MY PHILOSOPHY
I believe inner work is more effective when you can pinpoint which part of your personality structure is resisting the life you want.
WHEN LIFE CHANGES
When you first discovered you Enneagram type, it probably helped you make sense of your interactions with your colleagues, with your partner, maybe even your kids.
But once your life fundamentally changed, the Enneagram got tricky.
Whether your life changed because of burnout, health issues, relationship drama, or having kids, you probably realised three things.
First, you don’t want to go back to how things were. (Or can’t.)
Second, despite that, you keep overworking in much the same way as you did before.
Third, you believe the Enneagram can help you embody the new you, but following the usual advice isn’t working.
When we commit to a new path (a new career, kids, a relationship, a creative project), our ego uses all it’s defenses to keep us in our old box. And it has many defenses!
To transition into your new life, you don’t just have to wrestle with one of those defences…but a number of them.
Just not all at the same time, and not all in the same way.
WHATS HAPPENING
We often talk about Enneagram type as if it were one thing.
But what we call “type” is made up of multiple interacting patterns each with their own motivation and defenses.
These parts work together to create your inner protection system, but different parts become more active in different situations.
And different parts need different kinds of inner work. Some need to be balanced, others tamed, some nurtured. Some need a somatic approach, other a emotional, intellectual, or spiritual one.
Which is why advice focused only on your core Enneagram type can only take you so far…or may not shift things in the way you’re hoped.
When we work with precision, the question is not simply:
What does my type need to do to grow?
It’s:
What’s active here?
What does this part need from me?
Our personality, or our inner protection system, is complex, dynamic, and multifaceted.
When you bring the whole Enneagram map alongside the situation you’re trying to change, with a number of other assessment factors, you can pinpoint where the tension is coming from, and what to focus your inner work on.
WHY PRECISION MATTERS
Two people of the same Enneagram type can do the same piece of inner work, but still have wildly different results.
Why?
Because what looks like same problem on the surface can come from very different parts of our personality structure.
Without enough nuance, we can do quality inner work that doesn’t do what we need it to.
When we can pinpoint which factors are active and why, we can we can choose practices that help us grow in the way we actually need.
WHAT’S NEEDED
This is a multidimensional approach to working with the Enneagram. It combines the personality structure, with levels of development, and a mix of somatic, psychological and spiritual development work.
There are a number of assessment factors to consider in every stuck situation. But identifying the one that’s most active is more art than science.
This is something every CP Enneagram Academy practitioner is trained in.
But this approach speaks to me so deeply because after a long journey with chronic illness and pain, I learnt that what worked for me did not work for others on the journey. We all needed different things at different times.
It’s also very easy to believe we’re doing real inner work, when we’re just placating our defenses.
The Enneagram, in it’s infinite detail, helps us see where we bypassing our inner work, but only when we’re ready to be honest with ourselves.
At it’s heart, this journey is about learning how to lead ourselves and not let our personality dictate how we live our lives.
TL;DR
Our personality has many ways to resist change, not just the strategy of our core Enneagram type.
Each part of our personality structure has a different strategy to protect us from change.
When we can pinpoint what’s behind your specific inner resistance, the more precise your inner work plan can be, and in the long term, more effective.
That’s what I mean by using the Enneagram with precision.
If this approach resonates with you, consider booking a Big Life Troubleshooting Session.
