Editors: Gayle Scott

and Mario Sikora

What’s Inside

A publication of the International Enneagram Association

bringing news and more to the global Enneagram Community
May/June 2010

By Roxanne Howe-Murphy, Ed.D.

In my work as an executive and (mid) life coach, I became curious when noticing some of my
clients’ unsatisfying experiences repeating themselves over time. While we used the Enneagram
to recognize, understand, relax and heal different patterns that showed up in their Enneagram
configurations, I witnessed the heavy entrenchment in the underlying narratives that played such
a big role in preventing individuals from experiencing a deeper sense of inner freedom.

As I started to experiment with various approaches to working with these inner dynamics, the
Inner Story Process took shape.

All of us have (or have had) many Inner Stories. The less a
story has been illuminated, healed and released, the more
power and space it takes up in life. Each story represents a
recurring theme in our autobiographical trilogy which shapes,
limits and defines our version of reality. It becomes an
invisible source of the false notions of who one is, how life
works, and offers the perfect rationale for how one has lived. Stories create the noise that
separates us from Being. The less awake we are to them, the more they provide an
interpretation of our past and a prediction of our future.

Each Inner Story carries an individual’s (and, often, generational and cultural) limiting beliefs,
self-directed messages, motivations, and dramas. And each story is evidenced in our
physiological, emotional, mental, and behavioral responses to the environment.
Why do these stories have such power, and such power to limit? Here are three main reasons.

IEA •4010 Executive Park Drive, Suite 100, • Cincinnati, OH USA 513-232-5054 • www.internationalenneagram.org
 Cincinnati, OH, USA

Many of you have been asking “What’s happening with the

Sao Paulo, Brazil IEA’s transitioning structure?” So I would like to share some
key points that are under way.

The IEA has been in existence for 16 years and together we

have evolved to an organization that is worthy of its name. We
Philadelphia, PA, USA are making big changes and we can only do this with your
continued support and dedication. Please keep your eyes open
for the
for the latest in what is happen-
ing with your organization. I hope to see you all at the IEA
International Conference in San Francisco, California, USA.
Boulder, CO, USA

Are responsible for organizing and taking care of the members and chap-
Birmingham, AL, USA ters of the IEA in its region.

- IEA Argentina (Contact: Aniceto Sanabria anicetosanabria@yahoo.com.ar )

IEA Brazil: (Fr. Domingos Cunha domingoscunha@yahoo.com.br)

Baden-Baden, Germany IEA Canada (Currently Underway): (Catherine Bell, cbell@bluera.ca)

IEA Chile: (Hugo Kruger, Hkruger@hrgroup.cl)

IEA China: (Gloria Hung, gloriah_hk@yahoo.com)

Los Condes, Santiago, Chile
IEA Colombia: (Cesar Zamorano, chzamorano@gmail.com)

IEA Denmark: (Claus Roager Olsen, cro@thinkaboutit.dk)

Decatur, GA, USA
IEA Finland: (Kristiina Harju, kristiina.harju@fakta-fikitio.fi)

IEA Iran: (Delbar Niroushak, delbar_n@yahoo.com)

Madrid, Spain IEA Mexico: (Jorge Mendoza, President, nonirb@yahoo.com.mx)

IEA Peru: (Luz Maria Fernandez (Luchi), Luchi@univdelconciencia.com.ar)

To submit and article IEA Portugal (Currently Underway):
to the editor:
IEA South Korea: (Hwan-Young Kim, welcomeu@korea.com)
IEA
4010 Executive Park Drive, IEA Spain: (Isabel Salama, isabelsalama@yahoo.es)
Suite 100
Cincinnati, OH 45241 IEA Switzerland: (Rose-Marie Sigrist, info@chrysalys.ch)

IEA USA (Mario Sikora, Mario@mariosikora.com)

Ninepoints@
internationalenneagram.org IEA Venezuela: (Agustina Burgo, agustinaburgog@hotmail.com)

2
 These are currently being held in many of the Affiliate countries currently and IEA
USA will begin holding symposiums in 2013.

Details will be revealed at the GAA and Conference in August. A detailed report will
then be given to all Affiliates and members. Stay tuned.

For now, we can say that the IEA will be focused on supporting:

Sincerely,

Deborah Ooten, President

deborah.ooten@goconscious.com
www.internationalenneagram.org
IEA Global Office: 513-232-5054

Facebook Link IEA Website IEA USA Website

Summer is here and plans for the IEA 2010 Global Conference are heating up! San Francisco, the most beautiful City by
the Bay, awaits.

We are thrilled to be hosting a veritable “Who’s Who” in the Enneagram world this year. Along with the popular big-name
teachers and authors, as well as returning favorites, we are highlighting 16 “New Voices” – domestic and international
presenters making their conference debut with a variety of innovations and insights into the Enneagram and its
applications.

And there’s more to be thrilled about. This year, fully 25% of our presenters are coming from countries outside the US, so
the conference is truly representative of the global community of Enneagram teachers, authors, practitioners, and
enthusiasts.

Click here to register for the conference.

Click Here to see the July 29 - August 1,Thursday – Sunday Program with presenter bios and
detailed descriptions of each presentation, as well as special events.

The IEA 2010 Conference will be held at the world-famous Palace Hotel, a four-diamond luxury
historic hotel centrally located in the heart of downtown San Francisco. If you haven’t yet made
your hotel reservation, now is the time. Reserve your room before July 9th and get the special IEA
conference rate of $149/night. Click here to make your reservations now.

See you in San Francisco!

