My wife, Colleen, introduced me to the Enneagram nineteen years ago. She enrolled in a women’s study group in Cincinnati, Ohio. At first, I dismissed it as “new age” nonsense but was happy she found it interesting and enlightening. However, I soon noticed she was changing I needed to pay better attention and catch up. I later learned my initial reaction was reflective of my “unaware self” and Enneagram type.

 

The Enneagram is a centuries-old personality system that identifies the three Centers of Intelligence – body, heart, and head and the nine distinct types, three residing within each Center. It was first noted by Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras in 500 BC. However, it wasn’t until G. I. Gurdjieff, another philosopher, Oscar Ichazo, a Bolivian philosopher, and Chilean psychiatrist, Claudio Naranjo, reintroduced the Enneagram symbol to the modern world in the 20th Century. Collectively they established the Enneagram that we know today by organizing into a systematic method for attaining deeper self-realization. The Enneagram has philosophical, spiritual, and psychological roots.

 

In November 2024, Dr. Daniel Siegel’s groundbreaking book, “Personality and Wholeness in Therapy: Integrating 9 Patterns of Developmental Pathways in Clinical Practice,” will describe the biological roots of the Enneagram – the first scientific analysis of understanding why we do what we do. His book is the outcome of a 20-year collaborative research project.

 

As a Valentine’s Day gift in 2009, Colleen enrolled us in a half-day introductory workshop about the Enneagram. That session ignited a flame of inquiry, excitement, and passion in both of us. We began taking classes and attending numerous workshops and retreats focused on learning more about the Enneagram.

 

Following retirement from a robust 40+ year multi-media career, I pursued my Narrative Enneagram teaching certification. It was a year-long process of three intense weeks of training in Menlo Park, CA, and Asheville, NC, along with an extensive internship program involving interviewing a wide range of individuals and conducting panels of people representing various Enneagram types. I earned my teaching certification in November 2012.   

 

While finishing my training, our life imploded. We experienced multiple challenges over the past twelve years that nearly took us to the edge many times – eight household moves, significant family deaths, and illnesses. In addition to all of that, I was hit by a car in August 2021, requiring multiple surgeries, and physical, occupational, and speech therapies for two years. However, through all the darkness and uncertainty, there was always a glimmer of hope that brighter days were ahead.

 

With the Enneagram, we had the knowledge, understanding, and tools to persevere and see how every obstacle was an invitation for growth. Colleen and I learned to use the Enneagram as a pathway to better communication, more profound self-awareness, and developing strategies to move forward.

 

Colleen became a certified Enneagram teacher in 2017. We launched Enneagram Chicago in July of that year. I began conducting professional 1:1 Enneagram typing interviews globally for The Enneagram Group in 2018, while building our company locally. 

We moved to White Eagle this past August. We thoroughly enjoy living here and discovering Naperville and the surrounding area. We grew up next door to each other in South Holland, IL and were married in 1977. We are graduates of DePaul and Loyola Universities. We have lived and worked in five states and returned to Chicago in 2016 after thirty years. We returned to our roots and celebrated our 47th wedding anniversary this past September. Our motto is, “The best is yet to come.”

Enneagram Chicago offers:

Anyone interested in learning more about themselves, their business colleagues, their partners, spouses, or friends and family, we would love to help you on that journey.

 

So, what Center of Intelligence do you lead from and what Enneagram type are you? To find out, please check out Enneagram Chicago’s website at enneagramchicago.com. I can be reached via email at bill@enneagramchicago.com or by phone/text at 515-988-0418.