Enneagram is one of the most fascinating and accurate personality type maps. Even though it’s rooted in ancient Socrates wisdom, it is developed for the 21st century human conditions: integral, diverse, comprehensive and fluid.
Through a very comprehensive test, and with the help of an experienced Enneagram Coach, you can find your Enneagram Type. There are 9 main Types in Enneagram. Each type has Gifts, Fears, Ego Patterns, Wake Up calls, and most importantly Path of Growth. This is exactly what differentiates Enneagram with other personality type systems. Enneagram does not freeze you. It does not label you. Enneagram leads you to the path of transformation. Learning Enneagram will enable you to:
Mastering Enneagram can take decades. However, like almost anything else in life the path of a thousand miles starts with the first step! Enneagram is for anyone who is ready to do the work of self discovery and growth. It can eliminate misunderstandings and conflict in personal and professional life. It can assist a team to collaborate by moving beyond judgements. It can facilitate Human Resource professionals in hiring the right “ Type” for any position. Engaging in Enneagram is like triggering a REBIRTH! When was the last time you observed your blind spots? Love Afsaneh
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They met through work. Was it he, that was not a dating type or did she leave no crack in the door for someone to share her life with? Whatever the reason, even though they had been in the same circles for a couple of years they had never considered the possibly of “ going out”. Until that night. He asked her out to dinner at a colleague outing and she accepted. Three months later he moved in. Before six months he gave her a ring.
At the beginning everything seemed to be going on well. She worked full time. Took care of the house and the bills. Managed the shopping and cooking and, of course, the kids. After all, for this idealistic Type One, everything had to be done perfectly, just the way she wanted. It just made sense to move in together. It just made sense for one person to be in charge of grocery shopping. It just made real sense to be perfect. And manage everything perfectly. She had to make sure kids attend all the extra curriculum activities and had fresh cooked meal every night. How could she not take the opportunity to go back to school for her PHD. It was another step to be perfect, wasn’t it? She couldn’t even imagine turning down the invitation to sit at the board for her professional organization even though she was already on two other boards. This was life. She was in this world to give herself to “ causes”. She had to show everyone how things “ ought” to be. It all made sense! The wake up call Everything made sense until it didn’t work any more. Until she burned out. Until stress took over this Type One and pushed her into her lower levels. She was drowning herself in “ self obligation”. “ If I don’t take care of things around here no one will.” That realistic and extraordinarily wise person he had met at work, was gradually turned into a rigid and emotionally constricted workaholic being that he could no longer relate to. Nothing would make her happy. Nothing would live up to her expectations. Nothing could break that sense of pride. Frustration, criticism and complain was the anchor of every conversation. It was exhausting. To everyone, And more than others to herself. Five years into the relationship, the suppressed anger was too deep to handle. She had lived all her life with the fear of being chaotic, being condemnable. Having her feelings and impulses under control, without discussing them was a heavy burden to carry any longer. After all, there’s so much dissatisfaction one can handle. The voice of the inner critic murmuring in her ear nonstop was getting louder and louder. It was paralyzing. “ What happened? How did we get here?” Transformation Acceptance, of self and others, is the journey of transformation for a Type One. Asking oneself: How can I leave room for other possibilities? How can I take another’s perspective and consider it? What if I have done all I can? What if others are right as well? Description What do Tina Fey and Osama Bin Ladan have in common? Or perhaps George Bernard Shaw and Mahatma Ghandi? Or Nelson Mandela and Martha Stewart? Well, they are/were all idealistic, purposeful individuals. Principled, self controlled perfectionists. They were all Reformers, Type One Enneagrams. However their upbringing, society, culture and their levels of development, took them to very different paths. From the very healthy levels of bringing freedom and reform to a whole nation or industry, to the unhealthy levels of those who live their lives as an obsessive hypocrite or a punitive avenger. One thing they have in common, they believe“ It is MY JOB to get it done”. They believe they are the only ones who does everything “ the right way”. And they believe“ if not me then who”. Ones are born with an incredible power to discern the truth. They are, at their best, inspiring and hopeful individuals. Their reasonable and mature way of being can be a great asset when they are present. They live with dignity and give everything to make the truth be heard. ***** It’s crucial to remember, we all have all Nine Types in us. We are all capable of reaching the essence, the high quality of each Type. Bringing awareness, to all the emotions, the challenge, the sufferings and the qualities of each Type helps us n this path. Pause: How can I access the dualities of a Type One in me? How can I tap into the integrity that they bring to life? How can I let truth lead my life? If you are truly curious, visit https://www.enneagraminstitute.com Contact me with questions about books and references. “ I reviewed all the resumes you sent me. Thank you for including their Enneagram Type. Tell me more about Sandra. She seems to be a Type 9. We can surely benefit having a Peacemaker in the team.” The CEO confirmed.
