Introduction to the Enneagram

Course Description

In this introductory course Evan Turner offers us the Enneagram as a potent tool for self-awareness.

The Enneagram helps us find our distinct coping strategy as well as our distinct pathway to growth and development in one of nine types. The point of knowing about types is to develop the ability to gently observe the ways we contract our experience. The genius of the Enneagram is its on-target prescriptions for developmental work for each of the types. These fine-tuned invitations encourage us to unfold our constrictions and open up our gifts.

Evan presents the Enneagram from the Narrative lineage with love and expertise. She has studied and worked closely with Russ Hudson, Helen Palmer and David Daniels. This school offers simple entry points that at the same time resist stereotyping and lead to deep integration of body, heart and mind. 

In Class One Evan gives a brief history of the Enneagram. She highlights the importance of self-awareness, compassion, curiosity, humor and ethics as we approach typology. She gives an overview of how anger, grief, shame and fear differently drive the coping strategies of the nine types. 

In Class Two Evan introduces us to the motivation, gifts, challenges, misconceptions about and developmental practices for the Body centered types: point 8-The Protector,  point 9-The Mediator and Point 1-The Perfectionist. She also gives tips for people who are in relationship with these types.

Class Three covers the same for the Heart centered types: point 2-The Giver, point 3-The Performer and point 4-The Romantic Idealist.

Class Four covers the Mind centered types: point 5-The Observer, point 6-The Loyal Skeptic and point 7-The Epicure.

Get curious. Have a kind look with Evan at what’s been holding you up and holding you back.

Handouts include Enneagram diagrams and summaries of the main points for each type.

This course is ideal if

• You want a clear and deep introduction to the Enneagram
• You want to get a taste of the 9 types
• You’re interested in looking at what motivates you and how to work with what holds you back
• You’re looking for a framework to understand people who are very different from you
• You want to go beyond typological clichés to something subtle and useful

Course Overview

Class 1. Introduction to the Enneagram

In this class Evan tells us about her introduction to the Enneagram, her work with Mother Theresa, her formation in the Narrative Enneagram lineage and how she’s brought Enneagram work to prison systems. She presents the basic principles of the Enneagram, the 3 laws of behavior, common terminology and common misconceptions about typology. She describes the narrative approach and suggests questions for self observation.

Class 2. The instinctual or body center

8: The Protector • 9: The Mediator • 1: The Perfectionist 

Evan begins by reminding us that the body is full of intelligence. People whose type falls in this triad have an Instinctual awareness of how to move in the world. Issues of being allowed to exist as an individual in the group are in the foreground for people in this triad. Types 8-9 and 1 are sensitive to feelings of being pushed around or controlled. How to achieve or protect their autonomy is a priority for them. People from this group benefit from investigating how anger shows up in their lives, both constructively and destructively. Each of the three types in this triad have very different strategies for coping with anger and different gifts to offer.

Class 3. The emotional or heart center

2: The Giver • 3: The Performer • 4: The Romantic Idealist

People in the heart triad put relationships and feelings first. They have a natural access to empathy. They are driven by a desire for connection, the desire to be seen and recognized as valuable. They can be concerned with image. There’s a distinct relationship with grief or shame and they will benefit by looking at the constructive and destructive sides of those emotions. Learning to feel okay regardless of what emotions are flowing is a path to growth for people in this triad.

Class 4. The intellectual or mind center

5: The Observer • 6: The Loyal Skeptic • 7: The Epicure

People in the mind or head center have natural access to intuition and open awareness. They have a desire for understanding and information. Fear or anxiety is a primary emotion for this triad and the search for certainty gets mixed with the need for security. Exploring the energy of fear in its constructive and destructive aspects will be fruitful for people whose home type is in this triad.

By the end of this course you will

• Understand the gifts, challenges and motivations of the 9 Enneagram types
• Have an initial feel for where your Enneagram “homebase” might or might not be
• Have tips about how to connect with different personality styles
• Know the origins and recent history of the Enneagram