Enneagram continued...

Beyond the nine Enneagram personality types, Riso theorizes that there are nine levels of development within each type, ranging from the most pathological to the most integrated and healthy. I'd like to report that my fear and doubt - my fixation as a Six - simply fell away in the weeks and months following this revelatory experience. Alas, they did not. Nonetheless, the system has had a profound and enduring impact. On the one hand, its' given me an extraordinary appreciation for the way others in my life see the world and what they're up against. In turn, by trying to see the world from their perspective instead of mine, I find I can often deal with them far more effectively, even compassionately. As for my own fear, doubt, and anger, when they do come up these days, I no longer look so quickly for the external causes. Rather, I try to turn my attention inward, to focus on my automatic inclination to react and on how my perception narrows in the process. I certainly don't catch myself every time, but I do far more often and sooner than I ever did before. Of course, I haven't totally renounced my Sixish roots. I'm still expecting the sky to fall in on me any moment now.