PART 1: Beyond Theory—Why Somatics and the Enneagram Need Each Other
My Journey with “Embodying Essence”
Over the years, I’ve explored countless ways to bring the Enneagram to life in a more profound, holistic manner. I quickly realized that many of us can talk about the Nine Types all day—yet still struggle to make real, lasting changes in our everyday behaviors and relationships.
The missing link, I discovered, was somatic engagement: paying close attention to our bodily sensations, nervous system states, and the subtle qualities that arise when we connect with what I call “essence.” Essence is the core, universal quality at the heart of each Enneagram type—the place where we feel most whole and at peace. When we embody this essence, we do more than “understand” the Enneagram; we live it in a way that’s deeply healing and transformative.
Sharing This Work
I first introduced my Embodying Essence approach at a regional Enneagram conference in Amsterdam in the summer of 2024, and the response was exciting—people were craving a way to feel the Enneagram in their bodies. Since then, I’ve been speaking, writing, facilitating workshops, and teaching longer training programs on this powerful integration of somatic science and Enneagram wisdom. This embodied approach to working with the types and their essence is at the heart of all these offerings.
Now, I’m excited to go even deeper at the International Enneagram Association’s (IEA) Global Conference this coming summer, where I’ll unveil new insights and guide participants through practical somatic practices. I’m also in the midst of writing a book that will share this embodied work in an even more comprehensive way.
Why Somatic Engagement Matters
Modern somatic psychology has shown that the body isn’t just a passive bystander to the mind. Defensive patterns, reactivity, and emotional triggers all have corresponding physical (and often subconscious) elements—muscle tension, shifts in breathing, the fight-flight-freeze response, and more.
Healing the Roots: By focusing on the body, we address the underlying patterns fueling our personality fixations, rather than just the surface behaviors.
Tangible Change: When we sense our essence physically—relaxation in the chest, warmth in the belly, or tingling in the spine—we’re more likely to sustain that transformation in daily life.
Integration: Rather than seeing the Enneagram merely as a mental map, somatic engagement allows us to integrate head, heart, and body—what I call “Embodying Essence.”
Beyond Labels—From Concept to Lived Experience
All too often, people treat their Enneagram type as just a label: “I’m a Type Four, so I’m emotional,” or “I’m a Type Seven, so I’m adventurous.” While these descriptions have value, they can also keep us at the level of abstract analysis. The real power of the Enneagram emerges when we explore not only the felt sense of each type’s patterning—that is, how tension, breath, and muscle activation show up in real time—but also the felt sense of each type’s medicinal/healing essence.
Felt Sense of Patterning: Where do we clamp down, brace, or hold our breath when we slip into fixation? How does our posture or energy shift when we’re triggered?
Felt Sense of Essence: What is the physical experience of each type’s universal quality—like a soothing warmth for Type Two’s universal love, or a strong, grounded sensation for Type Eight’s true strength?
By exploring both the fixation and the essential “medicine” in a tangible, embodied way, we gain a direct understanding of where and how we can find relief, solace, and genuine change.
What’s Next?
In the next blog post, we’ll delve into the Nine Types through a somatic lens—looking at what I call the “medicine” or healing quality of each type’s essence.
