The Power Of The Enneagram
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Discovering the personality system called the Enneagram in 2006 has been the greatest gift of my life. Everything that works well in my life, I owe it to understanding myself and others through this lens, and to the healing work that I have done thanks to the guidance of this tool.
Needless to say, the Enneagram has become a central part of my life. I don’t think that an hour passes by without me observing myself through what I know about my Enneagram Type. The Enneagram and the transformation that it facilitated in me is what prompted me to shift from a 20-year career in science to a one dedicated to human development. After getting certified as an Integral Coach, I eventually became a Certified Enneagram Teacher in the Narrative Tradition, and over the years I have shared the Enneagram with people from all walks of life.
The self-awareness, self-understanding, and understanding of others that became possible for me… I want to make all of this accessible to anyone who wants these gifts for themselves and the people they care about. Since 2018, I have worked with Enneagram Prison Project to bring the Enneagram into as many jails and prisons as possible, and it’s been incredible to witness the transformation that is possible when incarcerated people start to understand themselves, and why they do what they do.
Why is the Enneagram so powerful?
The Enneagram describes 9 Personality Types organized in a symbol that is pretty much a map of human personality structures. Compared to other valuable personality systems, the Enneagram goes several steps deeper: beyond describing your personality, it describes the deep patterns that run our belief system, our emotional tendencies and our behaviors. When we believe that we have free will and that we make choices, the reality is that we’re actually run by deep programming inside our nervous system and psyche. Part of this programming is very useful and actually necessary: it allows us to survive complicated situations by making us react quickly and efficiently. On the other hand, being run by an autopilot limits us greatly in our capacity for making real, value-based, choices, in our ability to form and sustain healthy relationships, and in becoming more resourceful and wise.
In addition to describing these patterns, the Enneagram also reminds us that we’re actually not our personality. When other systems tend to keep us within a “label”, and use the label to tell us what we should do with our life, the Enneagram tells us that we’re meant to leave the box that we have unconsciously stuck ourselves in. We’re meant to embrace the wholeness of who we are, and access the gifts and resources of the other eight types. We’re meant to be free!
How to get started?
There are several ways to get started, from reading a book to attending a workshop. A typical starting place for people who are getting interested in the Enneagram is trying to find their type. Tests are everywhere, and a good place to start, but they also tend to be inaccurate - yes, even the best ones like the RHETI offered by the Enneagram Institute, and that I recommend as first choice. Nevertheless, tests can help you narrow the nine options down to three or four, and your correct type could very well be within these few options.
Another great way to get started is to do a Type Exploration with a certified Enneagram Teacher. This will involve doing an interview where you will be asked a lot of questions to figure out which types you resonate most with. Because there is a back-and-forth with a facilitator who knows the system and the types very well, you’re much more likely to be guided to the correct type, or at least to your two most likely options.
What comes next?
And with that said, finding our type is truly just the beginning. Type is just a label. The power of the Enneagram is rooted in what we do once we know our type. Blossoming in the gifts or our type and freeing ourselves from ingrained patterns can only be achieved through ongoing self-observation with plenty of self-compassion. When we make contact with our contractions in full presence and acceptance, something magical happens over time: the pattern releases its grip, and we get a bit more spaciousness around our automatic habits. From that expansiveness, we get access to more of our inner resources, and therefore become able to make real choices on how to respond to life. This ability to make choices is true freedom.
Once we’re exploring our Enneagram Type with sincerity, a solid path of personal development can open up. Plenty of books are now available, with advice for each type. Enneagram coaches and therapists offer a customized support for greater specificity and efficiency. As an Integral Coach who is also an Enneagram Teacher, I love blending the two methodologies to help my clients get maximum results.
I’d be delighted to support you in discovering your type and design your next steps. Please contact me if you’d like to do an Enneagram Type Exploration with me. If you’re already a bit further on your path, consider working with me through an Enneagram coaching program. You will wonder why you didn’t get started earlier!
In the meantime, here are some of my favorite Enneagram resources:
