The study of enneagram is one that is a powerful self discovery tool that provides people with a personality type system, and a productive way to reach self-awareness and overcome limiting thoughts.
Laurel Aldridge, a certified teacher of enneagram in the narrative tradition and who provides coaching in Stratford, started her own journey seven years ago.
“I was doing counselling for some other issues that I was working through, and two people mentioned I should look into it,” she said. “I started reading about it and knew right away that it was going to be a real game changer for my personal healing and growth. Sometimes people don’t want to go to a therapist so this provides an accessible way of bringing people to the healing, and helps with relationships around us.”
Enneagram teaches that there are nine personality types with three different subdivisions for each. That being said, Aldridge doesn’t believe that everyone is locked into those nine boxes.
“I like to say that it doesn't put you in a box, but it shows you the colour of the box you are already in, so you can then start exploring how to work within that box and start changing the shape and colour of the box.”
Determining your type can be done online, but Aldridge warns that the results may not be completely accurate, because a test will look at your outward behaviour while enneagram looks at the motivations behind what is going on inside of a person.
“I like to conduct a one hour interview,” she says. “I ask people a series of questions to get the motivation behind the behaviour, and usually within an hour most people can identify their type.”
The nine types of people include: the reformer, the helper, the achiever, the individualist, the investigator, the loyalist, the enthusiast, the challenger, and the peacemaker. Each type has their own set of criteria, which can be found here. Aldridge is holding two programs; the first one (November 16) is an introduction to enneagram where she will go over the nine types, and the second program (December 14) takes things a little farther and will hone in on relationships.
Each program is $50 and runs from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Falstaff Family Centre. To learn more about the program or Aldridge visit her website.
