In our last post, we explored the Comfort Zone versus the Opportunity Zone—how the familiar, though soothing, can become a prison of predictability, and how the Enneagram’s Three Centers of Intelligence can help us expand into new freedom.

But to move forward with courage, we must first understand what holds us back.

Each Enneagram type lives within a comfort zone shaped not just by habits, but by deeply embedded emotional patterns—often unconscious. These patterns protect us, but they also limit us.

But beneath the strategies of control, identity, and fear, each of us holds the seed of something sacred: a Holy Idea—a core truth that reconnects us to the flow of reality and purpose.

When we take the risk to move from the comfort zone to the Opportunity Zone, we don’t just grow—we remember who we truly are.

Here’s how each type can make that shift—and what they may discover on the other side.

Type 1 – Anger Turned Inward → Holy Perfection / Holy Order

Comfort Zone: Rigid self-control, striving for “rightness.”
To Release: The belief that love depends on being correct or good.
To Add:
Allow yourself to enjoy something “unproductive.”
Laugh at your own mistakes with kindness.
Break one small rule—and see what happens.

What This Unlocks:
Leaving the comfort zone of constant self-correction for the opportunity zone of self-acceptance, Ones begin to glimpse Holy Perfection—a spacious inner order where everything, including themselves, belongs as it is.

Type 2 – Identity through Being Needed → Holy Freedom / Holy Will

Comfort Zone: Pleasing others to feel loved.
To Release: The need to earn love through helpfulness.
To Add:
Say “no” without an explanation.
Share a personal need or desire—even if it feels selfish.
Schedule alone time with no agenda but self-nourishment.

What This Unlocks:
As Twos exit the comfort zone of constant giving and step into the opportunity zone of self-ownership, they begin to access Holy Will—the sense that their true value doesn’t come from being needed, but from simply being themselves within a divine flow.

Type 3 – Identity through Image → Holy Hope / Holy Harmony

Comfort Zone: Achieving for approval, adapting image to succeed.
To Release: The belief that you must perform to be valued.
To Add:
Share a failure or struggle publicly—or with someone close.
Engage in something for pure joy, not for results.
Spend a day unplugged from all metrics of success.

What This Unlocks:
Leaving the comfort zone of performance and stepping into the opportunity zone of authenticity allows Threes to experience Holy Harmony—a profound realization that they are loved and valuable not for what they do, but for who they are.

Type 4 – Identity through Feeling Different → Holy Origin

Comfort Zone: Emotional intensity, longing, self-distinction.
To Release: The belief that suffering makes you special.
To Add:
Name what’s going well—especially when you feel something’s missing.
Spend time with simple, joyful routines—even when they feel emotionally neutral.
Celebrate someone’s success—then notice what it brings up in you.

What This Unlocks:
By moving out of the comfort zone of longing and into the opportunity zone of presence and gratitude, Fours reconnect with Holy Origin—the felt truth that they are whole, included, and perfectly placed in the fabric of life.

Type 5 – Fear of Depletion → Holy Omniscience

Comfort Zone: Withholding energy, isolating in the mind.
To Release: The belief that you must conserve or protect your inner resources.
To Add:
Say “yes” to a group experience without overthinking it.
Speak your thoughts before they feel perfectly researched.
Ask for help or connection—even when it feels exposing.

What This Unlocks:
Leaving the comfort zone of detachment and scarcity-thinking allows Fives to enter the opportunity zone of deep participation. Here, they begin to experience Holy Omniscience—not as information hoarding, but as trust in being part of a larger, intelligent field of life.

Type 6 – Fear of Chaos → Holy Faith

Comfort Zone: Vigilance, second-guessing, loyalty to systems or people for security.
To Release: The belief that certainty is required before action.
To Add:
Act from courage, not certainty—choose based on values, even with doubt.
Build self-trust by honoring small commitments to yourself.
Take relational risks by revealing vulnerability without testing loyalty.

What This Unlocks:
Moving beyond the comfort zone of hyper-vigilance into the opportunity zone of grounded self-trust, Sixes begin to relax into Holy Faith—a deep knowing that they are supported by life, and that their inner guidance is trustworthy.

Type 7 – Fear of Pain → Holy Work, Holy Plan

Comfort Zone: Avoidance of discomfort, escape into planning and pleasure.
To Release: The belief that freedom means avoiding limits or pain.
To Add:
Stay present with an emotion instead of moving on.
Complete a task or commitment before starting a new one.
Practice silence for five minutes a day—no input, no distraction.

What This Unlocks:
Stepping out of the comfort zone of distraction and into the opportunity zone of grounded presence, Sevens begin to discover Holy Work and the Holy Plan—the joy of aligning with what is, rather than chasing what could be.

