Nine Points Magazine - International Enneagram Association

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By Michael Naylor, M.Ed, CCS, LADC, ET I have worked in the Addictions field for over 25 years. During those years several patterns have revealed themselves. There are three. The first I have observed time and time again. A man comes into residential treatment, gets sober for 90 days, is feeling better than ever, and a day later has returned to addiction hell. Presto, change, gone! In the wake of feeling a surge of well being, he took, or was taken by a back door exit. This happens repeatedly. The second story is that of a man (or woman) who gets sober for two to five years, appears to have stabilized their lives, and then relapses and disappears into the folds of addiction. And this pattern: a man is sober twenty plus years and the next day news says he’s suicided, or like the others, relapsed and disappeared from sight. (The story on suicide is a hugely under-reported phenomenon in addiction recovery especially after significant periods of clean time.) In response to these tragedies the addiction world has responded through a variety of means. One is to try to help individuals understand what are called ‘relapse triggers,’ or those circumstances internal and external that make an individual go ‘blind’ to the hell that awaits them if they use their substance of choice. The hope is that individuals will ‘notice’ when their relapse triggers, and their ‘addiction’ has been triggered and awakened they pick up the substance of their doom. The warning attached to the triggering of one’s inner ‘addict’ is “Beware of euphoric recall.” When an individual becomes addicted to drugs he develops a crafty inner demon, his own ‘inner addict’ who appears to be hardwired to tempting him back to his addiction. At various times, in the midst of success or the midst of sorrow, a film clip begins to play in his mind-stream reminding him of the very best times in his substance using, and deletes all the scenes reflecting the horror and sorrow. This inner movie can be so compelling that in the midst of success an individual abandons all of his good work and jumps headlong back into the swamp he arose from. The question is “What turns this movie on?” Within recovery circles, be it Alcoholics Anonymous or 4 Narcotics Anonymous, the refrain often heard when someone relapses could be “Well, he wasn’t going to enough meetings,” or “He wasn’t working the steps,” or “He wasn’t working with a sponsor” or “He just didn’t want it bad enough,” or “He took his will back,” or “He isolated and stopped coming to meetings.” But the truth is, the best of the best, those who had been the leaders in recovery circles, relapse and die and suicide. They disappear and are gone and no one understands why. What remains in the psychic atmosphere of recovery circles is pure shock. “How could this possibly happen?” is the deep question and plea. Utilizing the knowledge of the Enneagram could have profound positive effects on these shocking events. What everyone in addiction recovery learns sooner or later is that after their substance abuse is halted they are left with ‘themselves’ and all the issues that drove their addiction (This does not mean the ‘issues’ caused the addiction. That’s another story.) That is, they are face to face with their personality, their Enneagram Type. If they are able to clearly understand their personality type with its particular nuances and features they will be able to begin to understand the driving engine that takes them back to their selfdestruction, and how to transform their personality habits such that what is best in them can arise. At the very least, the key fundamental “relapse pattern” that underlies all addiction relapses will be seen. What causes addiction relapse? Well, the short and long of it is It can look like it’s emotional suffering, or heartbreak, disappointment, boredom, unhappiness, long term loss of identity, success, more success, falling in love, being around drugs, wanting to feel good, not wanting to be lonely, hoping for better sex, failure, divorce, marriage, deep spiritual moments, a sunny day, a rainy day, you name it. All external symptoms and events on the surface of the real issues: the lack of awareness on the part of the individual as they navigate their daily life with its ups and downs. What individuals don’t tend to understand is the unique set of relapse triggers that exist for each Enneagram Type, which describes the major inner dynamics that an individual will wage spiritual war with throughout their sobriety. I have met the enemy and it is “I.” Understand this and the story of relapse prevention will get crystal clear. Not meaning that it will be solved, but the odds will go up enormously in favor of success. Don Riso and Russ Hudson have made a significant contribution to understanding the psychological dynamics and growth patterns of the types. In their work they identify the essential psychic structures of each type: The Basic Desire (what the individual wishes for because they have lost
By Beth O’Hara As a young adult, I look around the IEA Conferences and often ask myself, “Where are all the other young adults? I know many young adults who are fascinated by the enneagram and I meet more all the time. The Enneagram group on Facebook has over 3500 members, a large portion of them between the ages of 20 and 40, and is administered mainly by young adults. Why are they not coming out for workshops and conferences? And furthermore, should we even place an emphasis on young adults within the Enneagram work? My answer is a resounding YES! And here’s why. The future of the IEA depends on engaging young adults. The membership of the IEA is aging, and as the membership in organizations age, they tend to fizzle and die out. I implore the global community to look at how to bring more young people into the organization so that this vital work can continue. The future of the Enneagram is in the hands of young adults. The evolution of the Enneagram through young adults is essential not only for the continuation of the Enneagram but also for the future of humanity. This is true whether we are looking at the creation of more effective organizations, more deeply loving relationships, healthier psyches, or the evolution of human consciousness and spirituality. The future of our world lies with today’s young adults, and the world of today is deeply suffering. We live in a world of division, strife, and egoism. Futurist Magazine, in their January/February 2010 issue, stated that the next 10 years are the most critical in the history of humanity. Futurist Magazine says we are entering an Age of Scarcity and a time of great global change, a critical nexus point in the determination of the continued existence of humanity. As we are entering the Age of Scarcity, our ability to stay centered and loving becomes more challenged when our very survival may be at stake. Imagine if this Age of Scarcity were led by community, national, and global leaders who understood a broader perspective and could come together with compassion and love. We must find ways to attract young adults to inner work for humanity to survive. 5 The young adults of today will be driving these changes, for better or worse. It would be better if the people who are negotiating the global financial, agricultural, and political systems are as aware and enlightened as possible. We are also entering a time that will deeply challenge our beliefs, which creates chaos and fear. My hope is that our younger people will have the stability and insight to navigate the chaos with understanding, compassion, and love. The Enneagram is a very effective tool for creating greater consciousness and is greatly needed during our time, especially in the lives of our next generation of leaders. So, how do we bring young adults to the Enneagram and the IEA? The best way is always to start at home. Create Enneagram classes that appeal to young adults and are affordable. At the Conscious Living Center, Deanna Martin and I co-direct our Young Adults program, offering classes and social events designed for young adults. We have a mentoring program in which we mentor a core team of young adults who in turn reach out to others and we empower these individuals to create their own programs. Our center offers discounts on Enneagram classes and coaching to young adults, and we also have a young adult rate at the School of Conscious Living for anyone under 35 with financial need. We also meet them where they are – coffee shops, house parties, bars - we take the Enneagram everywhere! Another way to bring young adults to the Enneagram is by engaging them in attending the conferences and becoming active in the IEA. How do we do that? Last year, at the IEA Conference in Las Vegas, a few young adults began an Annual Young Adults Luncheon (which will continue this year). We identified three areas that are important in bringing young adults to Enneagram conferences and workshops: financial accessibility, workshop content, and advertising. The young adults who met together at the conference last year stated that it would help to extend conference admission discounts to include all young adults (not solely students) and for the conference to be hosted in more affordable locations, with affordable lodging options. The IEA-USA has recently started a Young Adults Scholarship
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