“ Of course! I certainly agree. She’s a calm and level headed individual. Rather quiet. She strikes you as shy until she warms up. But I assure you, shyness is not something that would hold her back. She can tackle a problem integrally, from all angles, and come up with a solution in her wholesome manner. She’s definitely a great candidate for managing the team. She can bring the team together, as long as she doesn’t fall into her unhealthy levels and become a doormat.She’s not impulsive or forceful. She can make quick decisions. As long as there’s someone in the team that would put her solutions into action.” The HR replied. “ What do you mean by that?” She asked. “ Well, knowing what needs to be done is one thing and getting it done a totally different capacity. Under stress, or in lower levels of development Type 9s may restore to UN-DOING. Their tendency to keep things the way they are, can become a serious problem. They may get so stuck in not wanting to change anything that they would lose all sense of initiation. That’s when you notice “ Don’t Rock the Boat” becomes their slogan“. She added, “ I have to say, Sara doesn’t seem to have the drive, the passion or the energy to initiate or engage others. She would rather operate under the radar. She would probably be the last to leave the office and I am sure she will be detail oriented. I would like to think, she would do as much as possible herself just because she would not want to engage others or impose on others. That might become a problem in the long run. It can cause a burnout pretty quickly. Besides, as a team leader I think it’s important to have someone who knows when to say “No”, when to engage others, when to initiate and when to welcome change, ” The HR added. “ We should certainly keep our weekly meetings with her if she gets on board.” “ I see. As long as she is open to learning about her Enneagram Type and her patterns. As long as she’s curious, I would be willing to giver a chance.” Said the CEO. The wake up call Sandra was offered the job and her performance was off the chart. When given a task, she would dedicate herself to it and get it done at any cost. Until the cost became too high to handle. Her desire for peace of mind, leading her to avid any conflict or confrontation, pushed her into taking up too much responsibility. Soon, she was under so much stress that she feared she was becoming disconnected and cut off from everything. The extra effort she constantly put into maintaining her self image- the relaxed and stable, easygoing manager- was exhausting. Slowly but surely she lost willingness to engage with the team. She was not lazy but rather detached and unaffected by life and her surroundings. The wake up call hit her when she got home one day noticing that she hadn’t opened her mail for a month and hadn’t spent anytime attending to herself, yet, she had accepted petsitting for a friend who wanted to go on a date. She realized something had to change. Transformation Transformation is always possible. It starts with a wake up call that would lead to self observation. A Type 9 can drown her/himself in “ going along” to a point of forgetting who he/she is. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Self remembering is the journey of transformation for a Nine. Asking oneself: How can I take my place in the world? How can I make a difference? What if I am more powerful than I realize! Description Type Nine of the Enneagram, the Peacemaker, reminds us of how connected and united we are. At a healthy level, these individuals are genuinely nice people. They have a healing and calming influence. They bring harmony to their surroundings and they can certainly be great mediators. At their best, they are fully connected to Self and others. They are simple and unpretentious. In average levels, it’s hard for them to say “ no”. They become pleasing and fall into conventional roles. They “tune out” from reality and shove the problem under the rug. They are emotionally indolent and unwilling to exert themselves. They become unresponsive since they do not want to be affected. *** The question is, how can I develop myself to have access to the Nine in me? How can I develop the healthy qualities of this type in my life and take advantage of the genuine peace that is available to us all? What would be possible if I am more present, more connected and more united? If you are truly curious, visit https://www.enneagraminstitute.com Contact me with questions about books and references. I am asked repeatedly, why Enneagram? What differentiates Enneagram from other personality type tests?