3
By Michael Naylor, M.Ed, CCS, LADC, ET Narcotics Anonymous, the refrain often heard when
someone relapses could be “Well, he wasn’t going to
I have worked in the Addictions field for over 25 years. enough meetings,” or “He wasn’t working the steps,” or “He
During those years several patterns have revealed wasn’t working with a sponsor” or “He just didn’t want it bad
themselves. There are three. The first I have observed time enough,” or “He took his will back,” or “He isolated and
and time again. A man comes into residential treatment, stopped coming to meetings.” But the truth is, the best of the
gets sober for 90 days, is feeling better than ever, and a day best, those who had been the leaders in recovery circles,
later has returned to addiction hell. Presto, change, gone! In relapse and die and suicide. They disappear and are gone
the wake of feeling a surge of well being, he took, or was and no one understands why. What remains in the psychic
taken by a back door exit. This happens repeatedly. The atmosphere of recovery circles is pure shock. “How could
second story is that of a man (or woman) who gets sober for this possibly happen?” is the deep question and plea.
two to five years, appears to have stabilized their lives, and Utilizing the knowledge of the Enneagram could have
then relapses and disappears into the folds of addiction. profound positive effects on these shocking events. What
And this pattern: a man is sober twenty plus years and the everyone in addiction recovery learns sooner or later is that
next day news says he’s suicided, or like the others, relapsed after their substance abuse is halted they are left with
and disappeared from sight. (The story on suicide is a ‘themselves’ and all the issues that drove their addiction
hugely under-reported phenomenon in addiction recovery (This does not mean the ‘issues’ caused the addiction. That’s
especially after significant periods of clean time.) another story.) That is, they are face to face with their
personality, their Enneagram Type. If they are able to clearly
In response to these tragedies the addiction world has understand their personality type with its particular nuances
responded through a and features they will be able to begin to understand
variety of means. One is to the driving engine that takes them back to their self-
try to help individuals destruction, and how to transform their personality
understand what are called habits such that what is best in them can arise. At the
‘relapse triggers,’ or those very least, the key fundamental “relapse pattern” that
circumstances internal and underlies all addiction relapses will be seen.
external that make an
individual go ‘blind’ to the What causes addiction relapse? Well, the short and
hell that awaits them if they long of it is It can look like
use their substance of it’s emotional suffering, or heartbreak,
choice. The hope is that disappointment, boredom, unhappiness, long term
individuals will ‘notice’ loss of identity, success, more success, falling in love,
when their relapse triggers, being around drugs, wanting to feel good, not
and their ‘addiction’ has wanting to be lonely, hoping for better sex, failure,
been triggered and divorce, marriage, deep spiritual moments, a sunny
awakened they pick day, a rainy day, you name it. All external symptoms
up the substance of their and events on the surface of the real issues: the lack
doom. The warning attached to the triggering of one’s inner of awareness on the part of the individual as they navigate
‘addict’ is “Beware of euphoric recall.” When an individual their daily life with its ups and downs. What individuals don’t
becomes addicted to drugs he develops a crafty inner tend to understand is the unique set of relapse triggers that
demon, his own ‘inner addict’ who appears to be hardwired exist for each Enneagram Type, which describes the major
to tempting him back to his addiction. At various times, in inner dynamics that an individual will wage spiritual war with
the midst of success or the midst of sorrow, a film clip throughout their sobriety. I have met the enemy and it is “I.”
begins to play in his mind-stream reminding him of the very Understand this and the story of relapse prevention will get
best times in his substance using, and deletes all the scenes crystal clear. Not meaning that it will be solved, but the odds
reflecting the horror and sorrow. This inner movie can be so will go up enormously in favor of success.
compelling that in the midst of success an individual
abandons all of his good work and jumps headlong back Don Riso and Russ Hudson have made a significant
into the swamp he arose from. The question is “What turns contribution to understanding the psychological dynamics
this movie on?” and growth patterns of the types. In their work they identify
the essential psychic structures of each type: The Basic Desire
Within recovery circles, be it Alcoholics Anonymous or (what the individual wishes for because they have lost
4
By Beth O’Hara
The young adults of today will be driving these changes, for
As a young adult, I look around the IEA Conferences and better or worse. It would be better if the people who are
often ask myself, “Where are all the other young adults? I negotiating the global financial, agricultural, and political
know many young adults who are fascinated by the systems are as aware and enlightened as possible.
enneagram and I meet more all the time. The Enneagram
group on Facebook has over 3500 members, a large We are also entering a time that will deeply challenge our
portion of them between the ages of 20 and 40, and is beliefs, which creates chaos and fear. My hope is that our
administered mainly by young adults. Why are they not younger people will have the stability and insight to navigate
coming out for workshops and conferences? And the chaos with understanding, compassion, and love. The
furthermore, should we even place an emphasis on young Enneagram is a very effective tool for creating greater
adults within the Enneagram work? My answer is a consciousness and is greatly needed
resounding YES! And here’s why. during our time, especially in the lives
of our next generation of leaders.
The future of the IEA depends on
engaging young adults. The So, how do we bring young adults to
membership of the IEA is aging, and as the Enneagram and the IEA? The best
the membership in organizations age, way is always to start at home. Create
they tend to fizzle and die out. I implore Enneagram classes that appeal to
the global community to look at how to young adults and are affordable. At
bring more young people into the the Conscious Living Center, Deanna
organization so that this vital work can Martin and I co-direct our Young Adults
continue. program, offering classes and social
events designed for young adults. We have a mentoring
The future of the Enneagram is in the hands of young program in which we mentor a core team of young adults
adults. The evolution of the Enneagram through young who in turn reach out to others and we empower these
adults is essential not only for the continuation of the individuals to create their own programs. Our center offers
Enneagram but also for the future of humanity. This is true discounts on Enneagram classes and coaching to young
whether we are looking at the creation of more effective adults, and we also have a young adult rate at the School of
organizations, more deeply loving relationships, healthier Conscious Living for anyone under 35 with financial need.
psyches, or the evolution of human consciousness and We also meet them where they are – coffee shops, house
spirituality. parties, bars - we take the Enneagram everywhere!