Type 8 – Anger as Protection → Holy Truth

Comfort Zone: Control, intensity, dominance to avoid vulnerability.
To Release: The belief that power keeps you safe.
To Add:
Admit when you feel hurt instead of defaulting to anger.
Let someone else lead, even if you disagree.
Explore tenderness—especially toward yourself.

What This Unlocks:
As Eights move beyond the comfort zone of armor and enter the opportunity zone of openness, they begin to live in alignment with Holy Truth—not personal dominance, but the deeper truth that includes strength and tenderness.

Type 9 – Anger Dissolved into Numbness → Holy Love / Holy Participation

Comfort Zone: Numbing out, avoiding conflict, merging.
To Release: The belief that your purpose is to prevent disruption.
To Add:
State your opinion before agreeing with others.
Say “no” to something that drains you.
Choose a personal goal and take daily action—even in small steps.

What This Unlocks:
Exiting the comfort zone of passivity and stepping into the opportunity zone of engaged presence allows Nines to embody Holy Participation—the knowing that their energy, voice, and presence are integral to the unfolding of life.

In summary

The comfort zone is where your personality works hard to keep you safe.
The opportunity zone is where your true self starts to show up.

Every time you move beyond an old habit or pattern, you take a step toward something more whole, more honest, and more free. That’s where the deeper wisdom of your type—the Holy Idea—begins to come alive.

So consider:
What am I ready to let go of, even if it feels uncomfortable?
What would it be like to trust that I’m already enough, already part of something bigger?

Change doesn’t have to be dramatic.
One small, intentional step can open a whole new way forward.

About Ginger

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of nine Enneagram books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications. TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com

The post Moving from the Comfort Zone to the Opportunity Zone for each Enneagram Type appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.

We all have a comfort zone—a psychological space where things feel safe, predictable, and under control. It’s the familiar routine, the emotional autopilot, the well-worn mental tracks we’ve been traveling for years. Inside this zone, risk is low, reassurance is high, and the status quo is quietly maintained.

But there’s a cost to staying too long in this safe place. Growth slows. Dreams stall. Life starts to shrink.

That’s where the Opportunity Zone beckons. It’s not about abandoning safety altogether—it’s about expanding your edges. The Opportunity Zone is where creativity flourishes, new possibilities arise, and you begin to fulfill aspirations that once felt just out of reach. It’s uncertain, yes—but it’s also vibrant, expansive, and deeply alive.

So how do we move from the comfort zone into the opportunity zone without getting overwhelmed?

The Enneagram offers a map. At its core are the Three Centers of Intelligence: the Head, the Heart, and the Body. Each of these centers gives us a unique way to both understand ourselves and stretch beyond what feels familiar.

The Head Center: Loosening the Grip of Certainty

The Head Center is the domain of thinking, planning, and imagining. When we’re stuck in our comfort zone here, we tend to overthink, worry, and cling to mental control.

Experiment:

• Ask yourself “What if…” questions. Let your imagination wander into new possibilities without needing certainty.
• Instead of planning every detail, try improvising your next decision—big or small.
• Explore unfamiliar ideas, books, or perspectives that challenge your usual way of thinking.

This mental stretching invites insight and opens you to new options you might have dismissed before.

The Heart Center: Expanding Emotional Range

The Heart Center is about feelings, connection, and identity. In our comfort zones, we often suppress or avoid emotions that feel vulnerable or unfamiliar.

Experiment:

• Reach out to someone you care about but rarely speak to. Surprise them—and yourself.
• Keep an emotional honesty journal: write about how you actually feel, not just what you think you should feel.
• Notice and shift one habitual emotional response (e.g., irritation, withdrawal, guilt).
• Gently challenge a projection: Ask yourself, “Am I sure they feel that way—or is that my story?”

Emotional growth often begins with small, courageous acts of honesty—with others and ourselves.

The Body Center: Trusting Instinct and Embodiment

The Body Center governs instinct, presence, and action. Stuck in the comfort zone here, we avoid risk, resist change, and cling to control through routine.

Experiment:

• Change one part of your daily routine—your route, your morning ritual, even your seat at the table.
• Wear something you never wear (yes, even that hat you’re unsure about).
• Try a new food or activity. Challenge your physical habits gently.
• Pay attention to something you usually ignore—your posture, your breath, your pace.

Small shifts in the body can unlock big shifts in awareness and energy.

Stepping In, One Small Risk at a Time

You don’t have to leap from your comfort zone into total chaos. In fact, lasting change often comes from small, intentional risks taken with care. The Opportunity Zone isn’t a single destination—it’s a practice of reaching toward what’s possible.

The Enneagram doesn’t just show us where we are—it shows us how we move. By engaging all three centers—head, heart, and body—you create a fuller, more integrated path for growth.

