Nine Points Magazine - International Enneagram Association

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, Inner Stories, by their nature, come from a contracted perspective: that of the ego. An important teaching of many spiritual traditions, including the Diamond Approach, is that the ego structure is designed so that the individual can re-experience the qualities that delight the soul. For example, the ego structure of those dominant in Type Two try hard to recreate the soul’s essential experience of caring, unconditional love, and generosity. The Six ego structure tries to recreate the soul’s essential experience of Ground and of having security, and the Eight structure tries to recreate the essential qualities of immediacy and aliveness. Of course, the ego structure only can create, at best, a false experience of the real spiritual qualities. And, as the individual moves further away from presence, the harder the ego tries to convince itself that it is the real deal. It defends its experience of how life actually works. Simultaneously, the narrower and more distorted the frame of reality becomes. the story consists of more than one personality pattern. Rather, it is a set of interrelated patterns that create a closed-loop sense of internal cohesiveness. Every element of the Inner Story reinforces every other dimension, confirming and reifying that this experience is accurate and true. The story involves multiple dimensions of the human experience, including: what one thinks, one’s emotional experience, the somatic experience, where one’s attention is, and one’s actions (or inactions). There is also a predictable, and usually unsatisfying, outcome that results from the story. Very little of unconscious life is left untouched by the story when it is activated. As Robert Hargrove said in , “It is important to understand that you and I do not just HAVE a story, we ARE our story.” , the Inner Story is powered by the Inner Critic. The Inner Critic provides the internal anchoring mechanism around which all the elements of the story coagulate. Of course, the Enneagram offers valuable insight into the workings of the Inner Critic, as it points to the different ways that each of the nine personality/ego structures experiences this authoritative, evaluative energy. The ego is set up with a big agenda to try to do the very thing it cannot do. The Inner Critic might be considered, at best, a Project Coordinator, and at a more severe level, a Police Force that marshals all its efforts to ensure that the ego is staying on-target to accomplish its big project. 10 As a pivotal element in the ego structure, the SuperEgo (along with a particular Object Relations) creates a certain characteristic experience of self- relationship and self-toother relationship. While this article is not intended to explore all of these variations, there are two themes worth mentioning. Some Enneagram structures are identified with what we could call “ego-deflation,” where there is a sense of being less than, of insignificance, of being inherently flawed, and/or at the effect of other people’s behaviors. Low energy, mental fatigue or confusion, a sense of lacking personal power, and/or an insistent internal message that the person is unworthy are among the many different ways that the uninterrupted Inner Critic can leave one feeling bad. Because the Inner Critic is evaluative by nature, it can also be a source of self-aggrandizement. Ego structures with this orientation are more identified with being ego-expansive. For instance, there can be a sense of being powerful, important, productive, outstanding, and too busy for anything that would pull one down. For example, one client said, “ .” For those oriented toward ego-expansiveness, the activity of the Inner Critic can be more difficult to identify. In truth, all Inner Critic activity, and thus all inner stories, are ego-expansive. They are based on keeping the ego intact and on defending the idea and experience of “me.” Further, there’s a secret pride that we carry, based on our dominant Enneagram type. What person dominant in Nine hasn’t had a hidden sense of pride about being peaceful and more peaceful than others? Is there anyone dominant in Four who has been immune to pride around being emotionally sensitive and more emotionally sensitive than others? Is there a person dominant in Five who doesn’t recognize his or her pride around being smart and smarter than others? So, all Inner Stories actually glorify something that isn’t real: the ego. Even when there’s a sense of self-belittlement taking place, it’s a way to keep the ego alive. The Inner Story Process is designed to bring
that individuals carry to light. We can use it for ourselves, and as coaches and other growthoriented professionals, with our clients. Fundamentally, the Inner Story Process is a discovery tool that allows the individual multiple points of entry into the otherwise closed-loop cycle of the story. As I wrote (and now adapted) in (2007), using this as a teaching/coaching tool allows the client to: 1) Bring to light specific mental, emotional, behavioral, somatic activities that usually feel quite familiar when brought into awareness; 3) See the story’s various elements more vividly once they are illuminated; 4) Identify or signals that allow the individual to at different points in the story’s cycle; 5) Become aware of choice points, or points in the story 11 where the cycle can be interrupted; 6) With help, begin seeing the catalyst to the activation of the pattern as a neutral, objective situation. Another important contribution of the process of unraveling the inner story is that it increases the sense of hope on the part of the client that the story is not inevitable. As one gains familiarity with his/her story, the seemingly disparate patterns seem to fit together in a more organized or coherent way. That is, one is able to recognize the relationship of different felt experiences to one another. A common response is: Further, this process often leads to the unearthing of fundamental beliefs and Self-negation that underlie the entire experience. Once a growth-oriented professional has guided his or her client through the Inner Story Process two or three times with curiosity and compassion, some clients can begin to use it on their own, as their sensitivity to these felt experiences increases and they can recognize when they show up again in a different Inner Story. The IEA would like to invite all its members and other interested people to attend the General Assembly of Affiliates (GAA) meeting on Wednesday, July 28, 2010 at The Palace Hotel in San Francisco, CA. The GAA is an important part of the governance of the IEA and consists of two delegates from each affiliate. The delegates will meet for a full day to discuss activities in the international affiliates and to help shape the future of the IEA. The role of the GAA is to advise the board of directors regarding the needs of the IEA’s diverse membership. While the discussion is limited to the delegates, the meeting is open to all and it is a great opportunity to find out about developments in the Enneagram from around the globe, find out more about the vision of the IEA for the future, and to meet some fascinating people. We hope to see you there! The IEA Board of Directors
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Nine Points Magazine - International Enneagram Association

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