The Enneagram for Whole-Person Wellness

The Enneagram found me at the time in my life when I needed it most. I was living with eating disorders, anxiety, and depression, along with severe gut health issues and other related physical symptoms. I had recently started a new job where I felt so out of place, like my introversion was so misunderstood and was impacting my working relationships and how my work was perceived. And my husband and I had just lived through a 10 month home renovation. I needed help.

Most days I felt foggy, tired yet wired and unable to slow down, irritable and easily bothered. I came to a point of knowing that this was not sustainable, I could not live the rest of my life this way. So I started seeking out answers for why I might be experiencing life this way and how I could help my mind and body to heal.

I had never heard of the Enneagram before, but something in the description of a local workshop called to me. I knew I needed to attend. After the initial workshop, I was hooked. How did this tool see me? How did it have words for all the things I was living, and how did it know the deeper root of what was driving me? It felt like a relief to know that I wasn't alone, there was nothing wrong with me, and there is hope for healing.

Over the last 5 years, I have received over 200 hours of IEA accredited training, facilitated group workshops and 1:1 programs, and used the tool as part of my own healing and recovery process. Using the Enneagram in addition to supporting my body through nervous system regulation has allowed me to experience times of real flourishing, moving beyond a life of simply surviving.

The Enneagram is a psycho-spiritual tool that helps us understand our ego structure. Ego goes beyond personality and gets at our sense of self, who we identify as, what kind of person we say we are (or are not) - and this ego pattern is a false self, a way we try to mimic something we believe we have lost. It also reminds us that we haven't lost anything, and we already have all that we need within us. The Enneagram shows us what we desire, what we avoid, how we are disconnected from our true self, and how to remember our whole, aligned, vibrant being.

The Enneagram offers a comprehensive framework for supporting our mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual wellbeing. Here are a few ways the tool can support us along our healing and growth journeys.

Mind: Hearing the Inner Critic

What does the voice in your head sound like? Many of us may say that it isn't very kind. Sometimes the voice is very loud, it talks fast, it has a lot of "what if's" and can feel chaotic. The Enneagram helps us understand where our attention and mental energy go, what we tend to focus on, where we can get caught in unproductive thinking, and how our mind draws our energy up and out of our hearts and bodies. With understanding our mental patterns, we can bring compassionate curiosity to ourselves, and start to soften that inner critic.

Heart: Observing our Emotional Patterns

What is your relationship like with anger, grief, and fear? How is it for you to notice, name, and process your emotions, and to witness emotions in others? The Enneagram shows us emotions we tend to deny, repress, or distort in how we express. All of our emotions offer wisdom. Anger teaches us about boundaries. Grief teaches us about connection, love, and loss. Fear teaches us about safety, guidance, and trust. If we don't have ways to be with these emotions, we are missing out on so much of the human experience.

Body: Witnessing our Subconscious Behaviors

Have you ever done something and then wondered, "Why did I do that? I know better…"? The Enneagram shows us how our beliefs and patterns are embedded so deeply that they take over without conscious thought. We all have instincts to survive, and our nervous systems are wired to respond quickly. The Enneagram helps us see how mind, heart, and body work together in attempts to keep us alive, and how we can start to bring more presence and awareness to our bodies so that we come back to a place of choice and power.

Spirit: Remembering our Wholeness

Have you had a moment of feeling safe in yourself, connected with your inner knowing, free to show up and express your authentic self, and feeling content in the moment, not needing to do anything or be anyone else? The Enneagram helps us remember this is always possible. It shows us how we tend to get stuck and fixated and forget that we are already whole. The circle in the symbol also reminds us that we are all one, that we are all connected. Working with the Enneagram can help us soften our human burdens and come back to our essential nature.

If you are curious to learn more about the Enneagram, attending a workshop or working one-on-one with an Enneagram facilitator will help you have the foundation for using the tool in your healing journey. There are online tests out there, and also note that generally they are only about 50% accurate, and they won't give you all the context on what it means.

This is a powerful tool that can support your overall wellness - are you ready to welcome it in?


Meagan is an Integrative Somatic Coach, Enneagram Facilitator, and the Founder of Presence With Love. To learn more about her offerings, visit her on the WISe Marketplace, on Instagram @meaganconnley, or at www.presencewithlove.com.