So today, ask yourself:
What small stretch can I take?
Where might my next opportunity lie, just beyond the edge of the familiar?

The edge is where the magic happens.

About Ginger

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of nine Enneagram books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications. TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com

The post Moving Beyond Your Comfort Zone with the 3 Centers of Intelligence appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.

This blog may be provocative, although my intention is to make it thought-provoking. The issue is what I am seeing as the frequent use of the “hypnotic voice” by Enneagram professionals in their videos on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

As a young PhD student in the late 1970s, it was drilled into us to NOT use a hypnotic voice when teaching, leading guided imagery, meditations, centering activities, or in any other context. The exception would be if  (a) we were trained and licensed hypnotherapists and (b) our clients had come to us knowingly and explicitly for a hypnotherapy session. But the reason for not using the hypnotic voice wasn’t because of these two factors. It was because using the hypnotic voice is manipulative, generating an unconscious positive reaction to a particular message. It can be used to “sell” a product, to sell a training program, or even to sell a positive message. Still, the person using the “hypnotic voice” is making the decision for the person receiving the message. And thus, manipulation is involved.

What is the hypnotic voice?

This voice has a number of characteristics:

Calm, soothing voice tone
Even voice tone with minimal inflection
Much slower than normal speech
Uses few questions
Rarely using upticks at the end of a sentence
Softer voice than normal
Deeper or higher voice than normal
Use of repeating words at regular intervals

Why are so many Enneagram people starting to use the hypnotic voice?

Here are some guesses, but since I do not use it, these are speculations. Before suggesting possible reasons, the bigger ask is for you to self-reflect if you use the hypnotic voice yourself. Why?

Some of the whys include the following:

Mimicking someone you’ve heard using it so you think this is the ways it is done.
Wanting to sell something – yourself, an idea, an offering – and thinking this is the best way to do it.
You want to be perceived as wise – a guru, a holy person, a mystic, a spiritually advanced human – and think this is how they talk.
You’ve been coached to speak this way.

More reasons to NOT use the “hypnotic voice”

Besides the manipulative aspects of using the “hypnotic voice,”  most “hypnotic voices” sound fake, so the person using it also feels fake. As an Enneagram teacher, sounding fake or inauthentic is never a winning position. We are, I hope, trying to help people become more real, not more fake. Even if you are adept at the “hypnotic voice”, and few people are, it is also a form of “spiritual  bypass.” You can convince yourself, even self-hypnotize, that you are more developed or evolved than you actually are. And you can hypnotize others into thinking they are somehow more transformed than they are. In addition, the Enneagram can be perceived as “Woo-Woo” or “New Age.” The “hypnotic voice” only reinforces this perception.

How to not use the “hypnotic voice”

Tempting as the hypnotic voice may be, here are two very simple ways to not use it. The first is to be aware of this voice and to choose not to use it. And if you do, stop!

The second way, which I learned in my PhD program so credit to my instructors, is to do the activity yourself while you are asking others to follow your directions. For example, if you ask them to imagine a beautiful blue horizon with a destination at the end of it, imagine this blue horizon yourself and follow your next directions just as they would follow theirs. Doing this keeps you in your own body and experience, and the “hypnotic voice” is no longer there. It really is that simple!

About Ginger

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of nine Enneagram books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications. TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com

The post Beware of the “hypnotic voice” appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.

On request from the recent Shift network Global Enneagram Summit, I did a session on the importance of not identifying with our Enneagram type. To me, the dangers of identifying with type seemed obvious, and I reflected on what might be useful for me to say. The words flowed out quite easily, so I thought I’d share some of them here. As the Enneagram is currently expanding exponentially, this topic is both urgent and timely.

The quest for “Who Am I?”

The quest for the answer to “Who Am I” is nothing new, but it may be increasing with the increasing uncertainty in the world: pandemic and post-pandemic experiences; job changes and job insecurity; political divisiveness and turmoil; violence and its traumatic aftermath; racism, antisemitism, hate crimes against groups with “marginalized” status; and more. Even without all these factors, the search for answers to “Who Am I” can be endless and daunting.

Here is the issue or trap with the Enneagram. Our Enneagram type is not an answer to who we are. It has been said your type may be who you think you are, but, in a deeper sense, it is really who you are not. However, when people learn the enneagram and identify their type, they can easily fall into the trap of “Oh finally, this is who I am. I am a type X.”

If people treat their Enneagram type in this way, identifying with it as if this is who they are, then they get stuck in their type. When we are stuck in our type, and overidentifying with it is just one way we can get stuck, our growth becomes thwarted. And as trainers, coaches and authors, if we intentionally or unintentionally collude with this tendency to over-identify with type, we are really neither serving the person or the Enneagram. For example, if we primarily emphasize the positive qualities of each type and minimize the developmental aspects, people often start to like their type so much that there’s minimal motivation for working on their deeper development areas.

