“Shame is basically the ultimate form of gaslighting”, she said. Oh God, I thought. It stopped me right in my tracks. Gaslighting is one of those concepts that has brought me a lot of fun in conversations I have had with friends. Never has it occurred to me that I actually gaslight myself, but I often do. […]
Grappling with Gurdjieff & Unscrambling the Enneagram Centers
Practically speaking and experientially, the Enneagram Centers are how we find our way back home.Russ Hudson After ignoring several earlier prompts, I started reading the Fourth Way. Clearly not intended for attention spans like mine, my progress has been slow. I am needing to re-read each chapter at least once. But I haven’t given up, […]
The Enneagram as a Purpose-Finder and Crisis-Navigation tool
To find our calling is to find the intersection between our own deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger.Frederick Buechner Note: There is no specific theory I am drawing upon here: just a few personal explorations. Frederick’s quote, which I stumble upon every now and again, has been problematic for me. Calling can seem a […]
How to Survive doing Enneagram Assessments as a New-ish Coach*
*Or self-coach, or supportive friend/family member. It is one thing to appreciate the immense utility of the Enneagram as a developmental map. It is quite another to apply it to the specific terrain of a challenged human being. As a graduate of the Integral Coaching method, I can do complexity. However, I’d be fibbing if […]
6 Lessons I Learned through Mistyping on the Enneagram
When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. When the student is truly ready, the teacher disappears.”Lao Tzu When one of the Enneagram community’s most distinguished teachers called into question my type earlier this year, I found myself being openly defensive. This was disturbing to me. And also, intriguing! At the time, I considered […]
Integrating Polarities using the Enneagram
Lately, I have been reflecting on an indirect benefit of my study of the Enneagram. There is a more systemic quality to my thinking. Also, studying the Enneagram is training me to think less in terms of absolutes. One of the reasons for that is that learning the Enneagram helps us to see the cognitive […]