The future of our world lies with today’s young adults, and Another way to bring young adults to the Enneagram is by
the world of today is deeply suffering. We live in a world of engaging them in attending the conferences and becoming
division, strife, and egoism. Futurist Magazine, in their active in the IEA. How do we do that? Last year, at the IEA
January/February 2010 issue, stated that the next 10 years Conference in Las Vegas, a few young adults began an
are the most critical in the history of humanity. Futurist Annual Young Adults Luncheon (which will continue this
Magazine says we are entering an Age of Scarcity and a year). We identified three areas that are important in
time of great global change, a critical nexus point in the bringing young adults to Enneagram conferences and
determination of the continued existence of humanity. workshops: financial accessibility, workshop content, and
advertising.
As we are entering the Age of Scarcity, our ability to stay
centered and loving becomes more challenged when our The young adults who met together
very survival may be at stake. Imagine if this Age of at the conference last year stated that it would help to extend
Scarcity were led by community, national, and global conference admission discounts to include all young adults
leaders who understood a broader perspective and could (not solely students) and for the conference to be hosted in
come together with compassion and love. We must find more affordable locations, with affordable lodging options.
ways to attract young adults to inner work for humanity to The IEA-USA has recently started a Young Adults Scholarship
survive.
5
Fund to assist young people who are using the Enneagram evolves. But the Enneagram will only continue if it is picked
for inner and global change to attend conferences. We also up by the next generation.
encourage other affiliates to begin scholarship funds as
well, and would be happy to share what has worked for us. Deanna Martin and I will be presenting at the July 2010 IEA
Conference in San Francisco on
We also received feedback that this where we will profile the
generation learns better through experiential learning than programs we have used to engage younger people in inner
lecture style learning, and we prefer workshops where we work, hear from young adults about their experiences,
are actively engaged through the three centers - body, mind desires, and expectations around the Enneagram, and open
and heart - in working with the material presented. a dialogue to create action for engaging young adults with
the Enneagram in communities across the globe. We invite
Another suggestion was that the IEA should you to join us!
create advertising that targets a younger population and
utilize social networking more to reach young adults.

The Enneagram is a dynamic, continually evolving system.

This is what gives it so much appeal and power in
transforming lives. It has the capacity to evolve as humanity

Do you know young adults in your community who would

like to attend the IEA Conferences?
The future of the Enneagram is in the hands of young adults!
The IEA-USA affiliate has created an annual scholarship fund to aid those under 35 to attend the IEA Conference and
future IEA-USA national and regional symposiums.

Any donation amount is helpful from $1 to $1000 or more. Donors will be thanked on the IEA-USA website and at the
IEA Conference, in appreciation of their support. Donors at the $100 level and above will also receive name
recognition during the open address at the Conference.

Applications for the scholarships will be available online by June 1. Please direct any young adults under 35 who are
interested in applying to the IEA website. Recipients will demonstrate how the Enneagram has impacted their lives, how
they are using the Enneagram to create change in the world, and financial need.
Recipients will receive free conference admission and $500 toward travel costs.

Questions? Comments? Email Beth O’Hara at Beth.OHara@GoConscious.com.

You can also mail your tax-deductible donation to:

IEA-USA Inc, Re: Scholarship Fund, 114 Wellington Place, Cincinnati OH, 45219.

6
By Gina Thomas, MA to describe this. “The deeper truth is that beneath that
[unfocused energy] there’s this boiling happening. And that
This article continues to explore the archetypal imagery boiling in a way is sloth, because it can erupt. And the
associated with the Enneagram, drawing from research I eruption, while it feels kind of good, is also very scary
conducted with types Three, Six, and Nine last year. Here I because of the potential impact, and as somebody who tries
share the results from type Nine, common themes among not to make waves, the idea of my energy and the waves
all three types, and implications of this study. that it could create, the tsunami below is very frightening.
It’s the damage that it can do.”

Figure 2 illustrates James’ description of his sloth and self-

When I asked participants representing Type Nine about forgetting as potential energy, like a volcano ready to erupt.
sloth and self-forgetting, a common theme that arose was
invisibility—either feeling invisible or desiring invisibility.
Emma shared a vivid image to describe her feelings of what
she called “the invisible thing.” “It’s like life is a table and
everyone’s partaking of a meal, but there’s no chair for
me.”

Meanwhile, Anita described her drawing “Indecision and

Invisibility” in Figure 1 this way: “That’s me in the center,
I’m barely there, and [muffled] I can’t even hear my own
voice, and not only can I not hear my own voice, it’s like I
don’t even know there’s a voice to be heard, really. And
what I hear is the clamoring of other voices around me and
what other people have to say and what’s important about
that, and just overlooking myself. And it throws me into this
sense of indecision and it makes me feel like I’m not being Figure 2. James’ drawing, “Tranquil Energy.”
seen.”
Moving to the essence aspects of Type Nine, love and right
action, Figure 3 depicts Cassandra’s experience.

Figure 3. Cassandra’s drawing, “Right Action, Holy Love.”