So my question to everyone who teaches the Enneagram, and to myself, is to continuously ask whether or not the way we teach types supports discovering type but not identifying with it or if we are unintentionally reinforcing overidentification.

The search for belonging

Belonging is a longing almost everyone has, at least to some extent. This is, in a sense, part of the social instinct we all have as humans. The further we have moved away from tribes as communities to which we belong, the more family systems are separated, and the more people become geographically dispersed from their social systems and communities, the need to belong becomes heightened.

Here is the issue or trap with the Enneagram. People can start to identify strongly with their type (and others of their same type) as a tribe or community to which they belong. Finally, they belong to something. Enneagram trainings, programs, and schools can unintentionally reinforce this sense of type-based or even Enneagram-wide community. Although Enneagram groupings often serve as a way to satisfy the deeply felt need to belong, this way of belonging can encourage overidentifying with type. Just as examples, consider type group discussions – which are enlightening – that make people feel deeply understood for perhaps the first time ever. This is a central part of Enneagram work, but it can lead people to think their type group (or their Enneagram community) is the place they feel they belong. They may start to believe theirs is the best type or their Enneagram community is the best community. When this occurs, development is obstructed. To grow and transform is in some ways akin to leaving the group or community to which they belong behind. To grow or to belong?

Again, my question to others and myself is to what extent do I/we foster overidentification with type, albeit unintentionally in most cases, by overemphasizing the sense of belonging to something important? How do we help those we teach identify their Enneagram type without over-identifying with it?

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of nine Enneagram books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications. TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com

The post Over-identification with type appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.

Picture this: a world where your dreams and aspirations come to life, where positive change is not just a distant fantasy but a tangible reality. That’s what visioning is all about – helping our clients paint vivid mental images of their desired future. By harnessing the power of imagination, we can maintain optimism, build strength, and inspire our clients to make their dreams a beautiful truth.

Coaching Through Visioning: Key Questions to Unlock the Path Ahead

When guiding our clients through visioning activities, it’s essential to ask the right questions. Start by encouraging them to imagine themselves living the changes they wish to make. What do they see? What sounds surround them? What actions do they take? By probing their thoughts, feelings, and intentions, we can foster a profound connection between their vision and desired change.

What to Listen for, Ask or Say, and Helpful Approaches:

Type One: Embracing Flexibility in Visioning

Listen For: A rigid view of what constitutes a “right” future and an overly critical inner voice.
Ask or Say: Can you explore alternative perspectives for your vision? How can you be more flexible in your approach to change?
Helpful Approaches: Encourage them to embrace open-mindedness and challenge their inner critic.

Type Two: Validating the Vision from Within

Listen For: A reliance on external feedback for validation and approval.
Ask or Say: Your vision matters just as much as anyone else’s. How can you validate and trust your own desires for change?
Helpful Approaches: Guide them towards self-validation and acknowledging their intrinsic worth.

Type Three: Defining Success on Their Terms

Listen For: A vision based on external measures of success and recognition.
Ask or Say: What does success truly mean to you? How can your vision align with your authentic self?
Helpful Approaches: Encourage them to explore their inner values and redefine success on their own terms.

Type Four: Embracing Growth without Envy or Shadow of the Past

Listen For: Comparisons with others and referencing of past goals that didn’t match their ideal of success.
Ask or Say: How can past “failures” be stepping stones to growth? How can other’s successes inspire you on your own path toward change?
Helpful Approaches: Help them recognize what they have learned from the past and focus on their own personal growth.

Type Five: Balancing Intellect and Emotion in Visioning

Listen For: A preference for intellectual analysis over emotional intuition.
Ask or Say: How can you tap into your emotions while envisioning change? Embrace the full spectrum of possibilities in your vision.
Helpful Approaches: Guide them towards a harmonious balance between intellect and emotions.

Type Six: Cultivating Positivity Amidst Uncertainty

Listen For: Worries and doubts clouding the visioning process.
Ask or Say: Focus on positive possibilities and trust in your resilience. How can you overcome the “what ifs” and embrace hope in your vision?
Helpful Approaches: Encourage optimism and provide reassurance.

Type Seven: Choosing Focus Amidst Abundance

Listen For: Difficulty in selecting one vision from a multitude of possibilities.
Ask or Say: Out of all your exciting visions, which one resonates the most? How can you prioritize and focus your energies towards it?
Helpful Approaches: Guide them towards clarity and decisiveness.

