Like most people, I like to reflect on the year that was while looking forward to what’s coming next. There’s no doubt the Enneagram was a considerable influence in my life during 2022.
This past year was huge for my personal development. I started using the Enneagram for deeper inner work instead of just learning about the characteristics of the Types (though I did a lot of that, too!).
I studied the Enneagram, my type, and my subtype at a deeper level and learned much about my ego patterns and how they appear in my everyday life.
Let me tell you some of this information was not easy to learn. Bringing things embedded in the unconscious for so long into the conscious can be a challenging and grueling process.
I had some serious ups and downs this year, but I also recognize that this has been important to my growth. As a friend of mine always likes to remind me, “the only way out is through.”
It was an enlightening year with many lessons learned. Below are the five biggest lessons I learned from studying the Enneagram in 2022.
5 Enneagram Lessons Learned in 2022
1. You can't tell someone else what their type is.
Not telling someone what I think their type is is a lesson I continually learn as I help others discover their Enneagram type.
While we may think we know a person really well, we can’t always tell what’s going on with them beneath the surface. Telling a person what you think their Enneagram type is taking away from their own journey of discovering it for themselves.
I became certified in conducting typing interviews in 2022, and it’s one of my favorite things to do with people. Hearing people’s stories, how they answer the interview questions, and how each type tends to respond a certain way has been fun to experience.
I take the client through the interview process, which can last anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes, and in the end, I give the person my hypothesis on what I think their type might be. I never tell them it’s definitely their type because only they can know that answer themselves.
I can explain why I came up with my hypothesis, but it’s up to the client to do more research and decide if that rings true for them.
The Enneagram is powerful and is meant to be used for personal growth. We risk weaponizing and stereotyping when we type each other in an uncontained setting.
That is the exact opposite of what the Enneagram is meant for.
Interested in doing a typing interview to find your type? Check out my services page to learn more.
2. The Enneagram doesn’t put us in a box. It helps us get out of the box we’ve put ourselves in.
I love explaining the Enneagram in this way. Especially for those who think the Enneagram is just another personality test.
The Enneagram brings to light behaviors/emotions/thoughts/motivations we may be unconscious of in our type.
Overall, humans operate like a well-oiled machines doing the same actions day in and day out without realizing it.
Once we learn that these patterns aren’t serving us, the Enneagram gives us the tools to get ourselves out of that box we put ourselves in.
We can work on returning to our true selves and getting ourselves out of the box that has caged us for so long.
3. The Enneagram is most effective when you use it as both a spiritual and psychological tool.
Until this past year, I only used the Enneagram as a psychological tool to learn about my type and other types. I’ve never been religious or spiritual, so that part of the Enneagram never appealed to me.
That all changed in August when I attended an inner work retreat called The Psychological Enneagram with Beatrice Chestnut and Uranio Paes of CP Enneagram Academy.
The retreat was ironically about using psychology and the Enneagram for inner growth. Still, I had a powerful spiritual awakening during the week, and I’ve been studying spirituality and the Enneagram since.
Now, I’m not going to sit here and tell you that you should believe in any spiritual practice if you don’t already. I know that wouldn’t have worked on me and didn’t work on me for a long time.
However, I will say that the Enneagram was used as a spiritual tool when it was discovered thousands of years ago. The psychological aspect of the Enneagram didn’t come around until the mid-to-late 20th century.
Using the Enneagram for spiritual development has accelerated my personal growth exponentially. It helped me realize that the personality of our type is just a cover for who we truly are.
Knowing this spiritual aspect and the psychological element of human behavior makes the Enneagram more powerful when you put the two together, especially if you’re serious about working on your personal development more profoundly.
4. Knowing the Enneagram subtypes is crucial to finding your correct type
Knowing the 27 subtypes and not just the nine main types is essential when learning the Enneagram. And it’s something I feel isn’t taught enough among Enneagram “experts” out there today.
Too many people are mistyped because they don’t know about the subtypes, especially the countertype of each type. Countertypes don’t typically look like the traditional explanation of the core type.
For example, Social Nines, the countertype of Type 9, are very hardworking and have difficulty slowing down. This can often cause them to be mistaken for a Type 3. However, the underlying motivation of not feeling like their presence matters is very much a Type 9 trait. It just shows up differently in the countertype.
Knowing your subtype also gives a more nuanced look into your personality. It can accelerate the growth process by knowing what we should work on based on our subtype.
As a Self-Preservation 9, I need to let go of comforting activities and stop spending so much time alone.
A Sexual 9, however, needs to work on the opposite and learn to spend more time alone and be present with themselves. This can help them know what they want instead of always relying on others’ opinions.
We’re both Type 9s, but we need to work on different things based on our subtypes.
To learn more about the subtypes and their differences, check out “What are the Enneagram Subtypes?“
5. Our personality is just a cover of who we truly are
Our ego is just a cover-up of who we truly are. What do I mean by that?
When born, we come into the world as pure beings, our true selves in how God made us. But as we grow, we learn to take on specific characteristics in childhood to protect ourselves from presumed dangers and trauma.
It was a great defensive tool to help get us through childhood when we didn’t know how to otherwise.
While this worked for us as a kid, we never learned to grow out of these patterns. Thus we carried on our personality traits into adulthood.
We become unconscious to the nature of who we truly are. The Enneagram can help us wake up to the true being we have been asleep to for so long.
While 2022 was an excellent year for my personal development, I’m excited to move on and see what lessons 2023 has to bring.
What are you looking forward to in 2023? Let me know in the comments below!