Figure 1. Anita’s drawing, “Indecision and Invisibility.”
In the drawing, Cassandra is surrounded by a brick wall
James described how sloth transforms into anger. He said that acts as a shield to protect some aspect of herself.
while there is some truth to the stereotype that Type Nine is However, “When I do the right action, it’s like the bricks fly
steady and steadfast, there is also an undercurrent of away,” she said. “[The brick wall] is gone. It’s actually not
energy that can erupt. He used the metaphor of a volcano
7
By Mario Sikora building, and leadership development. The business world
is a different environment from the more traditional spiritual
In the late 1950s, the British novelist C.P. Snow wrote a milieu in which the Enneagram originally flourished; it is an
book called in which he described two environment that looks for metrics and proof. Those who
mindsets he encountered in academia: those in the would take the Enneagram into the corporate world
humanities who were ignorant and disdainful of all but the frequently meet the resistance and skepticism exhibited
most basic knowledge of science, and those in the sciences toward anything that is not demonstrably empirical. When I
who viewed the humanities as frivolous and lacking talk to people about the future of the Enneagram, not only
usefulness. As a writer of science fiction, Snow had friends in business but in education, I frequently hear “We need a
in both camps and was alarmed by the ignorance each scientific Enneagram if it is going to spread beyond its small
“culture” seemed to have of the other. He worked to core of users and have a broader impact on the world.”
incorporate both cultures into his own life and felt that those
who stayed entrenched in only one were missing out on I tend to agree with this view, but it raises the very important
what the other could offer. question of exactly what we mean by a “scientific”
Enneagram. In the rest of this article I
Snow admitted that his idea of there will explain my view of what that means;
being “two cultures” was an part two in the next issue will provide
oversimplification, and that in reality some specific tools for taking a more
everyone falls on a continuum scientific approach to the system.
somewhere between two extreme
attitudes, but his concept is useful First, let me be clear on what I am NOT
nonetheless and points to the human advocating:
tendency to adopt a point of view and
stick to it, resisting change and I am not advocating that the spiritual
anything that seems foreign. roots of the Enneagram be ignored or
dismissed. As Snow tried to point out in
For most of my life I was firmly his book, this need not be an either/or
entrenched in the humanities culture. I issue. The “spiritual” Enneagram is
avoided science courses whenever already well-established and will always
possible in high school and college, inform any approach to the system. A
preferring to study literature, religion, and the social scientific mindset does not rule out spiritual practice. In fact,
sciences instead. About a decade ago, however, something the Dalai Lama wrote a book,
started to shift. I don’t recall why—there was certainly no , advocating the study of science and its relationship to
Road-to-Damascus moment—but the hard sciences started Buddhism, and Pope John Paul II wrote a famous encyclical
to exert a greater influence on my worldview. It started with titled “Truth Cannot Contradict Truth” urging the Catholic
biology, then astronomy, then physics, and my passion has faithful to not be drawn into a false war of “science vs.
become that of the convert: at times opinionated and overly spirituality.” The call for a scientific approach to the
evangelical. My knowledge of science is that of the self- Enneagram does not dismiss or disrespect a spiritual
taught and I must admit to great limitations and gaps in my approach, it merely deepens our understanding of the
understanding. However, science now plays a strong role in human condition.
shaping the way I look at most things, including the
Enneagram. Further, I am not dismissing what are often referred to as
“subjective ways of knowing.” As any scientist would admit,
As I’ve moved through the Enneagram world during the some things can only be known subjectively. Those things
past couple of years I’ve encountered more and more fall into two broad categories: 1. Preference or opinion and
people who are also trying to bring a more “science- 2. First-person experience.
friendly” approach to the system, or at least see the value in
doing so. This is not surprising, as there has been an The first category is pretty clear-cut: there is no way to
expansion in the interest and expertise of people who use “scientifically prove” my preferences for chocolate ice
the Enneagram. Traditionally, students of the Enneagram cream over vanilla, Italian opera over German, vacationing
were therapists or spiritual seekers; in recent years more at the beach over the mountains. These are purely
and more business people have discovered the system and subjective biases and mine hold no more objective validity
its incredible power as a tool for executive coaching, team than another person’s preferences for the opposites.
8
9
 , Inner Stories, by their nature, come from a contracted As a pivotal element in the ego structure, the SuperEgo
perspective: that of the ego. An important teaching of (along with a particular Object Relations) creates a certain
many spiritual traditions, including the Diamond Approach, characteristic experience of self- relationship and self-to-
is that the ego structure is designed so that the individual other relationship. While this article is not intended to
can re-experience the qualities that delight the soul. For explore all of these variations, there are two themes worth
example, the ego structure of those dominant in Type Two mentioning.
try hard to recreate the soul’s essential experience of caring,
unconditional love, and generosity. The Six ego structure Some Enneagram structures are identified with what we
tries to recreate the soul’s essential experience of Ground could call “ego-deflation,” where there is a sense of being
and of having security, and the Eight structure tries to less than, of insignificance, of being inherently flawed,
recreate the essential qualities of immediacy and aliveness. and/or at the effect of other people’s behaviors. Low
Of course, the ego structure only can create, at best, a false energy, mental fatigue or confusion, a sense of lacking
experience of the real spiritual qualities. And, as the personal power, and/or an insistent internal message that
individual moves further away from presence, the harder the the person is unworthy are among the many different ways
ego tries to convince itself that it is the real deal. It defends that the uninterrupted Inner Critic can leave one feeling
its experience of how life actually works. Simultaneously, bad.
the narrower and more distorted the frame of reality
becomes. Because the Inner Critic is evaluative by nature, it can also
be a source of self-aggrandizement. Ego structures with this
the story consists of more than one personality orientation are more identified with being ego-expansive.
pattern. Rather, it is a set of interrelated patterns that create For instance, there can be a sense of being powerful,
a closed-loop sense of internal cohesiveness. Every element important, productive, outstanding, and too busy for
of the Inner Story reinforces every other anything that would pull one down. For example, one client
dimension, confirming and reifying that this experience is said, “
accurate and true. The story involves multiple dimensions of .” For
the human experience, including: what one thinks, one’s those oriented toward ego-expansiveness, the activity of the
emotional experience, the somatic experience, where one’s Inner Critic can be more difficult to identify.
attention is, and one’s actions (or inactions). There is also a
predictable, and usually unsatisfying, outcome that results In truth, all Inner Critic activity, and thus all inner stories,
from the story. Very little of unconscious life is left untouched are ego-expansive. They are based on keeping the ego
by the story when it is activated. intact and on defending the idea and experience of “me.”