Type Eight: Embracing Vulnerability and Authenticity

Listen For: Hesitancy to embrace vulnerability or perceived weaknesses in the vision.
Ask or Say: Vulnerability is a display of strength. How can you envision a future that honors your authentic self without fear?
Helpful Approaches: Encourage them to step into vulnerability as a pathway to true empowerment.

Type Nine: Empowering Action and Risk in Visioning

Listen For: Reluctance to imagine taking action and embracing risks.
Ask or Say: Envision the rewards of positive change. How can you find the courage to pursue your vision with determination?
Helpful Approaches: Encourage them to overcome passivity and embrace action.

Visioning, combined with the wisdom of the Enneagram, becomes a potent catalyst for personal transformation and self-awareness. As coaches, understanding the unique challenges each Enneagram Type faces during this process allows us to provide tailored support and guidance, empowering our clients to paint their canvas of dreams with bold strokes of change.

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of nine Enneagram books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications. TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com

The post Change Through Visioning and the Enneagram: A Coach’s Guide appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.

In the world of teaching, training, and coaching, the Enneagram has emerged as a powerful tool for personal growth and self-awareness. Its ability to uncover our deepest motivations, behaviors, and thought patterns has made it an invaluable resource for personal and professional development. However, harnessing the full potential of the Enneagram requires an artful approach, and this is where the power of metaphor comes into play.

Metaphors hold a special place in the Enneagram work, enabling practitioners to unlock new dimensions of understanding and connection with their clients. In this blog post, we will explore how metaphors can be utilized to enhance the teaching, training, and coaching experience with the Enneagram, as supported by neuroscience and real-world success stories.

1. Simplification: making complexity understandable

The Enneagram can be a labyrinth of interconnected personalities and motivations, which might be overwhelming to learners and clients. Metaphors provide a simple, yet profound way to clarify complex concepts, making them more accessible and relatable. By presenting the intricacies of the Enneagram through relatable imagery, practitioners can help their clients embrace their unique traits and tendencies without feeling daunted.

2. Igniting the imagination: enriching the learning experience

When learning about the Enneagram, imagination plays a key role in understanding various personality types. Metaphors, with their ability to create sensory-rich images, kindle the imagination of learners and clients. This, in turn, enables them to delve deeper into the Enneagram, fostering a more profound connection with their personal growth journey.

3. Stimulating creative problem solving: thinking beyond boundaries

In coaching sessions, clients often seek guidance in overcoming challenges and breaking free from unproductive patterns. Metaphors activate the right side of the brain, unlocking creative pathways and encouraging clients to explore innovative solutions. As metaphors encourage lateral thinking, clients can perceive new ways of responding to their life situations, effectively empowering them to embrace change and growth.

4. Generating emotion: connecting with authenticity

Metaphors are not only intellectual tools but also powerful emotional connectors. By tapping into our sensory systems, they invoke emotions and feelings, creating a profound impact on how clients process information. When clients connect emotionally with the metaphors presented or discovered, they become more engaged and invested in their personal development, leading to more profound and lasting transformations.

5. Fostering insight and introspection: self-discovery at its best

Self-awareness is at the core of the Enneagram, and metaphors serve as mirrors, reflecting clients’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. As clients engage with metaphors that resonate with them, they gain valuable insights into their inner world. The process of relating to metaphors can be a gateway to understanding complex dynamics and embracing introspection without feeling overwhelmed or judged.

Metaphors have proven to be invaluable allies in teaching, training, and coaching with the Enneagram. Their power lies in their ability to simplify complex ideas, ignite the imagination, generate emotions, stimulate creativity, aid retention, and encourage holistic thinking. By embracing metaphors in our Enneagram work, we can create an enriching and transformative experience for our learners and clients.

As coaches and practitioners, let us continue to harness the power of metaphors to unlock the full potential of the Enneagram, empowering individuals to embark on a journey of self-discovery, growth, and meaningful transformation. Remember, a single metaphor can ignite a fire of understanding and compassion, leading to profound change in the lives of those we touch.

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of nine Enneagram books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications. TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com

The post Unleashing the Power of Metaphor appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.

There are three versions of each Enneagram type called subtypes: self-preserving subtype, social subtype and one-to-one subtype. Subtypes are formed when the emotional patterns or habits of our type, also called the type’s passion or vice, intersect and combine with one of the three basic human instincts, the instinct that is most activated within us: self-preservation instinct, social instinct or one-to-one instinct. We may have more than one activated instinct, so we could relate to two or even all three subtypes for our type.

Each instinct has specific focal areas. Individuals with that activated instinct, once it combines with the emotional pattern of our type, may move toward that instinctual area, away from that arena, or have ambivalence about that area. A way of understanding this is that the instincts by themselves are simply human and natural. However, when the activated instinct(s) combines with our type-based emotional pattern, the instinct then becomes distorted and, thus, less able to satisfy our natural needs in that instinctual area.

