In the three short years since the publication in English of Love's Hidden Symmetry, Bert Hellinger has traveled light years toward an even greater understanding of the intricacies of relationship and resolution. Love's Own Truths represents another important milestone in the search. For readers, the book is a compass left at the side of the road. We can leave it there -- afraid that we may have to change course -- or we can pick it up to see where it directs us.

Hellinger describes Love's Own Truths as a fundamental statement of his approach. And for those who know him, clearly this was no small task. The approach -- practical, improbable, complex, and simple -- cannot be easily described. It must be "seen."

First, the verbatim transcripts of three powerful workshops allow access to the various ways in which fragments of the life force puzzle can break apart or come together over generations. Time and again, feelings of distress can be traced to disconnects in the family system and the deeply subconscious attempts of other parts of the system -- whether one or many family members -- to put things back in balance. Readers will discover many opportunities to unlock new perspectives in their own healing process as they stand alongside the workshop participants.

Second, explanations of the therapeutic linchpins that hold this approach together, even when all hell is breaking loose, help readers grasp what is happening, especially in the family constellations, when the healing movements are subtle or seemingly obscure. Pivotal are the discussions of the resumption and completion of previously interrupted movements by a young child toward the mother or father.

Third, Bert Hellinger describes in detail the "inner posture" that both gives meaning to and draws meaning from what he calls phenomenological psychotherapy. Given the chance, the congruence between the posture and the process gives power to the resolutions that are revealed so that they may be dependable and enduring.

The inclusion of several of Hellinger's teaching stories adds yet another dimension to the reading. We quickly realize that some points are made stronger when they are lifted out of the immediate context, which may be emotionally charged and distracting. A master storyteller, Hellinger's gentleness and humor come through very clearly. The closing interview -- or conversation between friends -- offers another opportunity to understand the work on a different level and to see the man behind it through a new lens. Here, after being the subject of so much debate, Hellinger has the chance to express his views in an open and intellectually generous forum.

At one point, in speaking about death, Hellinger says, " I respect and trust reality more than I trust our human illusions about it, and this may seem hard to some people. To me, it is humility and a very deep, basic trust in what actually is." Love's Own Truths: A compass to help guide us to "what actually is" across many dimensions -- because it's there that healing can begin.

伯特·海灵格（Bert Hellinger），海灵格的一生相当传奇，年轻时是天主教神父，曾经在非洲祖鲁族地区居住20年，之后接受心理分析、完形疗法、原始疗法及交流分析等训练。他发现很多个案皆跨越数代并涉及家族其他成员，进而发展出“家庭系统排列”的许多新洞见与新技巧。海灵格的家庭系统排列是一种深入心灵的治疗方法，在国际上已赢得了高度的肯定；他的数十本著作在德国极为畅销，已被翻译为多种文字在全世界出版。他受邀至世界各国指导研习，教过无数的学生，包括大学教授、医生、辅导老师、社工人员、企业顾问、成长团体等，很多人正把他的心得在世界各地分享。

霍宝莲，1959年生于香港，20世纪80年代毕业于教会学院社会学系，其后从事惩教服务工作。霍女士于1986年移—德国，在德国Essen大学攻读社会工作系，获得欧洲认可的社会工作者资格，目前正从事家庭服务工作，并主持跨文化沟通训练课程（intercultural training）。在德国进行了两年的海灵格家庭及组织系统排列工作。