The Enneagram: Learning More About Yourself and What Makes You Tick

Jan 21

The Enneagram is a system of personality typing that describes patterns in how people interpret the world and manage their emotions. It describes nine personality types and uses a nine-pointed diagram which helps to illustrate how the types relate to one another. (The name Enneagram comes from the Greek: Ennea is the Greek word for nine and Gramma means something that’s drawn or written.)

Each personality type has their own key motivations and fears that largely guide their actions and decisions. Understanding your primary type can be a powerful tool for self knowledge and improvement in all areas of your life..

A Road Map for Personal and Spiritual Growth

The Enneagram is intriguing in its depth and accuracy.

According to the Enneagram, we learned to cope with life by developing one of nine key strategies. These strategies remain largely unconscious, and can remain hidden even when you have done extensive therapy and insight work. However, the Enneagram shows us this shadow side with remarkable clarity.

As we develop a deeper understanding of ourselves and others through the Enneagram, we can move past the habitual (and often worn-out coping strategies), become less reactive to situations that trigger us, and begin to see life from a broader point of view.

Where Does the Enneagram Originate?

The Enneagram has roots that go back many centuries. Originally a secret tradition that was transmitted orally, in the early 20th century, theorists began to write about and more formally teach the Enneagram. As more books have been published about the Enneagram since the ‘50s, it has become increasingly popular.

Using the Enneagram in Nutrition Therapy

Karin started doing nutrition therapy in 1983. She noticed along the way that people respond to counseling differently and learned how to adjust her approach based on the client’s individual needs.

She became interested in personality styles and began studying different systems in 1985. She landed on the enneagram as the most amazing personality system in 2003 and soon found it invaluable, not only to understand herself, but to better understand clients and their needs. She has found it to be the best system to tailor approaches to a person's individuality to give them the greatest chance to meet their goals.

Hannah began studying the enneagram in 2018.

We have found that knowing a client’s personality type helps unravel eating and weight issues. It is particularly helpful for those who want to change, but have found it much harder than they thought it would be. Connecting to personality style helps connect the dots between "I know what to do" and "but I don't do it."