Here you can read about the passion or emotional habit of the type, a name for and a description of that subtype as it combines the emotional habit with that instinct, followed by one specific development idea that is particularly useful to people of that subtype. Please remember that we may have more than one active subtype, so the development activities for the additional subtype are also good for your development.

NINES

Emotional pattern of LAZINESS

Avoiding conflict by numbing themselves and not paying attention to their own inner responses, thus disabling them from knowing what they think, want and the right action to take

Self-preservation Nine subtypes

Self-Preservation Nine subtypes (“appetite”) use the comfort of routine, rhythmic, and pleasant activities to not pay attention to themselves.

Self-preservation Nine subtype development

Notice the subtle clues, particularly the physical and somatic ones, to your deep anger, energy and vitality; relax your need for comfort and move toward action.

One way to relax your need for comfort and move toward action:

Identify the physical behaviors that you engage in regularly that you find comforting, such as rocking back and forth physically, nodding your head on a regular basis, eating for comfort, and sleeping when you are distressed. Once you know what these are, every time you are just about to do one of them, ask yourself instead what you are feeling and spend time exploring you emotions.

Social Nine subtypes

Social Nine subtypes (“participation”) work extremely hard on behalf of a group, organization, or cause as a way to belong and as a way of not focusing on themselves.

Social Nine subtype development

Notice how you dive into work or activities as a way of belonging to groups; slow down and honor your feelings, needs and desires.

One way to slow down and honor your feelings, needs and desires:

Notice that when you work so hard on behalf of a group, that you actually merge with the group and activity and lose your inner sense of self. Practice keeping a clear boundary around your sense of self at the same time as you engage in activities on behalf of the group. One thing that helps is to do this: every time you take a breath, come back to your sense of self as a whole and embodied person. Breathe into yourself, don’t just breathe so you can continue merging with the group or activity.

One-to-One Nine subtypes

One-to-One Nine subtypes (“fusion/union”) join, merge or fuse with important individuals as a way of not paying attention to their own thoughts, feelings, needs, and deep desires.

One-to-One Nine subtype development

Notice how you vacate yourself  – lose your sense of self – by merging with special others; focus on who you are and express yourself.

One way to focus on who you are and express yourself:

Here’s a question to consider: Are you confusing merging with love? When we love someone, there are times when we merge with them and they merge with us. But real love also allows both parties to separate or be autonomous so that merging is a temporary experience between two whole human beings. Create a solid sense of your physical boundary, where you end and where another person starts.

These activities are excerpts from the new additions to the soon-available 3rd edition of The Enneagram Development Guide, with over 60 development activities for each Enneagram type.

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of nine Enneagram books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications. TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com

The post Subtype Development Activities | Type 9 appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.

There are three versions of each Enneagram type called subtypes: self-preserving subtype, social subtype and one-to-one subtype. Subtypes are formed when the emotional patterns or habits of our type, also called the type’s passion or vice, intersect and combine with one of the three basic human instincts, the instinct that is most activated within us: self-preservation instinct, social instinct or one-to-one instinct. We may have more than one activated instinct, so we could relate to two or even all three subtypes for our type.

Each instinct has specific focal areas. Individuals with that activated instinct, once it combines with the emotional pattern of our type, may move toward that instinctual area, away from that arena, or have ambivalence about that area. A way of understanding this is that the instincts by themselves are simply human and natural. However, when the activated instinct(s) combines with our type-based emotional pattern, the instinct then becomes distorted and, thus, less able to satisfy our natural needs in that instinctual area.

Here you can read about the passion or emotional habit of the type, a name for and a description of that subtype as it combines the emotional habit with that instinct, followed by one specific development idea that is particularly useful to people of that subtype. Please remember that we may have more than one active subtype, so the development activities for the additional subtype are also good for your development.

EIGHTS

Emotional pattern of LUST

Denying anxiety, sadness and vulnerability by engaging in a variety of self-satisfying behaviors and doing so in an excessive way

Self-preservation Eight subtypes

Self-Preservation Eights subtypes (“survival”) get what they think they need for survival, become highly frustrated, intolerant, and angry when the fulfillment of their needs are thwarted, are attuned to power and influence dynamics, and tend be quieter than the other two subtypes of Eight.

Self-preservation Eight subtype development

Notice your need to be strong, self-reliant and strategic; learn to strategize less and verbalize your needs and rely on others more.

One way to strategize less and verbalize your needs and rely on others more:

Consider this idea: Assess the kinds of physical stimulation you crave the most. What are they? How often do they occur? What factors, internal or external, activate them? Next, every time you are about to pursue the particular kinds of physical stimulation you crave, pause and ask yourself what you are really feeling.