As Robert Hargrove said in , “It is Further, there’s a secret pride that we carry, based on our
important to understand that you and I do not just HAVE a dominant Enneagram type. What person dominant in Nine
story, we ARE our story.” hasn’t had a hidden sense of pride about being peaceful
and more peaceful than others? Is there anyone dominant
, the Inner Story is powered by the Inner Critic. The in Four who has been immune to pride around being
Inner Critic provides the internal anchoring mechanism emotionally sensitive and more emotionally sensitive than
around which all the elements of the story coagulate. others? Is there a person dominant in Five who doesn’t
recognize his or her pride around being smart and smarter
than others?

Of course, the Enneagram offers valuable insight into the So, all Inner Stories actually glorify something that isn’t real:
workings of the Inner Critic, as it points to the different ways the ego.
that each of the nine personality/ego structures experiences
this authoritative, evaluative energy. Even when there’s a sense of self-belittlement taking place,
it’s a way to keep the ego alive.
The ego is set up with a big agenda to try to do the very
thing it cannot do. The Inner Critic might be considered, at
best, a Project Coordinator, and at a more severe level, a
Police Force that marshals all its efforts to ensure that the
ego is staying on-target to accomplish its big project. The Inner Story Process is designed to bring

10
that individuals carry to light. We can use it for ourselves, where the cycle can be interrupted;
and as coaches and other growth- 6) With help, begin seeing the catalyst to the activation
oriented professionals, with our of the pattern as a neutral, objective situation.
clients. Another important contribution of the process of
unraveling the inner story is that it increases the
Fundamentally, the Inner Story sense of hope on the part of the client that the story
Process is a discovery tool that is not inevitable.
allows the individual multiple
points of entry into the otherwise As one gains familiarity with his/her story, the seemingly
closed-loop cycle of the story. As I disparate patterns seem to fit together in a more organized
wrote (and now adapted) in or coherent way. That is, one is able to recognize the
relationship of different felt experiences to one another. A
(2007), using this as a teaching/coaching tool common response is:
allows the client to:

1) Bring to light specific mental, emotional, behavioral,

somatic activities that usually feel quite familiar when Further, this process often leads to the unearthing of
brought into awareness; fundamental beliefs and Self-negation that underlie the
3) See the story’s various elements more vividly once entire experience. Once a growth-oriented professional has
they are illuminated; guided his or her client through the Inner Story Process two
4) Identify or signals that allow the individual to or three times with curiosity and compassion, some clients
at different points in can begin to use it on their own, as their sensitivity to these
the story’s cycle; felt experiences increases and they can recognize when they
5) Become aware of choice points, or points in the story show up again in a different Inner Story.

The IEA would like to invite all its members and other interested people to
attend the General Assembly of Affiliates (GAA) meeting on Wednesday, July
28, 2010 at The Palace Hotel in San Francisco, CA.

The GAA is an important part of the governance of the IEA and consists of two
delegates from each affiliate. The delegates will meet for a full day to discuss
activities in the international affiliates and to help shape the future of the IEA.

The role of the GAA is to advise the board of directors regarding the needs of
the IEA’s diverse membership. While the discussion is limited to the delegates,
the meeting is open to all and it is a great opportunity to find out about
developments in the Enneagram from around the globe, find out more about
the vision of the IEA for the future, and to meet some fascinating people.

We hope to see you there!

