Enneagram

The Enneagram is a tool for the understanding and transformation of the personality. It offers a way of understanding yourself and others. It comes from an ancient system of personal development originally taught in the narrative tradition and bridges contemporary psychological insight with spiritual awareness.

The Enneagram system of personality states there are nine different versions of reality; nine different world views of how people and/or groups think, act, feel, and relate to each other. Each of us operates from a set of beliefs that determines our version of reality.

This set of beliefs—beliefs that we continue to develop throughout our early years—forms unconscious patterns that run our behaviors, thoughts, and feelings. Discovering the patterns that govern our reality and learning how they affect us in our daily life is an act of empowerment. Once we begin to notice our thoughts and feelings, we have true choice available to us rather than simply reacting to people and events. Having true choice increases our own creative response to life, to the world, and the people around us. It is this freedom of choice that heals our relationships with those we love.

Though there are many topologies of personalities, the Enneagram is the only system to predict the characteristics of the personality when we are in the states of “business as usual,” “stressed-out,” and “feeling relaxed.” The Enneagram can actually describe all three conditions for each of the nine different world views. Each of us experiences ourselves differently when we are going about our usual business versus stressed versus relaxed.

The other great gift of the Enneagram is what it teaches us about the “others” in our life. By studying and observing all nine types, we begin to see and experience others as they experience themselves—and not as we believe them to be. For this reason, the Enneagram is one of the most profound and compassionate approaches to people and their relationships.

For more information about the Enneagram, contact our office.