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I love working with the Enneagram because it is not fixed, which means you ARE NOT this or that type of personality. The Enneagram takes a developmental approach and only reveals how you typically show up, mostly as a learned defense mechanism, and it points to what things to look out for when you are displaying that type.

What I love most about the Enneagram is how it points to the shadow work you can do.

The Enneagram is a model of the human psyche. This model is also denoted as a feedback and disclosure model of self-awareness. Its roots are in antiquity, which can be traced back to the works of Pythagoras. Principally, it is a personality typology that interconnects nine personality types.

Each personality type has a number, which is often used as a shortcut to referencing the type. Each type has ‘Core fears’, ‘Core motivations’, and ‘Core desires’. These things are usually hidden in our psyche - in the 'shadows' as it were.

The Johari Window is a model that can help understand why it is essential to develop the shadow self. American psychologists Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham developed this model in 1955 8n their work at the University of California. The name ‘Johari’ came from joining their first two names.

The most effective place to put your attention is the 'Unknown' area, and also good are the 'Blind Spot' and 'Hidden Self' areas. There is little opportunity to develop in the 'Open Self' area.

I'll explain each:

Open Self – Many aspects of your attitudes, behaviour, emotions, feelings, skills, and views are known by you and others. There is not much to learn or develop in this domain, but it is worth noting that the more this area is increased, the more the blind spot is decreased. The size of this area can be increased by revealing more of our known self to others.

Hidden Self – This is information that is known to you but is unknown to others. This can be any personal information that you feel reluctant or have overlooked to reveal. This includes feelings, past experiences, fears, or secrets. We tend to keep hidden some of our feelings and information.

The hidden area can be reduced by sharing our thoughts and feelings with others. This is good for improving the quality of our relationships. This is an area where learning and development can happen, but again, because this is an area you know, it is limited for further development. It is in the other two areas where most development can happen.

Blind Spot – Information about yourself that others know but you are unaware of. Others may interpret you differently than you expect, and knowing this reduces your blind spot.

The blind spot is reduced through seeking feedback from others. A 360 survey can help reveal blindspots, which I can arrange for you.

Unknown – There are aspects of your psyche that are hidden from you and others - in the shadows - things that neither you nor others can consciously be aware of and which cannot be observed. Things such as feelings, capabilities, talents, etc. Most of these are hidden in our unconscious.

This is the area that can be revealed through understanding your Enneagram type. Once revealed to you, they no longer lurk in the background, creating undesired results, but can come under your conscious direction. This is the essence of ‘Shadow Work’. If you are interested in this, I can help you identify your Enneagram type.

It has been life-changing for me, going from suffering from chronic fatigue, depression, anxiety, frustration, and overwhelmed coping with life to being a strong, resilient, adaptable, focused person with loving and productive relationships. So, having personally experienced the profound impact of NLP practice in my own journey of transformation, I chose to incorporate NLP into my coaching practice.

It all starts with your attitude and state of mind. NLP is predominantly an attitude, one that shifts us from the normal ‘performance’ approach that permeates our society to a state of curiosity and wonder. This is the most powerful approach to life and learning that I have found.

There are many definitions of NLP - Neuro Linguistic Programming. These are two that I like the most:

It is predominantly a way of living in curiosity and learning. Many people think of NLP as a set of techniques and tools that facilitate change. Others think it is a methodology to model excellence. Neither of these are entirely true.

It was a curious attitude that led to the methodology of modeling, which left behind a trail of techniques. Doing the techniques without an open, curious mind doesn't get great results and isn't "doing NLP".

In other words, living in a state of self-mastery. With curiosity, we can uncover the structure of how we (and others) do what we do.

Once we uncover the structure of both enabling and disabling (good and bad) states, we then have the information about what is creating our results and have at our disposal all the information about what and how to change to get more of the results we want.

It is then that we are in a position to be conscious and precise in what we do.

Key aspects of excellent states are:

• Calibration
• Rapport
• Well-formed outcomes
• Sensory representations
• Submodalities and presuppositions
• Physiology of excellence

You might like to read ‘NLP at Work” by Sue Knight, or download the PDF/e-book ‘A Personal Guide to NLP’ by Tristan Soames