The Enneagram has been called the spiritual seeker’s Myers Briggs, and is used by millions of people around the world as a psychological tool, a vehicle for mapping the ego, and to aid in one’s spiritual growth. The word the Greek words, ennea (nine) and grammos (something written or drawn) and refers to the symbol of a nine-pointed diagram, usually within a circle. It has elements of Kabbalah, Sufism, Buddhism, Christianity, Taoism, ancient Babylonian and Egyptian principles. The Iliad and the Odyssey are even purported to be about the 9 types or 9 distinct spiritual journeys of man.
The basic personality typing of the Enneagram has been in corporations such as AT&T,
Sony, Toyota, and Boeing where they’ve applied it’s principles as a communication tool, to assist them with managing and hiring employees, for conflict resolution, and much more. Most Enneagram authorities believe in nature over nurture as the determining factor in which type you live your life by. Our type becomes our default personality similar to an operating system in our computers. This operating system then filters how we perceive the world, how we behave, what we are motivated by, how we pursue happiness, and what we avoid to make us feel secure in the world. Some say that it is the way in which you learned to cope as a child with your separation from God.
By having some self-awareness through the Enneagram we not only discover what box we are in already but we then are presented with an opportunity to dismantle that box. When we know what our filters are we are free to become more objective about what we are experiencing in any one moment in our lives. The goal is not to transcend the ego but to actively engage it in order to change. It’s important to note that we all carry the 9 types within us and through self-actualization we become more balanced can then achieve the greatest potential for our individual type. There is no hierarchy in the numbers meaning that no one type is better than another although being human, our minds will tend to judge them as such.
Although the Enneagram is a very accurate system of typography there are many variables including wings (sub-dominate types), instincts, and individual differences that make the Enneagram the most dynamic of all typology methods.The Enneagram’s insights can be processed effectively and transformed beautifully with the
use of EFT. Even if you are born into the world (as the Enneagram authorities presuppose) with a dominant nature, I find that life experiences buttress your unique perceptual reality. An example would be a person who is a type 1 who was born into an alcoholic family where being perfect became a coping mechanism. Another might be a type 8 person who attracts one emotionally unavailable lover after another.
In my work with clients I never want to assess anyone’s type for them as it is much more
empowering to have them discover for themselves what dominate type they are. For this I
recommend the RHETI test available free online on various sites including mine.
Here are some of the labels used for each of the types followed by some suggested EFT set-
up phrases to assist each one.
#1 Perfectionist/Reformer/Critic
Even though I struggle to consistently improve myself and find it challenging to relax, I deeply and profoundly accept the way I am right now.
Even though feel all this internal pressure and have to earn my rewards, I choose to pay
closer attention to my wants and passions.
Even though I feel all this pain because the world isn’t perfect, I choose to begin accepting that everyone has a unique path, and their own perspectives which add diversity and richness to the world.
#2 Giver/Cheerleader/Helper
Even though I am afraid to say no to others, I choose to be more selective and know that I can tend to myself first without losing their love.
Even though I feel ashamed and guilty that I have needs and wants of my own, I choose to practice asking for what I desire.
Even though I feel others owe me for how much I give, I choose to give in more limited ways and accept that giving and receiving occur in a natural balance.
#3 Performer/Achiever/Winner
Even though I am scared of failure, I choose to focus on all my past mistakes that have lead to great understand and lessons learned.
Even though I believe that if I work hard and charge impulsively ahead I can resolve anything, sometimes it’s best to let go, be patient, and wait for the Universe to show me the best way.
Even though I feel I have to over “do” in areas of my life, I love and accept myself and others do to not for what I do but for just “being” me.
#4 Romantic/Depth Seeker/Individualist
Even though I feel rejected and abandoned when I don’t receive enough attention,
sometimes I can misinterpret actions by others.
Even though I get bored with mundane day-to-day living, I choose to see the ordinary as
magical and focus my attention on being and appreciating living in the present moment.
Even though I suffer so much when things go wrong, I choose to practice the art of being
neutral- sometimes bad situations lead to good outcomes.
#5 Observer/Thinker/Investigator
Even though it has served me to be in control and logical, I choose to see that the illogical/ irrational side of life has its place as well.
Even though I’m afraid of my feelings and my body sometimes, I choose to pay attention to its wisdom and can actually begin to feel supported by it.
Even though I am afraid to vulnerable in relationships, I choose to cultivate love and begin by loving and accepting myself.
#6 Loyalist/Questioner/Guardian
Even though I feel anxious and need to feel safety and security, I deeply and profoundly love and accept myself.
Even though I am scared to make the wrong decision, I choose to jump off the cliff sometimes and dive in for the sake of learning from the experience.
Even though it’s hard to let go of the past by trust myself and others, I choose to practice
radical forgiveness of myself and others.
#7 Epicure/Optimist/Enthusiast
Even though I don’t have patience and I am impulsive, I choose to explore things that take time and considerable effort by working on my underlying fears.
Even though I feel uncomfortable listening to the suffering of others, I choose to develop more empathy and greater listening skills.
Even though am scared to acknowledge the negative side of life, my life is richer and more meaningful by experiencing the whole gamut of emotions.
#8 Director/Powerhouse/Challenger
Even though I feel all of this anger and freely express it, I choose to explore the other softer emotions that it might be masking.
Even though I am angry when others are weak, unavailable, or inattentive, I love and accept myself without prejudice.
Even though I am not comfortable losing control by not being a leader, I can learn a lot by
being a follower too.
#9 Peacemaker/Accomodator/Mediator
Even though I am afraid to act, I procrastinate often, I choose to look at the fears behind my inability to move forward.
Even though I hate conflict and avoid anger, anger can serve to show me what’s important to me, and I choose to pay attention to it.
Even though I am scared to make others angry with my own opinions and desires, I choose to love and accept myself unconditionally.
The more you can begin identifying how these modes of behavior served you in the past, and what your core issues are as they relate to your type, the more you can release the
compulsion to exist the same old way. Use EFT to find and then release those key events. By using EFT to collapse these patterns, not only do you succeed in breaking free of these habitual limiting operating systems, but become a more expanded version of your authentic self.
Alina Frank EFT workshops