The IEA Board of Directors

11
contact with it), Basic Fear (what the individual is driven to support. “He’s such a good guy and suffers so
avoid at all costs because it reminds them of suffering they much. It’s not fair.” I remind her that her attention
have already experienced as children), the passion or vice has moved to her boyfriend when asked about what
(the emotional habit the individual developed in response to she needs. She smiles, a trace of embarrassment
closing down their heart and abandoning their true self) the flashing in her eyes. “It’s okay,” I say, “No need to
mental fixation (or habit of mind that supports an individual get down on yourself. The mental habit of the Two
in staying disconnected from themselves, others, and reality, is to think of others even when they need to be
and keeps them locked in repetitious suffering), the Inner thinking of themselves. Many Twos report that when
Critic message (how an individual is compelled to judge they think of their needs they feel selfish and
themselves causing repetitious suffering), the Self-Concept unlovable.” She smiles again. “I don’t know if I can
(what an individual tries to be for others to suppress their stop that. I think about him all the time. I’m not
own suffering). really sure I know how to think about myself. It
seems like he needs a lot of help.” I reassure her.
Let’s take a look at the Type Two. Their basic desire is to feel “It won’t happen overnight, but every time you can
love, to be at one with love, or to be a source of love in the gently notice that you’ve moved your attention from
world. Their basic fear is of being loveless, that there is no your needs to his, from your life concerns and
love to be had. We call the Type Two the Helper, and she is priorities to his, this will start to weaken the habit.
driven by the conundrum of her basic desire and fear As you know, people get sober who learn how to
depending on her level of health. The healthier she is, the ask for help and receive help, and as a Two, this
lighter she will hold these desires and fears. But the may feel like an impossible task. Right now you’re
unhealthier she is, the more they will rule and run her just trying to learn when and how you forget to
blindly, like a puppet on their string. Riso and Hudson notice and identify your primary needs, and instead
qualify this through their Levels of Development, which they focus on helping another. It will take time but it’s
divide into nine Levels. Levels 1-3 are the healthy levels, and definitely learnable.”
here, due to inner work and/or an extremely healthy
childhood, the Type Two is in contact with her loving nature, When individuals enter addiction recovery they are typically
rejoices in it, shares it when appropriate, is generous, kind, experiencing life at Level 6 or 7. For the Type Two it means
creative, empathic, nurturing to self and others. Level 4-6 is that she will be gripped by the her basic fear that she is
called the average levels where most of humanity resides. It unlovable and unwanted, and that she must do something
is here that the individual has lost contact with her deeper to change this immediately. Her entire sense of self-worth
nature and is now driven by the engine of her basic desire hedges on being seen as the loving one, acting as the
and fear. The Two, feeling that there is no love in the world, loving one, and becoming indispensable to someone, which
tries to manufacture love through her loving acts. This drives her to focus on another and completely lose contact
intensification of effort to prove her lovingness and to create with herself. This suffering is so acute that she can barely
love around her increases when she moves down the Levels comprehend it (this is the nature of life at the lower levels --
of health. This descent down the Levels reflects her deeper we are driven by feelings that are unconscious to us), except
disconnection with herself and reality due to the undigested as a feeling of terrible loneliness and emptiness, which
suffering she has experienced or is experiencing. Level 7-9, propels her into immediate action. She will be driven by
the Unhealthy range, describes the continued descent into pride, the emotional passion of the Two. This pride shows
illusion and mental illness. up in her as “I don’t need anything, but I can see that you
have needs which I can help you with.” That is, her ability to
When Mary, a 25 year old woman sense her own needs disappears in this emotional habit. In
struggling with alcohol addiction, addition, her mental fixation, ingratiation, will function such
entered treatment she easily that she is wired to be always thinking of ways she can help
identified herself as a Type Two. “I those she loves or wants to love, or such that she is often
give until it hurts, and then I give drawn to over-complimenting others to endear them to her,
some more.” In treatment she or to at least insure she will not be abandoned by them.
begins to see the trap of her personality. Each time This is the machine of her personality, and it is alive and
it comes to identifying her need for help, she kicking at Level 6 and 7, with little room for her true nature
immediately begins talking about her boyfriend, a to show up. Add to this her Inner Critic message: “I’m good
struggling heroin addict, and what he needs for or okay if I am loved by others and close to them,” meaning

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I can’t hurt, upset or inconvenience anyone or I’m bad and fear: being without love. As she learns to bear this
unlovable. feeling rather than transform it into another action
of fear-driven kindness towards another, she will
As Mary learns to ask for help, she notices that the begin grief work, sensing into the wound that
help she receives, be it attention, compassion, or caused this mechanism. In time, through her tender
loving suggestions, makes her feel selfish, which grieving will arise the palpable sense of her own
she can’t bear for very long. “I feel so selfish when I lovingness, her True Nature. This will begin her
receive anything. Like I’m a greedy person. I should redemptive journey, sensing within her the love that
be helping instead of asking for help! I see what he she so longs for. But the habit of forgetting herself
needs, why shouldn’t I help?!” I gently remind her and tuning into others will not disappear quickly.
that she is two weeks sober and her life in When she thinks she’s finally understood it she will
desperate straits. She begins to see that in the same discover another layer still operating. With kindness
breath that she receives help, she immediately starts and grace she will observe the speed of this
planning how to help her boyfriend, when she is mechanism, her tendency to try to love someone
only barely surviving herself. This mechanism is fast who cannot love her back, her need to redouble her
and swift, mostly invisible to Mary, but with many efforts to save the wounded lover, with addiction
patient reminders she will begin to see the calling to her at her most vulnerable moments. If
mechanism at work and the underlying feelings she is aware of these Type Two patterns, develops
driving the habit: her conviction that she is not eyes to see them, learns the Siren Call of these
lovable or wanted. It first arises as a compelling patterns, she will sit in the suffering, allow others to
need to help another and to avoid the feelings of support her, digesting it such that the quality of her
being selfish, and with time she will feel the core lovingness and sweetness begins to emerge and
issue: I am unlovable and unwanted. The quick turn make its presence known. As she loves with less
of attention to her boyfriend diverts the harsh sting fear, she will love more deeply, and she will find
of feeling selfish or unlovable. This habit has been those who can return her love. This is the adventure
her survival for enduring intractable suffering in her she has embarked upon, the redemption of her
life. heart.
See if you can grasp the prison she is in. “There is no love
so I must create it. I’m not really wanted so I must make Here’s the untold story that recovery circles have yet to
myself indispensable. I’m bad if others get mad at me, grasp: the healthier she gets, the more she will
don’t love me, or don’t want to be with me. I can’t sense my by her personality habits, the more sharply and clearly she
needs because I only see yours, which means I can’t will begin to sense her deepest fear of being unlovable and
experience lasting happiness or peace unless you are happy unwanted. At year 5, 10, 15, 20 or 25 of her recovery, after
with me. I’m on empty all the time trying to fill myself with much growth, she may feel it head-on and it will bring her
you. I can’t love others enough to get rid of the nagging to her knees. If she knows this in advance, she will get the
feeling I’m not wanted.” This is the machine that runs her help she needs and move through it. If she has no
addiction to drugs, or to people. knowledge of this dynamic, she may feel that all her efforts
The belief and feeling that “I’m not loved, there is no love, I were for nothing, that she has failed at what she cares about
must produce the love” will be there throughout her most. How could she be feeling so badly after all the work
recovery. It will be touched over and over again at deeper she’s put in over fifteen years of addiction recovery? In
levels. It may arise after moments of great love and joy, or despair, she may relapse or develop a new addiction, or
at the end of a romantic relationship. But arise it will. suicide.