Social Eight subtypes

Social Eight subtypes (“solidarity” ) vigorously protect others from unjust and unfair authorities and systems and challenge social norms, while also seeking power, influence, and pleasure.

Social Eight subtype development

Notice your need to be strong and to protect others; allow yourself to need and be supported by others.

One way to allow yourself to need and be supported by others:

Do you let others do things for you, support you, and get close to you? Can you share your sorrows and pain with others as well as your doubts and uncertainties? Your protectiveness may help you feel connected to others, but this is not real closeness or a substitute for true intimacy. Share more and you’ll feel more deeply connected to yourself and others.

One-to-One Eight subtypes

One-to-One Eight subtypes (“possession”) are rebellious, provocative, emotional, intense, and passionate, draw others to them and derive their power and influence from being at the center of events and the lives of others. 

One-to-One Eight subtype development

Notice your need to provoke, to be potent, to possess the ones you love and to be at the center of and control everything if you can; manage your intensity and be both more present and pure.

One way to manage your intensity and be more present and pure:

Do you want all of something or someone you love or care about. This is what the word “possession” means. Although you may not think of your desires as possessive, those on the receiving end often do. To have more balanced and spacious relationships, relax your needs and actions when you start to want to have all of something or someone. Breathe and tell yourself this: “Let me give my desires and the other person more freedom and space.”

These activities are excerpts from the new additions to the soon-available 3rd edition of The Enneagram Development Guide, with over 60 development activities for each Enneagram type.

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of nine Enneagram books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications. TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com

The post Subtype Development Activities | Type 8 appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.

There are three versions of each Enneagram type called subtypes: self-preserving subtype, social subtype and one-to-one subtype. Subtypes are formed when the emotional patterns or habits of our type, also called the type’s passion or vice, intersect and combine with one of the three basic human instincts, the instinct that is most activated within us: self-preservation instinct, social instinct or one-to-one instinct. We may have more than one activated instinct, so we could relate to two or even all three subtypes for our type.

Each instinct has specific focal areas. Individuals with that activated instinct, once it combines with the emotional pattern of our type, may move toward that instinctual area, away from that arena, or have ambivalence about that area. A way of understanding this is that the instincts by themselves are simply human and natural. However, when the activated instinct(s) combines with our type-based emotional pattern, the instinct then becomes distorted and, thus, less able to satisfy our natural needs in that instinctual area.

Here you can read about the passion or emotional habit of the type, a name for and a description of that subtype as it combines the emotional habit with that instinct, followed by one specific development idea that is particularly useful to people of that subtype. Please remember that we may have more than one active subtype, so the development activities for the additional subtype are also good for your development.

SEVENS

Emotional pattern of GLUTTONY

The insatiable thirst for new and constant stimulation via exciting people, ideas and experiences, thus enabling the avoidance of experiencing painful emotions, difficult situations and any sense of being limited or constrained

Self-preservation Seven subtypes

Self-Preservation Seven subtypes (“keepers of the castle”) create close networks of family, friends, and colleagues to keep themselves feeling stimulated and secure, as well as to generate new and interesting opportunities to pursue.

Self-preservation Seven subtype development

Notice how new opportunities and physical pleasure or satisfaction are so important to you; explore your anxiety and pain that lie underneath.

One way to explore your anxiety and pain that lie underneath:

Consider this idea: Assess the kinds of physical stimulation you crave the most. What are they? How often do they occur? What factors, internal or external, activate them? Next, every time you are about to pursue the particular kinds of physical stimulation you crave, pause and ask yourself what you are really feeling.

Social Seven subtypes

Social Seven subtypes (“sacrifice”) sacrifice their own needs for satisfaction and stimulation, at least temporarily, in service of the group or an important ideal by postponing their gratification, but they also want explicit recognition for their sacrifice and get their needs met shortly after their sacrifice.

Social Seven subtype development

Notice how you want to be acknowledged for your sacrifice and goodness; explore the feelings below your explanations and rationales for your sacrifice.

One way to explore the feelings below your explanations and rationales for your sacrifice:

Consider how important being explicitly thanked for your sacrifice really is to you. What happens when you don’t get this acknowledgment? What feelings arise in you? Explore these feelings and what lies beneath them. For example, if you get angry or resentful, why? If you feel anxious and fearful or perhaps sad and disappointed, what is underneath these emotions?

One-to-One Seven subtypes

One-to-One Seven subtypes (“suggestibility/fascination”) need to see the stark reality of the world in the most positive ways, as if they are using rose-colored glasses to embellish reality so they can live in a super-optimistic, dream-like state, and this is particularly true when it comes to relationships.

