WHY THE ENNEAGRAM AND GRIEF?

The Enneagram, an ancient tool transcending spiritual and psychological realms, illuminates our authentic selves, revealing patterns that both guide and blind us.

In the intricate dance of life, we often find comfort in patterns and habits. Yet, they sometimes mask our true experiences, clouding our responses to profound emotions like grief.

The Enneagram grants coaches a powerful lens to discern these deep-seated biases that can unintentionally skew their coaching. By shedding light on these, coaches can cultivate a profound presence, essential when navigating the tender terrains of grief, trauma, and loss.

While "Witnessing Grief" merely skims the Enneagram's vast depths, its application equips coaches with the tools for a more genuine, courageous coaching approach. And that's the heart of "Witnessing Grief". Dive in, transform, and truly witness.

Additional context shared by Jessica Dibb
in witnessing grief's Foreword

"The Enneagram describes nine adaptive ways of being in which we over-identify and overuse our natural temperament and gifts to navigate life's pain, fear, and challenges. As a result, our sense of self, others, life, and personal and spiritual development, become imbalanced and short-sighted. It assists us in seeing our natural gifts and tendencies, as well as our constrictions, denials, avoidances, resistance, and fear, in bringing forth the fullness of what we are and the protective defenses we have built to guard the precious substance that dwells within.

The origins and history of the Enneagram are embedded in, as renowned Enneagram teacher Russ Hudson states, "A vast philosophical framework that looks at the nature of the human psyche and its place in a larger cosmos." We find elements of it in Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Greek philosophy, Neoplatonism, Hermetic traditions, Jewish Kabala, Sufism, and contemplative Christianity. In modern times, its symbol and overarching meaning were rediscovered and infused into the world by George Gurdjieff, its typology brought forth by Bolivian teacher Oscar Ichazo and further developed by Chilean psychiatrist Claudio Naranjo. At this point, four teachers arose, each offering seminal and unique understanding and applications for psychological and spiritual development – Helen Palmer, Don Riso, Russ Hudson, and David Daniels. Many others have contributed, including a neuroscience exploration of the Enneagram in a working group with Dan Siegel, David Daniels, Denise Daniels, Jack Killen, and Laura Baker. Its applications are growing, seemingly exponentially, to topics and fields such as parenting, somatic healing and transformation, psychology, religion, education, business, organizational development, community building, DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion), trauma, music, theater, movies, prison work, social activism, healthcare, breathwork, self-care, policing, and spiritual practices."

 
“Grief is ever present in our lives, and any practitioner, including coaches, that ignores it when it shows up in a session does the client a disservice. This book helps coaches navigate this difficult terrain with greater confidence. It invites coaches to pay attention to the ground of their own experience, their grief, as the starting place. Importantly, it brings in the dynamic system of the Enneagram as a trail guide to navigating grief and life. This is an important addition to understanding and working with grief and a significant contribution to Enneagram understanding.”
— Reneé Rosario, LPC; Core Faculty, The Narrative Enneagram
 
 
 

Resources for further learning: