Shadow Work & The Enneagram (Part 3)

Authentic Men's Group podcast

What is “Shadow Work”?

• Shadow Work involves digging into the parts of ourselves we've hidden away because they seem too ugly, weird, or unacceptable.

• This survival tactic might help us through childhood, but it wreaks havoc on our adult lives, leading to inauthenticity.

• Shadow Work is about embracing your whole self – the good, the bad, and the ugly – and integrating these parts into your life.

The Enneagram and Shadow Work

• The Enneagram is a powerful tool for understanding our personality and the shadow parts we hide. Each of the nine Enneagram types has qualities that are often suppressed and those that are highlighted.

• Understanding your Enneagram type helps you identify the specific qualities you tend to suppress, offering a roadmap for targeted Shadow Work.

• Enneagram Test Link: https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/

Type One: The Reformer

• Persona: To be good, to have integrity

• Shadowed Parts: Anger, imperfection

• deny spontaneous behavior, fun, and anger as resentment.

• Let your hair down, be carefree

• Highlighted: Responsibility, correctness

• Famous People: Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Emma Watson

Type Two: The Helper

• Persona: To be loved, to be needed

• Shadowed Parts: Own needs, selfishness

• deny their own needs, own creativity and individuality.

• explore your own wants and needs. Find their own authenticity and individuality. Say no and find self identity.

• Highlighted: Generosity, helpfulness

• Famous People: Mother Teresa, Princess Diana, Oprah Winfrey

Type Three: The Achiever

• Persona: To be valuable, to be admired

• Shadowed Parts: Failure, inauthenticity

• deny effectiveness over efficiency, ability to fail, telling themselves the truth

• Be honest about limits, be ok with failing, reclaim your genuine self.

• Highlighted: Success, efficiency

• Famous People: Tom Cruise, Taylor Swift

Type Four: The Individualist

• Persona: To find themselves, to be unique

• Shadowed Parts: Ordinariness, envy

• deny confidence, courage, happiness, being normal and similar

• pull out positivity and goodness they have, be ok being ok, look to be positive

• Famous People: Frida Kahlo, Prince, Johnny Depp

Type Five: The Investigator

• Persona: To understand, to be competent

• Shadowed Parts: Dependency, emptiness

• deny connection with others, emotional focus and feel, ok not knowing

• Be ok not proving around others, don't need all the answers, embrace and do emotional health work.

• Highlighted: Knowledge, independence

• Famous People: Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking, Bill Gates

Type Six: The Loyalist

• Persona: To be secure, to be supported

• Shadowed Parts: Doubt, fear

• deny being ok with unknown, living in the now, trust self and others

• Trust self, practice being present, let go over worry and know future outcomes.

• Highlighted: Loyalty, responsibility

• Famous People: Mark Twain, Ellen DeGeneres, J.R.R. Tolkien

Type Seven: The Enthusiast

• Persona: To be satisfied, to be content

• Shadowed Parts: Pain, limitation

• deny simplicity, being bored/still, consistency and structure

• Focus, structure, being ok in simple tasks and simple life.

• Highlighted: Joy, adventure

• Famous People: Robin Williams, Jim Carrey, Richard Branson

Type Eight: The Challenger

• Persona: To be in control, to protect themselves

• Shadowed Parts: Vulnerability, weakness

• deny need to be vulnerable, sensitivity, or ask for help.

• ask for help, be vulnerable, trust more, find innocence around creatures and kids, child likeness. Soften selves

• Highlighted: Strength, leadership

• Famous People: Martin Luther King Jr., Winston Churchill, Serena Williams, and Reid Horn

Type Nine: The Peacemaker

• Persona: To have inner peace, to avoid conflict

• Shadowed Parts: Conflict, assertiveness

• deny in the shadow their anger. Knowing your own wants and passions.

• explore and feel anger. Find what you want, see conflict as necessary and inevitable.

• Highlighted: Harmony, acceptance

• Famous People: Abraham Lincoln, Audrey Hepburn, Keanu Reeves