Johanna Touzel — Systemic & Strategic Practitioner based in Brussels
Why the same problems keep repeating in your relationships, work or family life
Johanna Touzel — Systemic & Strategic Practitioner
You may have tried to talk, to explain, to adjust your behaviour.
And yet, the same situations seem to come back.
In your relationship.
At work.
In your family.
With your children.
Not always in the same way —
but with the same underlying tension.
Everyday situations that keep repeating
This may look like:
the same argument returning in your relationship
tensions with a colleague or manager that never really resolve
family dynamics that feel stuck or exhausting
situations with your child that escalate again and again
a recurring feeling that “something is off”, without clear explanation
These are not isolated problems.
They tend to follow a pattern.
Why trying harder doesn’t change the situation
In most cases, the natural response is to try more:
explain more clearly
make more effort
adapt your behaviour
find better solutions
But when a situation is structured in a certain way,
these attempts can actually keep it in place.
Not because they are wrong —
but because they operate within the same system.
Repetition is not random
When a situation keeps repeating, it is usually not a coincidence.
It reflects:
a pattern in the interaction
a position you are holding in the situation
dynamics that have stabilised over time
sometimes, patterns that have been present for much longer
This is why understanding alone is often not enough to create change.
A different way to approach the problem
I am Johanna Touzel, a systemic and strategic practitioner.
My work is based on a systemic and strategic approach.
Rather than focusing only on what you feel or think,
we look at how the situation actually functions.
This allows us to identify:
what maintains the pattern
where the system is locked
what kind of shift can create movement
A focused 3-session process
The work is structured over three sessions:
Session 1 — Clarify the situation and identify the pattern
Session 2 — Systemic intervention (including constellations when relevant)
Session 3 — Integration after a period of 21 days
This short-term format is designed to create real movement,
not just temporary relief.
If you are looking for a structured way to work on this, you can learn more about my approach here →
Sessions in Brussels, Leuven and Overijse
I work with clients across Brussels and its surrounding areas.
Sessions take place:
in Brussels
in Leuven
in Overijse
or online
This makes the process accessible whether you live or work in the Brussels region, Leuven, or the wider Brabant area.
Why situations keep repeating: a systemic perspective
When the same situation comes back again and again,
it is often tempting to look for a cause within yourself — or within the other person.
But in many cases, the issue does not lie in one individual.
It lies in the interaction.
From cybernetics to human relationships
The word cybernetics comes from the Greek kybernētēs — the pilot.
It refers to a simple but powerful idea:
systems regulate themselves through feedback.
In the mid-20th century, researchers from different fields — mathematics, psychiatry, anthropology, engineering — explored how systems evolve, stabilise, or escalate.
One key insight emerged:
causality is not linear — it is circular.
A influences B, and B influences A in return.
We are always part of a loop.
From the individual to the interaction
This perspective was later applied to human relationships, notably through the work of Gregory Bateson and the Palo Alto school.
The shift was decisive:
- the problem is not only within a person
- it is within the interaction between people
In everyday life, this can look like:
a conversation that always turns into the same argument
a tension at work that keeps escalating
a family dynamic that never really changes
a situation with a child that repeats despite different attempts
Why doing more often doesn’t work
In these situations, most people try to improve things by:
explaining more
adapting more
making more effort
But when a system is structured in a certain way,
these attempts can unintentionally reinforce the pattern.
- not because they are wrong
- but because they operate within the same loop
Changing the loop, not the person
A systemic approach focuses on the structure of the interaction.
Instead of asking:
“What is wrong with me?”
the question becomes:
“What is happening between us — and how is it maintained?”
Even a small, precise shift in the interaction
can change the entire dynamic.
This is the basis of the work I do in a short, focused format.
Not to analyse endlessly,
but to identify the pattern and introduce a shift that creates movement.
Systemic & Strategic Practitioner
Leuven - Overijse - Online