One-to-One Seven subtype development

Notice how you live in an idealized and embellished version of reality; ground yourself in unfiltered reality.

One way to ground yourself in unfiltered reality:

Have you ever been called or thought of yourself as naïve? Perhaps you are not naïve in all ways, but you may be in some ways. In particular, are you innocent and naïve because you primarily perceive the positive aspects of a situation without taking into consideration what might be neutral or even negative? Without perceiving reality as it is in its entirety, you may be suggestible or easily drawn to people, things and ideas that may not be good for you. Think of the ways in which you may be naïve or easily swayed. As you reflect on situations, what did you not let yourself see that was actually there? Understanding this can be helpful in your development and also save you from some of the big disappointments you may have already experienced.

These activities are excerpts from the new additions to the soon-available 3rd edition of The Enneagram Development Guide, with over 60 development activities for each Enneagram type.

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of nine Enneagram books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications. TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com

The post Subtype Development Activities | Type 7 appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.

There are three versions of each Enneagram type called subtypes: self-preserving subtype, social subtype and one-to-one subtype. Subtypes are formed when the emotional patterns or habits of our type, also called the type’s passion or vice, intersect and combine with one of the three basic human instincts, the instinct that is most activated within us: self-preservation instinct, social instinct or one-to-one instinct. We may have more than one activated instinct, so we could relate to two or even all three subtypes for our type.

Each instinct has specific focal areas. Individuals with that activated instinct, once it combines with the emotional pattern of our type, may move toward that instinctual area, away from that arena, or have ambivalence about that area. A way of understanding this is that the instincts by themselves are simply human and natural. However, when the activated instinct(s) combines with our type-based emotional pattern, the instinct then becomes distorted and, thus, less able to satisfy our natural needs in that instinctual area.

Here you can read about the passion or emotional habit of the type, a name for and a description of that subtype as it combines the emotional habit with that instinct, followed by one specific development idea that is particularly useful to people of that subtype. Please remember that we may have more than one active subtype, so the development activities for the additional subtype are also good for your development.

SIXES

Emotional pattern of FEAR

Fearing that something bad or negative will happen and doubting that others are trustworthy or that they and you are capable of meeting the challenges that arise

Self-preservation Six subtypes

Self-Preservation Six subtypes (“fear”) have an intense need to feel protected from danger, often utilizing the family, a surrogate family or support groups to provide this, and they use their friendliness thinking no harm will come to them if they a warm toward others and also believe there is safety by being friendly to others and part of a group.

Self-preservation Six subtype development

Notice how often you question everything and act overly warm toward others as a way to feel safe; learn to relax your self-doubt and the need to ingratiate yourself.

One way to relax your self-doubt and the need to ingratiate yourself:

Consider this idea: You use your self-doubt to feel safe, making sure you have considered multiple pathways so you choose the route with the least probable negative outcomes. However, your continuous doubt actually makes you feel less certain and safe. It’s paradoxical.

Social Six subtypes

Social Six subtypes (“duty” ) focus on rules, regulations, and prescribed ways of behaving within their social environment in order to keep their behavior acceptable and to not get chastised or punished by authority figures.

Social Six subtype development

Notice how you rely on rules and compliant relationships with authorities in order to feel safe; learn to relax your reliance on rules, your compliant relationships with authority figures, and your overly strong sense of duty to groups to which you belong.

One way to relax your reliance on rules, your compliant relationships with authority figures, and your overly strong sense of duty to groups to which you belong:

Think about all the authority figures you’ve had in your life and how you related to them. Often you’ll discover that you have been extremely compliant in these relationships to deal with your fears and potentially secure your safety. Has this worked for you in the past? Explore your fears and what you may be giving up as a result of your compliance.

One-to-One Six subtypes

One-to-One Six subtypes (“strength/beauty”) deny their own anxieties by pushing against their fear, appearing bold, confident, charismatic, and sometimes fierce or fearless. This subtype of Six is often referred to as a counter-fear or counter-phobic Six because they try to prove, often unconsciously, that they have no fear.

One-to-One Six subtype development

Notice how you rely on “shows of strength” and being compelling and charismatic as a way for you to feel safe; learn to let go of your armor in whatever form it appears.

One way to let go of your armor in whatever form it appears:

The most important thing you can do is to slow down your response when you move so quickly to action. With little if no pause between the stimulus and your response, you are likely unaware that fear is driving you. So slow down, push pause and explore how you are feeling and what is occurring within you. The pause button is a great ally in your development.

These activities are excerpts from the new additions to the soon-available 3rd edition of The Enneagram Development Guide, with over 60 development activities for each Enneagram type.

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of nine Enneagram books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications. TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com

The post Subtype Development Activities | Type 6 appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.