My short answer is that because it works! To dive into a more serious answer let me ask you a few questions: Think about the last personality type test that you completed. What did you learn from it? How were you able to change your life based on the results? How did it affect your work? your relationships? What one thing were you able to improve? One of the aspects of Enneagram I fell in love with is that Enneagram does not simply label you or trap you into a personality type. Enneagram helps you find the personality type you were born with. Shows you the path of growth for your type as well as where your type moves to, under stress. Enneagram is the journey to wisdom. The pitfall is that, nothing happens without engaging with the work. Nothing happens just by reading a book. Knowledge is one thing. Applying that knowledge into every breath is the work of a real enneagram student. Finding presence, finding compassion for oneself and others, finding how to grow above the ego patterns that run our responses. Enneagram is an invitation to get your feet wet. Imagine if you
Imagine if Fear, Anger and Shame were not your demons. Enneagram is truly journey of self discovery for the early adopters that are curious enough to make a change. Where are you in your journey? Love Afsaneh Nov 2018 As soon as he tore the Christmas tree apart in a heated rage, remorse, that cold empty feeling he always tried hard too suppress, ran through his blood. Even before. Perhaps just as he lifted the tree he noticed it emerging. After all the intensity of that rage was short lived. But could he ever learn to hold it, rather than express it fiercely?
There was always a trigger, a minor disagreement, a comment or a feedback, sometimes even a gentle request that would initiate the eruption. It would tug at his heart, stripping him off the feeling of power and strength that he forcefully created for himself since childhood. He made sure he carried this intensity to every relationship, every connection. I am willful and confidant. And I don’t mind being confrontational if my aliveness is threatened. It was exhausting. Constantly, at every breath portraying an image: I am Powerful! The truth was that he was so deeply afraid of feeling empty and deprived of life that he couldn’t even imagine living without intensity. Losing power to him translated into being weak, being vulnerable, being dependent. Something he could not accept for himself. He had proved this to his adopted parents when he joined the marine at the age of seventeen. He made it clear at each construction job site. He left no room for his late wife to doubt it. And now, it was her. This woman who challenged him with her peaceful joy. Forcing his selfimage onto her was not easy. She could see beyond his actions. Right into his mind, heart and his body. The wake up call He had already pushed his luck far. Something in his heart told him that she would not take it any more. His need for intensity, his constant push was getting out of hand. He was facing the truth that she was not the only one who couldn’t take it anymore. His own kids had given up on him. As soon as they were legally allowed to make a decision they abandoned him. This constant struggle to push was tearing him apart from inside. Was this train ever coming to a halt? Wasn’t it time? Hadn’t he lost enough to his pseudo power? Transformation No one said it would come easy. But it was possible. He could see the light at the end of the tunnel. It didn't have to be this way. It was time to look inside and ask: Can I let down my guard a little bit? Can I allow my heart to be touched? What if I can find true confidence and strength? Description This is a story of a rather unhealthy type Eight I had the privilege of knowing. Watching him struggle was truly painful. Noticing the wake up call was life changing. Type Eight of the Enneagram, the Challenger, brings courage and confidence to our lives. At a healthy level, these individuals have learned to stand up for themselves, their right sand their beliefs and have a “ can do” attitude in life. The question is, how can I develop myself to have access to the Eight in me? How can I develop the healthy qualities of Eight in my life and take advantage of the magnanimous heart of an Eight? What would be possible if I am more present to the strong energy of the Eight? Surprise yourself! If you are truly curious, visit https://www.enneagraminstitute.com Contact me with questions about books and references. |
Afsaneh Abree
aabree@cornerstonstrategies.net
aabree@cornerstonstrategies.net