As Mary continues her treatment, her But being forewarned in understanding

boyfriend breaks up with her. In less the stages of true spiritual growth as
than a week she has found another Riso/Hudson have so clearly described in
‘love,’ someone she cares , she will
about. Like a homing pigeon she has get the support she needs. The myth that
found a temporary home in another sets many wonderful recovering folks up
needy soul. As she learns to observe for the heart-rending return to addiction is
this process with compassion she will that after a year or two, or ten, or fifteen
slowly sense the suffering of her basic of sobriety, their major suffering will have
13
ceased. The truth is that unnecessary and extraneous necessity and tragedy of relapsing into substance addiction
suffering will be lessened, but the encounter with their basic will be averted. With the critical knowledge in hand that
fear will be more intense and disarming until it is passed certain aspects of their inner life will get more difficult the
through and transformed. What is misunderstood and yet to longer they have been growing and expanding emotionally
be clearly articulated is that every expansion of one’s ability and psychologically, the necessary crises that precede
to experience and savor life invites a deeper inquiry and profound breakthroughs will be seen as opportunities rather
contact with what has caused one’s suffering and than cause to feel they have failed in their spiritual work.
contraction. Deep joy opens the psychic doors for deeper
: Michael Naylor, M.Ed, CCS, LADC, ET, is the clinical
grief to be embraced and digested.
supervisor of Serenity House, a residential treatment facility
for men in recovery from addiction in Portland, Maine. He is
Each of the types in addiction recovery has a primary
an Authorized Riso-Hudson Enneagram Teacher and a
‘relapse trigger pattern’ identified by their basic desire, fear,
Faculty-in-Training at the Enneagram Institute. He teaches
passion, fixation, inner critic habits and self-concept. When
in Maine and New England. In addition he facilitates
an individual begins to sense and understand these
Courageous Men’s Intimacy Groups at Health, Education
personality dynamics and how to navigate them, the
and Training Institute in Portland, Maine.

there. It’s not invisible to me—it’s not even there anymore.” Based on these findings—that all three types in their
essence aspect felt more centered in their bodies and
experienced a state of flow—I suggest that when individuals
move from the ego aspect to the essence aspect of their
Whereas the themes for the ego aspects of Types Three, Six type, the resulting experience is a remarkably similar state
and Nine were more diverse in nature, two primary themes of being no matter what the type. Although the Enneagram
emerged for the essence aspects of these three types: describes different Virtues and Holy Ideas for each type,
centering in the body, and being in flow. these terms may actually be describing essentially the same
experience, which is an experience of what Jung called the
For example, all of the Threes reported a physical feeling of archetype of the Self, which is the archetype of wholeness.
calm, of stillness, or of energy slowing down. Sixes also However, each type must take a different route to arrive at
used body-based imagery, providing terms like “grounded,” this experience. For Three it is honesty; for Six it is courage;
“visceral,” “physical movement,” and “solidity to the self.” for Nine it is right action.
Nines used terms like “solid,” “grounded,” and “feeling
bigger.” In Enneagram literature the terms denoting the essence
aspect—the Virtues and the Holy Ideas—as well as the ego
Individuals from all three type groups actually used the term aspect—the Fixations and the Passions—are placed at each
“flow.” No other term was used as frequently across all of the nine points on the circumference of the circle.
types. Variations on the word flow also occurred, including However, given the discussion of my findings regarding the
releasing, dissipating, dissolving, evaporating, similarity of experience of the essence aspect versus the
surrendering, melting, floating, being tossed around, and diversity of experience of the ego aspect, it might be more
letting go. The Three rides the wave of release. The Six experientially accurate to place the essence terms inside the
enjoys the free fall. The Nine stops resisting and allows the circle. See Figure 4.
doing to unfold.

14
 adapted Enneagram diagram in Figure 5 makes this pair of
opposites perceptible.

Fundamentally this suggests that the Enneagram represents

nine differentiated states of consciousness, which are the
nine ego personality types, as well as a unified state of
consciousness, where the essence aspects of all nine types
unite in the center of the symbol.

I have conducted further research on the remaining six

Enneagram types since 2009, and am continually adding
data to the content analysis to discover whether the original
findings and conclusions can be verified as the sample size
Figure 4. The Holy Ideas placed inside the circle. grows larger. At the IEA conference this summer I will be
presenting the findings from my research with all nine types
Although the nine Holy Ideas are each distinct aspects of thus far. For now, there are several implications of this
wholeness, the ego’s experience of each of the nine leads to research.
a very similar state—using the findings of this research, it is
a state of flow and of being grounded in the body. These findings provide depth psychologists with a working
Meanwhile, the nine fixations remain located on the outer model of the relationship between ego and Self, and offer a
rim of the circle, which can be viewed as the realm of the new collection of images and narrative organized around
ego. Then, by removing the nine interconnecting lines within archetypal themes. Depth psychologists can investigate the
the circle and drawing a line between each fixation and its Enneagram as a living archetypal symbol that has inspired
related Holy Idea, I arrived at the resulting picture in Figure the formation of a community of thousands of people who
5. can articulate their archetypal patterns consciously and
concretely.

