Something you may not know about the Enneagram

In my self-care Enneagram subscription program, The Practice, I teach people to use the Enneagram as a holistic tool for self-care—one that cares for the whole person: mind, body, and heart.

This may take you by surprise. If so, you’re not alone. The ancient wisdom of the Enneagram suggests that we are three-brained beings. In fact, modern neuroscience is finally catching up to the wisdom of the Enneagram that suggests we have neural cells in our brains as well as the lining of our stomachs and hearts. That said, we have three centers of intelligence.

Why is this important to us as we practice self-care? I thought you’d never ask.

There are two big reasons this is important.

First of all, it’s necessary to bust the myth that our most important intelligence is our thinking mind. Whereas your brain is literally a genius and a highly elevated source of intellect and functioning, we must understand that living from the neck up, as we do so often, isn’t the only way.

In fact, we overemphasize this capacity and as a result, experience an imbalance as it pertains to our other centers of intelligence, equally as powerful: the body and heart.

I believe self-care is bringing balance where there is imbalance in our experience. And so, part of the invitation as we learn to apply the Enneagram for self-care is to balance out our relationships to all three centers. Essentially, to integrate into more wholeness.

Secondly, the nine types are housed in three triads that correlate to these three centers of intelligence. As a type four, I experience the world most readily through the lens of emotional intelligence. Why? Because Two’s, Three’s, and Four’s are in the heart, or feeling triad.

This helps me cultivate a more specific self-care regimen because it tells me I need to dial up my relationship with my body center—learning to drop deeper into my instinctual capacity as well as being mindful to create structure and analysis where feelings tend to run the show.

In a way, understanding the Enneagram as a holistic tool is necessary for building out a more whole and compassionate relationship with self.

P.S. Want to do a loving thing for you and go deeper into your very own self-care prescription? Sign up for the Practice today.