Types vs. Survival Styles
Where there are people, there are traces of trauma
Firstly, “why do you never stop with this trauma, trauma, trauma, trauma?”, you may ask. Because sadly, we know from epidemiological studies, like the Adverse Experiences Study (ACEs), that large segments of the population have had significant encounters with maltreatment, dysfunction, loss, and violence as children and as adults.
A few of the symptoms of trauma are summarised below. Many of these are part of most of our Types. Can you see some of your Type ‘issues’ showing up below? What about your clients’ self-sabotaging Type features? I know I still deal with some of these every other day.
Whether we work in coaching, education, OD, therapy, facilitation or spiritual direction, where there are people, there are traces of trauma, whether individual, intergenerational or collective.
So what for Enneagram work?
The NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM), which informs my work, doesn’t talk about “Personality Types”. NARM calls them “Survival Styles”. It has a very clearly trauma-informed perspective on the nature and function of our early adaptations. Take a look at the chart below to see what a Trauma-informed perspective on “Type Eight” looks like, and how it differs from talking about the Vice/Passion.
The Enneagram gives us a lot of micro-detail1 on Nine Core Survival Styles, aka “Types”, that are defensive adaptations to ‘Big T’ and ‘small t’ childhood traumas.
Although the Enneagram is so differentiated, precise and truly brilliant, as a descriptive map, it doesn’t tell us what to do to heal, and “Self-Observation” and “Self-Remembering” are not well defined nor informed by tons of evidence.
Trauma-informed approaches’ key gifts to me in this work have been
Immense compassion and insight into how our personality styles develop.
Evidence-based sensitive tools, methods, techniques, practices and processes that we need to truly support real, embodied inner work.
Bringing a trauma-informed lens and the best of different modalities is crucial if we want to work with the Enneagram teachings in emotionally safe, compassionate, un-shaming, validating, and ultimately more effective ways, according to the core principles of trauma-informed healing:
Image source: https://globalhealtheducation.com/au/resources/trauma-informed-care. How would you rate your current Enneagram community on the six elements above? There is quite a lot of tacit shaming through the assumption of authority over others’ self-interpretations in the Enneagram community, in my experience. This is why this topic is so important to me.
Modalities that have brought the Enneagram to life for me are NARM(R); Hypnotherapy; IFS; NLP; SE; SoulCollage(R) and movement practices. Below are some features of NARM, in case you haven’t heard of it, which I draw on all the time in my practice and build into all my 5D Enneagram courses:
Image source: https://melissaknighttaylor.com/what-is-narm/
The feedback we (5D practitioners) receive as a result of combining TI (trauma-informed) perspectives and methods with the Enneagram teachings is mindblowing and deeply rewarding. Bringing in the genius of groundbreaking non-Enneagram researchers, scientists and healers like Drs. Laurence Heller and Richard Schwartz takes the Enneagram off the page and into the blood and bones.
Learn and get Trauma-informed and connected
I am continuing to build the Takdir 5D Programme relational ecosystem to create a wonderful learning, teaching and healing community for exploring TI perspectives and methods in relation to the Enneagram.
If you want to join us to learn and collaborate in ongoing healing, teaching and creative, soulful work, note that the next programme groups are starting soon: 22nd Oct 2025! Schedule a 30 min. chat about it here or go to the course page and apply from there.
The next iteration of the learning journey looks like this:
Many of my beloved and brilliant 5D past students have also gone on to become IEA - ATPs (International Enneagram Association Accredited Training providers) and I get to attend their Enneagram Conference presentations! I want to see you up there!
With love and many blessings,
Ingrid
It offers us insights in the form of Wings, Subtypes, Instincts, Levels and TriType combinations. Over and above this already vast amount of variability, it has complex pathways between the Styles, lines of integration, disintegration, downward spirals and growth pathways. It has teachings on the “Capstone”, which is the “high end” of our “line of disintegration”. It teaches us about how we blind ourselves with Illusions, Lies, Traps, and how we block out our vulnerable, authentic self with Antiself Actions. It teaches us to recognise our Essence Qualities as well as the personal attributes, behaviours and attitudes that arise through the healing of our Basic Fears and Heart Wounds. It helps us to realise that we have a Saving Grace to help us and our clients in our healing work, and to reconnect with a deeper knowing. A lot, to put it mildly.