Enneagram
TOOL FOR SELF-DISCOVERY
Enneagram is a helpful tool in our journey toward self-awareness, authenticity, and wholeness.
What’s it about?
Enneagram is an ancient personality typing system that identifies nine different types of people and how each type uniquely perceives and relates to the world. In my opinion, the Enneagram differs from other personality typing systems in that it digs deeper into exploring each type’s inner world, including core motivation (the why behind the pattern), strengths and challenges, and defense mechanisms. More importantly, the Enneagram is a tool that can be used to grow out of our personality type pattern and into our most authentic self.
From cover story to whole story. The Enneagram helps us to make sense of the “cover story” we have been living since childhood – who we thought we needed to be in order to feel loved, safe, and/or in control. But our personality type is not who we truly are. Once we understand our cover story, we can start our journey to live beyond the containers of that story. We can begin to explore who we are at the core, the essential self God created each of us to be as one-and-only expression of His beauty, goodness, and truth.
Integrating the Enneagram
Individuals
Using the Enneagram typing process to discover your type and grow into your most authentic self.
Couples
Using the Enneagram to better understand each other and journey together toward wholeness.
Groups
Using the common language of the Enneagram to discover that you’re not alone and find support.
Enneagram and Therapy
So how do Enneagram and psychotherapy mix together? The Enneagram is not a model of therapy on its own, but it can be applied to any treatment model. The Enneagram helps the therapist to better understand their client’s worldview – how they see and relate to the world. The Enneagram is a helpful tool to identify one’s core beliefs/motives, defense mechanisms, and psychological habits. By identifying these layers, we can begin the process of uncovering one’s essential self, including their hidden strengths and gifts. Often times, what once was a survival tool is the very thing that now causes suffering for oneself and others. The goal of psychotherapy is to learn how to let go of the survival tools (cover story), in order to live out of one’s essential self without fear (whole story). The Enneagram provides a language to explore this process in a natural, compassionate way.
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