Marion Gilbert – The Somatic Enneagram

Your Enneagram type is one of 9 different personality type patterns that help describe how you interpret the world and manage emotions. And knowing your type is only the beginning of your transformation journey.

By adding somatic awareness to your Enneagram study, you’ll gain insight into how you filter and perceive reality.

In our opening module, we’ll focus on how somatic awareness using the Enneagram map gives you access to the underpinnings of your character structure, and what drives your unconscious perceptions and behaviors.

In this session, you’ll discover:

• The 3 centers of intelligence and how they work together, according to the Triune Brain Model
• Why the somatic lens of perception is significant in Enneagram work
• How your past experience in the 3 centers of intelligence influences your perception of reality
• Ways to build capacity for somatic awareness through inner practice
• An inner practice for discernment between felt sense experiences while following your breath
• A grounding and orienting somatic practice to help you gain access to present moment awareness

All too often, our automatic reactions are based on what’s happened to us in the past — which is why communication with others can be challenging, and why we’re not always able to truly receive and listen to each other.

In this module, we’ll explore our own automatic responses to stress using the principles of trauma resolution therapy, along with some ancient wisdom traditions including Mystical Christian, Sufi, Eastern Mysticism, Buddhism, Daoism, Vedanta, and Inner Yoga.

In this session, you’ll discover:

• Why our internal (the way we communicate with ourselves) and external (the way we communicate with others) communication has become hijacked by automatic highly-conditioned reactions, and learn why we often struggle to truly listen to each other
• The principles of trauma resolution practice, and how to use them to master your inner connection with your true Self by staying receptive in connecting with yourself and others
• What your felt sense lens of perception is, and why you likely have a hard time noticing it
• How to observe and cultivate the language for mapping your inner territory
• How shifting your attention will change what comes onto your screen of awareness, which helps determine the reality you see
• An inner practice that will take you to experience what happens when you shift your attention to the felt sense lens of perception

We’ve all created our own way of perceiving reality, based upon our most fundamental need to survive — and this week we’ll explore how transformation happens from the inside out.

You’ll discover that real change happens when you return to your essential nature and leave your identification with your conditioned self behind.

You’ll practice turning your attention inward to begin to notice what is arising within, so you can recognize and remember who you were created to be.

You’ll learn that you can move from the inside out, trusting yourself to be guided by your inner compass and allowing your essential nature to lead you into movement.

There will be a 3-week break in the course after this session and class will meet again November 16. Marion will give you journaling and other practices to work on during the break. 

In this session, you’ll discover:

• What transformation looks like and how it really happens
• The method of the Somatic Awareness Practice
• An inner practice to cultivate the observer faculty of mind
• A movement practice to increase your capacity to trust your inner territory
• How to gain a sense of self-regulation, resilience, balance and harmony through reconciliation.

In this module, you’ll learn to discern between conditioned and wisdom qualities of the 3 brain centers, and come to recognize categories of perception that are ordinary and subtle.

According to the Enneagram patterns, we tend to prioritize one of our three intelligence centers in the brain.

Conditioned qualities are when everything is split into two opposing parts with the distinct experience of an “either/or” duality.

Wisdom qualities are the essential and unconditioned aspects that arise from an “and/and” non-dual reality.

And there’s a third force, harmonizing these two opposing forces, which we’ll explore in greater detail in this class.

In this session, you’ll discover:

• How to tell the difference between conditioned and wisdom qualities of the 3 triune brain centers
• Why the ordinary finite world creates two opposing sides, and how to discover a third force which deeply harmonizes and heals the perceived split of its dualistic nature
• A practice that allows you to experience and connect all 3 of your brain centers, rather than prioritize one over the others
• How all 3 centers of the triune brain have a driving negative core belief, a negative emotion, and a defensive reflex
• A practice that helps you transform negative reactions into wisdom qualities

In this module, you’ll learn about Enneagram types 8, 9, and 1, along with their somatic patterns.

We’ll discuss the body center and share the somatic patterns that belong to these types. You’ll learn more about how Type 8 defends and protects, type 9 merges and harmonizes, and type 1 corrects and censors.

We’ll also explore the pain of separation, and the feeling of not belonging and being alone.

You’ll practice where you feel these sensations in your body, as it registers the pain and threat of being ousted or overlooked through separation.

You’ll come to know the adaptive strategies of the patterns and how they serve the need to belong.

There may be some unconscious memories arising where you felt like you didn’t belong. Where is this pain of being overlooked located in your body?

In this session, you’ll discover:

• The Enneagram number types that belong to the body center (8, 9, and 1)
• The core belief of “who I need to be” in order to belong in three different ways
• The preferred defensive reflex creating an automatic reaction in this center
• The somatic aspects of these patterns and how they manifest in your body
• An inner practice to help you understand where you’re feeling these conditioned patterns in your body
• A movement practice that allows the contraction and expansion of the body center

In this module, we’ll dive deep into the emotional patterns of Enneagram types 2, 3, and 4.

We all need connection, touch, nurturing, and the warmth of emotional connection with each other.

This week will be all about the need for connection and contact, as well as the potential threat of the loss of connection.

We’ll explore where our heart is defended, and where our heart is radiant.

We’ll also go to a place where we feel the pain and loss of connection in our bodies.

Adjacent to the places inside of ourselves that are experiencing stress of the loss of connection, there are simultaneously places that are already open and at ease.

By witnessing both with equal attention, you can witness reconciliation by embracing the paradox and connecting the opposites as a way of harmonizing.

In this session, you’ll discover:

• The Enneagram number types and somatic patterns that belong to the heart center (2, 3, and 4)
• The core belief of who you need to be in order to be loved and connect with people in three different ways
• Your preferred defensive reflex that creates an automatic reaction for this center
• An inner practice that helps you understand where in your body you’re feeling closed off and defended, in relation to your heart
• A movement practice that allows the shield and the radiance of the heart center to meet from a place of self-compassion