This study also re-introduces the depth psychological

methods of expressive arts to the Enneagram community,
methods that can bring unconscious, archetypal material to
conscious awareness through art and imagery. By inviting
my focus group participants to move from word to image
and from literal telling to metaphorical telling, I invited them
to shift their attention. Specifically, I invited them to engage
with their Enneagram type structure in a way that turned
their Enneagram type into an “other,” which they could
imagine, draw, and sculpt. When we do this, unconscious
material begins to surface spontaneously. We can then
observe in a tangible way what was previously hidden or
Figure 5. The Axis of the Fixation and the Holy Idea. ignored by our conscious frame of attention. Most
importantly, the content is meaningful. It provides insight to
The Holy Ideas, being in the field of essence or what Jung our psychological and spiritual lives and opens the door
would call the Self, represent a state of unity. The Fixations, from observation to active dialogue, into what Jung called
being in the field of phenomena and the realm of ego, are active imagination, whereby one consciously enters a
differentiated and become highly varied and diverse. The dialogue with unconscious images.
same can be said of the vices and the virtues of each type.
Even though Jung apparently never crossed paths with the Active imagination in particular allows us to engage and
Enneagram teaching, he could have been talking about the work with these inner images, and in fact may be a way in
diagram when he wrote: “The specific virtues and vices of which to utilize the Inner Observer. These methods can be
humanity are contained in the collective psyche like truly useful to people on their path of individuation, which is
everything else… The moral pair of opposites contained in a term Jung used to describe the life-long process of
the collective psyche… have become perceptible.” The individuals becoming psychologically whole.
15
Opinions are related to preferences, but they add a quasi- book, , is a good guide to navigating
intellectual element because we have given some thought to these tricky waters.) However, the basic scientific method can
them and devised at least a cursory rationale for our be described as these four steps:
opinions. We may have more of a rationale for our
opinions than we do for our preferences, but they are 1. Observe a series of events or phenomena.
subjective nonetheless. For example, I can provide you with 2. Form a hypothesis to explain them or make a
a detailed rationale for why prediction.
is the greatest album ever recorded, or why the
designated hitter cheapens baseball, but in my more 3. Try to through a series of
generous and enlightened moments I must admit that these rigorous tests.
are not objective facts. 4. Revise your hypothesis as necessary due to the
The second category—first-person experience—gets a bit outcome of the tests.
trickier. The critical point of the scientific method is to attempt to fal-
sify your hypothesis; in other words, to try to disprove what
The most immediate example of first-person experience is
you believe to be true. In the same spirit, I would suggest
our feelings. For example, physical pain is very subjective
that the to a scientific approach to the Enneagram
and we can never truly know what another person is
is to use it as a tool that helps us see through our illusions by
experiencing when in pain. Doctors will ask a patient to
challenging our ego-based assumptions rather than rein-
rank their pain on a scale of one to ten, but there is no way
forcing them.
to actually know what “one” is or what “ten” is; such a scale
is just a tool to provide the doctor clues regarding the Here’s a quick example: People, especially those closest to
patient’s condition. The only data point a doctor can use to me, frequently tell me that I can be overly assertive in my
evaluate pain is the patient’s rating, so the doctor must be opinions. They say that the force I bring to an argument
satisfied with this subjective way of knowing when making shuts down conversation. My initial response is to become
an evaluation. We can never truly know another’s physical defensive and deny their accusation. I then tend to blame
or emotional pain, nor can we truly, objectively know their them, assuming that they only think I am too aggressive be-
joys, so it would be impossible to create a scientific cause, due to the handicaps of their personality, they are
approach to understanding such things. simply too weak to make their case. If that argument is inef-
fective, I say, “Well, I’m an Eight, you have to get tough and
Where the reliance on first-person experience starts to get deal with it.” Finally, if I’m fortunate enough to have a mo-
messy is when it comes to our perception or recollection of ment of clarity, I realize that the Enneagram is an objective
factual events. Every student of the Enneagram knows that tool which shows me that I, like most other Eights, can be
one of the biggest challenges we face is the difficulty of too domineering and, further, that I need to modify my com-
seeing ourselves and the world as they are, rather than as munication style if I want healthy relationships.
we they are. Spiritual traditions all talk about illusion
in one form or another and our susceptibility to it; modern There are two additional steps toward a “scientific Ennea-
cognitive science talks about the many structural problems gram,” I believe: developing good critical thinking skills to
with the brain that cause us to misperceive our world. (Part apply to Enneagram theory and practice, and correlating the
II will discuss this in greater depth.) biological sciences to Enneagram theory. This last step is far
beyond my expertise and the scope of this article, but I will
However, we fall into the trap of thinking that our address critical-thinking skills as they apply to the Ennea-
perception of factual events (i.e., things that really happen) gram in the second half of this article in the next issue of
are objectively true. When our recollection differs from that .
of another, we automatically assume they are wrong, or
settle on some version of an “I-have-my-truth-and-you-have Because of the sensitivity to this issue that I often encounter, I
yours” post-modernist détente that ultimately satisfies no want to again emphasize that applying a scientific mindset
one and gets us no closer to the Truth. to the Enneagram is not in opposition to taking a spiritual
approach to the Enneagram. In fact, the very point that C.P.
What we commonly call “the scientific method” is an Snow was trying to make in his book was that the Two Cul-
approach designed as an objective tool for understanding tures can inform and support each other. As John Paul II
phenomena that be understood objectively. Granted, said, truth cannot contradict truth, and different ways of un-
there is no single “scientific method” and the more derstanding, when applied appropriately, will get us closer
complicated the phenomena in question the more to Truth.
complicated the method becomes. (Massimo Pigluicci’s new
16