Typology

Latest Episodes:

047: Self to Lose, Self to Find, feat. Marilyn Vancil Jun 07, 2018

Show notes

Our guest today is an Enneagram professional, spiritual director, coach, facilitator, and author who is passionate about the Enneagram personality model and its value in Christian spiritual transformation. Her workshops and retreats focus on how the Enneagram helps people identify barriers to living out their unique expression and experience as one created in God's image.

This show is packed with great information for those who know your Enneagram type and are interested in learning how to shift your attention and grow in self-awareness. Today, Marilyn Vancil talks about:

the focus of attention for each type
what to do when you realize you're locked into a habit of attention and how to break it, and
how to know when it's time to wake up and develop a spiritual practice

Marilyn earned her certification as an Enneagram Professional in the Narrative Tradition through Enneagram Worldwide, and has also taken courses on the Enneagram at Loyola University and the Deep Coaching Institute.

She enjoys life in Seattle with her husband, Jeff. For more information about Marilyn, visit www.marilynvancil.com.

046: How an Enneagram 8 learns to be vulnerable, feat. Patrick Chappell May 31, 2018

Show notes

Eights are often called the Challengers, but I like to call them the Protectors or Defenders. Every type has a basic fear and desire coloring the waters of their personality. The basic fear of an Eight is being not in control of their self. The basic desire is to avoid feeling weak or vulnerable.

But Eights can often be misinterpreted. Though they can often appear blunt and aggressive, Eights are truly about justice and looking out for their tribe and making sure others feel like they belong. Eights have lots of energy. They are high energy, movement people who like to see things get done. The downside of Eights might be that they are low on the vulnerability side of things. They only trust a small amount of people, and though it may take a lot to get in the trust circle, it doesn't take much for you to get out. It's very hard to get on the list, and then you just have to do one thing and you're off the list.

But what does it look like when an Eight has done their work and views life through the healthy lens of an Eight? Listen in as Patrick Chappell discusses various triggers and how he approaches them from the lens of an Eight.

Patrick is southern born and bred, having been born in Birmingham and raised in Chattanooga. Patrick earned his degree in Oral Communication and Public Relations from Lipscomb University. He then served as an Admissions Recruiter for the University, traveling the country to bring students to Nashville for a Christian education. He is currently the College and Young Adult Minister at Otter Creek Church in Brentwood, TN.

Patrick is passionate about life, spending many hours reading, going to concerts, taking in movies and his favorite TV shows, as well as spending countless hours over coffee with friends. He's also a big fan of the band Weezer.

045: An Enneagram 7 Lets Go of His Expectations, feat. Luke Norsworthy May 24, 2018

Show notes

Sevens are the joy bombs of the Enneagram. The energy they give off is energetic, fun-loving and naturally cheerful. They are optimistic by nature and seize every moment of life. They live for the next adventure and are experts at reframing a negative situation to find the silver lining.

But all their "living for tomorrow" is really to avoid pain and introspection. Sevens may have an underlying feeling that if they allow themselves to feel an emotion they'll get stuck in that emotion never come out. They keep their minds busy and occupied with projects and ideas for the future in an unconscious attempt to evade having negative emotional or psychological feelings.

Listen in as we jump into an energetic conversation with Enneagram Seven, Luke Norsworthy, and find out why it's important for Sevens to enjoy life with a small spoon.

Luke and his wife Lindsay along with their three daughters live in Austin, TX where Luke is the senior minister of the Westover Hills Church. Luke's first book God over Good releases October 2018. Luke also hosts the Newsworthy with Norsworthy Podcast, a weekly podcast discussing Spirituality, Christianity, and anything else that seems news worthy. You can follow Luke on Twitter: @LukeNorsworthy

044: Jen Hatmaker's Fight for Grace using the Enneagram May 17, 2018

Show notes

The last time I spoke with Jen Hatmaker on her "For of Love" podcast, we talked about how she identifies as a Three. As our conversation continued I began to think, "Man, you've got a lot of features of an Eight. I wonder if you should check out this other type."

Threes and Eights are both assertive, ambitious, and competitive. But the difference is that an average eight wants to get their way pretty fast because they just don't want to waste time. They're not afraid to get into an argument, but they're like, "Whatever, I just want to get the power and the control in the room here a little bit or in life." They'll compete for dominance, but it's less about social or status issues, it's more about power. For Threes, it's much more about status and appearances. Threes are less interested in having the power rather they are more interested in being admired by others.

In today's episode, we discuss the similarities and differences of Threes and Eights and how that manifests under the umbrella of fighting for justice and grace. Listen as we talk about Jen's need to stand up for various social issues, her ability to embrace confrontation for what is just, and the emotional response to doing just that.

043: An Enneagram 8's Process of Defrosting, part 2 with David Gungor May 10, 2018

Show notes

Last week David Gungor shared his struggle in determining his type, how he embraces his "chaotic intentionality," and what it means to need others to "get out of his face." Today we continue the conversation about how the Enneagram can help Enneagram Eights grow in self-awareness through spiritual practices and leaning into the people they do trust to gain true intimacy.

David Gungor is a member of The Brilliance, the American worship music duo of David Gungor and John Arndt. The band started making music in 2010 under the Integrity Music label. Their new album was "All is Not Lost" released in January 2017. David is also an associate pastor at Trinity Grace Tribeca.

