Enneagram
I was delighted when Rezzan Huseyin invited me to have a conversation with her about Object Relations and the Enneagram. Based in London, she is translating her love of deepening Enneagram wisdom into a great podcast. I think you'll enjoy what came up as we exchanged ideas!
In my early Enneagram training with Don Riso and Russ Hudson, I learned about Levels of Development within each of the nine Enneagram types. The discovery of the Levels was one of Don’s major contributions to Enneagram theory. Although he named this teaching the Levels of Development, later he agreed that it more accurately describes Levels of Functioning. Descending from Healthy to Average to Unhealthy [...]
In the past a system with the complexity and depth of the Enneagram would have been reserved for psychologists. Today, however, average people have access to personality typologies through training in the workplace and online resources for personal development. In both education and in business, millions of people have taken personality inventories. The idea of discovering one’s personal style through relating to common patterns and [...]
The Three Centers of Intelligence, based on our innate structure as human beings, illuminates the Enneagram system. These Centers correspond to what neurobiologists describe as three primary focal areas of the nervous system that extends thoughout the body. Every nerve cell communicates some form of energy and information to other nerve cells through the action of neuropeptides. There are three places in the body where [...]
When I first learned about the Enneagram over 25 years ago, I began my study with forays into magazine articles and then a few workshops. At the time my psychotherapy practice was well established, and it was natural to wonder about my clients’ Enneagram types. When they would tell their stories using phrases right out of my Enneagram books, I was thrilled. Clearly the Enneagram [...]
Everyone wants good relationships but it's complicated. We all want strong relationships, but relationships are complicated. My idea of a good relationship isn’t the same as yours. We each have standards for what a good relationship means. What works for me may not work for you. To some degree, what makes for a good relationship depends on how we see ourselves. Who do we believe [...]
Several years ago I worked with a global consulting firm. One of our offerings included a session with a conductor who demonstrated parallels between an orchestra and leading a corporation. A good leader is like the conductor of an orchestra. The conductor knows the overall piece of music and all the individual parts, but does not play an instrument, providing instead the tempo, balancing the [...]
