The EnneaBuzz

Note: This episode was recorded on March 13, 2020, just as the coronavirus began to impact our daily lives. While we did not discuss any emotional concerns over this growing pandemic, the issue of how the Enneagram helps us discover the true self appears more vital in today's dire circumstance.

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There is such an emotional relief when we feel as if our authentic self is fully recognized. For some, it's about finding a place of peace. For others it's about discovering strengths and limitations. Either way, we learn to interpret the world and our role in it. In today's episode, The Rev. Burl Salmon, director of pastoral care and outreach at Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Palm Beach, Florida, reminds us that the goal of the Enneagram is to grow into The True Self. 

What helps a relationship grow? Most people say emotional support, sexual expression and respect. Yes, they are all important parts of an adult relationship, and then some. But let's be honest. Unless couples are individually healthy, the relationship will struggle. So, with the Enneagram in mind, some believe as long as you match up with the "right" number, love naturally follows. But as our guests - Hannah Deadman-Arnst and Ryan Arnst - point out on this podcast, there's no such thing as the right number; rather a determination to understand each others persona. Success "for us" explores the intricacies of healthy relationships with a performer-observer couple (Type 3 and 5). Show notes: for more on the cover song "So Will I" by the Deadman's, check out their video. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUHdfcqYiUY

Generation Z (aka Gen Z or iGen) - or those born after 1995 - are now the largest generation surpassing Millennials, Xers and Boomers. As the new kids on the block come into focus and its eldest members join the workforce, the group's influence can be felt.

Raised on the internet and social media, this generation has grown up as true digital natives. That is why, according to McKinsey and Company, Gen Z kids are hyper-cognitive, meaning, they find it difficult to acknowledge their mental well-being. So perhaps it's no surprise the Enneagram is popular among college students looking for ways to understand their emotions. In today's Enneabuzz episode, two Gen Zers talk about finding your way into adulthood.

American poet Edward Estlin "E. E." Cummings once said, "It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are." At the EnneaBuzz, we don't like to type others. But Cummings speaks for many Enneagram Type 6s who yearn to live courageously. 

Our guest today, Paul Van der Grift, is a retired actor and filmmaker, who says being in the spotlight helped him to overcome the anxiety and insecurity that comes from being identified as the Loyal Skeptic.  As a Certified Enneagram Teacher in the Narrative Tradition, Paul guides others towards the courage to be strong.

In her book, "The Enneagram in Love & Work," Helen Palmer writes, "It would be a mistake...to categorize types according to compatibility or incompatibility." If you want to know who is the best Enneagram to date, look for the person who is "psychologically" mature. Nonetheless, there are personalities that are opposites - like 1s and 8s. It's rare to see the perfectionist/reformer and the challenger/boss not just fall in love, but also partner in business. As you'll hear, our guests are a force for justice and fortitude. On this episode, it's the Enneagram Power Couple.

There are plenty of resolutions to make in the new year - lose weight, read more, perhaps explore your Enneagram type. Here at the EnneaBuzz, the two podcast hosts identify as fours. And they love setting goals, but guess what? Fours rarely complete them when the momentum is lost. What’s the solution? On this podcast episode, we explore the four and the other typologies as we look ahead to making 2020 a year of play.

We all have orphaned parts of ourselves stemming from the wounds of childhood.  Subconsciously, we compensated by creating a false self. In this episode, Keith Case, pastor of Providencia Church in West Palm Beach, Florida, talks with Dr. Stephanie Bennett and Israel Balderas about how the Enneagram helps tap into your story. As a counselor, Case encourages wounded people find that orphan and bring an important part of you - home. You've been alone long enough.

The nine personalities associated with the Enneagram correlate to our efforts as adults to compensate for those needs unmet as children. Many of our life decisions arise from an innate sense of fear, anger and shame. To understand the Enneagram typology is to understand desires that have been difficult to vocalize. On this episode, we explore the roots that prompt our impulses and coping mechanisms.