For more information about David, visit www.thebrilliancemusic.com

042: Practicing Vulnerability as an Enneagram 8, feat. David Gungor May 03, 2018

Show notes

Enneagram Eights are called The Challenger for a good reason. Eights don't like to feel controlled and avoid any appearance of vulnerability. They are naturally confrontational and their combative energy can feel intimidating to others. But what feels like intimidation to others actually feels like connection to an Eight. Eights express their anger freely, are fueled by high levels of stimulation, and react very strongly against challenging injustices. And, as you'll hear from our guest, David Gungor, the "circle of trust" is small but tight. So what does it sound like when an Eight acknowledges their weakness or vulnerability? What does it look like when you break through that tough exterior?

Listen as David Gungor shares his struggle in determining his type, how he embraces his "chaotic intentionality," and what it means to need others to "get out of his face."

For more information about David, visit www.thebrilliancemusic.com.

041: Who am I if I can't DO anything? feat. Michele Cushatt (Enneagram 2) Apr 26, 2018

Show notes

Twos have an amazing way of making other people feel safe and comfortable. They are some of the most caring, supportive and upbeat people I know. They accept you as you are, aren't judgmental and create space where people can speak from their hearts and experience.

Yet, Twos need to be needed but for a Two to admit their own "neediness" is very difficult. They rarely ask for help and don't know how to receive it when it's offered. Instead, they focus their energy on meeting the needs of others. They have to DO things to really feel loved. Unhealthy Twos don't know who they are if they aren't doing things for the people around them.

So, for a Two to grow in self-awareness and gain self-compassion, they need to embrace the truth that we all have needs. We're all broken in some way. And that's okay. It just makes us more human.

In today's episode, Michele Cushatt joins us to talk about how Twos can stop seeing their wounds as a flaw but rather as portals for deeper connection for others.

040: Part 2, May the Fours Be with You: A Panel of Enneagram Fours Apr 19, 2018

Show notes

This week we continue with our panel of Fours -- Sandra McCracken, Megan Miller, Matthew Perryman Jones, and Don Chaffer. Tune in as we discuss the strengths and challenges of being a Four, and then stick around to the end when Ian and guests pull some guitars down from the studio walls and spontaneously break into a Dylan tune. It's pretty unforgettable.

039: May the Fours Be with You: A Panel of Enneagram Fours Apr 12, 2018

Show notes

For those who are new to the Enneagram or to what life is like as an Enneagram Four, let me just give a 50,000-foot fly-by of the Enneagram Four. Fours, called the Individualists, sometimes called the Romantics or the Tragic Romantics, these are folks who have a sense that they carry within themselves some deficiency--some irredeemable deficiency--a missing piece in their essential makeup that they can't quite name. It actually elicits or brings up in them this kind of inconsolable longing for the un-nameable missing piece that they're trying to find and recover so that they can feel a part of the world. They feel as though they're disqualified from belonging because they're different from other people. And so, this launches them on a lifelong quest, usually early on with the struggling low self-esteem, I've never met a Four who told me that that was not an issue for them.

And their passion, or their deadly sin, is Envy. So, what is it that Fours? Fours envy the normalcy, the happiness, and the apparent ease with which other people seem to move in the world. We just look at other people and think they just haven't suffered as much as we have. We just have this perception that other people have had an easier time of it in this life. And that can sometimes give us a little bit of superiority, almost, because we also become addicted to our suffering if we're not careful. It becomes the core of our identity--the tragic story of the past that we don't know how to divorce ourselves from, and even if we could who would we be without it, without that tragic story? God, we'd be ordinary, which of course points to the underlying motivation of the Four which is a compulsive need to be unique and special as a strategy to compensate for what we perceive to be this irredeemable deficiency.

To best illustrate the ways that Fours are unique, even from each other, I brought in a panel of Fours for this week's show. The thing I love about panels is it's so much better for people to learn about these different types, these archetypes of the Enneagram, straight from the mouths of those who live in the shoes of those different styles of being in the world. Fours are the most misunderstood number on the Enneagram in general. So, tune in as Sandra McCracken, Megan Miller, Matthew Perryman Jones, and Don Chaffer join us in studio to talk about all things Four.

038: How the Enneagram Unexpectedly Rocked Our World, feat. research psychologist Dr. Richard Beck and his wife, Jana Apr 05, 2018

Show notes

After a knee-jerk reaction of skepticism, Dr. Richard Beck and his wife, Jana, share how the Enneagram has had a profound effect on their family. In today's show, we talk about the disjoint of how we conceive ourselves and how we behave on the ground, how personality and virtue cut across Enneagram types, and the unique contribution of the fluidity of the Enneagram.

Richard Beck, Ph.D. is a research psychologist, professor, and award-winning author. His books include: Unclean: Meditations on Purity, Hospitality and Mortality (2011), The Authenticity of Faith: The Varieties and Illusions of Religious Experiences (2012), The Slavery of Death (2013), Reviving Old Scratch: Demons and the Devil for Doubters and the Disenchanted (May 2016), and his newest book, which just released in November, Stranger God: Meeting Jesus in Disguise. To learn more about Richard, visit https://experimentaltheology.blogspot.com or his author page at https://amzn.to/2uKfzEQ.

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