ENNEAGRAM

The Enneagram is a powerful tool for personal and collective transformation.

ENNEAGRAM

“The Enneagram is a powerful tool for personal and collective transformation. It stems from the Greek words ennea (nine) and grammos (a written symbol). The Enneagram represents nine distinct strategies (also known as core personality types), for relating to the self, others and the world. Each type has a different pattern of thinking, feeling and acting that arises from a deeper inner motivation or worldview. We are not JUST our Type. We remain as unique as our fingerprints. But learning about these core patterns fosters greater understanding through a universal language that transcends gender, religion, nationality, and culture.” It is extraordinarily precise.

Type 1: The Perfectionist/Perfector/Reformer

Type 2: The Giver/Helper

Type 3: The Performer/Achiever

Type 4: The Romantic/Individualist

Type 5: The Observer/Investigator

Type 6: The Loyal Skeptic

Type 7: The Epicure/Enthusiast

Type 8: The Protector/Boss/Challenger

Type 9: The Mediator/Peacemaker

Imagine that you have always been in a round room with several windows, but there are filters that cut you off from being aware of all but one window. You see out to an ocean past smooth green landscape. You have no concept or belief that the world beyond the view you can see might be radically different. Now, if you had been given a different window facing another direction, from which you saw a big city and busy roads, you would be utterly convinced that was the whole world. And so on. It could be forests, rolling hills etc. This analogy translates to how our fundamental concepts of reality and ‘common sense’ can be so radically different between our different personalities. It’s a major reason we have conflict with others and why we struggle to potentiate ourselves fully. There are things about which we do not know that we do not know.

Now in reality, there are not just nine windows. The windows represent just our core personality. We still differ from each other in such a myriad of ways that keep us as unique as our fingerprints. Understanding the core however is the key to bringing about the most understanding and transformation because it drives how our deepest challenges and most special gifts manifest.

The Enneagram helps you explore ever-deepening personal and/or professional development. Coaching adds a dynamic path to growth into our fullest, most positive and unique potential. You can transcend your type to embrace more views and gifts.

In terms of relationships, you will see that underneath all the ‘crazy-making’ ideas of what we humans think we should want, to fulfill our needs, and the defense mechanisms used to express or protect our needs, we have a way to pull together for we share a great commonality: At root, we are all trying to get to the same things for ourselves: Acceptance, Approval (Value) and Appreciation. 

For further information, here are two of the foremost, authentic sources.

https://www.enneagramworldwide.com/the-enneagram/ under The Narrative Enneagram founded by Helen Palmer and David Daniels, M.D.

https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/ under The Enneagram Institute founded by Don Riso and Russ Hudson

The Enneagram is based on a vast body of knowledge built upon from ancient times, becoming accessible in the West after it was matched with modern psychology.  Its value differs from previously developed systems in the analogy of how an MRI would differ from an X-ray.

Because it is both powerful and easy to use, it is increasingly popular internationally. The first International Enneagram Association meeting was held at Stanford University in 1994. A major proponent was David Daniels, M.D. Stanford University Medical School. It is used by individuals and organizations, at home and at work. Among individual users is former President Barack Obama. It is used by Fortune 500 companies, and the film industry for more accurate portrayals. Among the organizations using it are “the Walt Disney Company, Silicon Graphics, Kaiser Permanente Research Center, The Federal Reserve Bank, the CIA and Rational Software. In the legal field, it is used in jury selection, the development of legal arguments, the development of teams to represent specific clients, mediation, leadership in law firms, and relationships between lawyers.”