives her the skills for this subtle navigation and support. I look forward to working with her in the future.”

JF / participant at the April HOVE workshop

“Kate’s natural empathy and deep compassion help to create a safe space in which participants feel truly supported. Her obvious understanding of the human psyche enables the process to unfold with a holding of the emotions and issues that often arise.”

PAJ / Homoeopath and Natural Health Practitioner

Facebook: @identitytraumatherapy