#4 Belonging + The Enneagram

Mar 14

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In this episode, Dr. Mona speaks with guest Dr. Deborah Threadgill Egerton, an internationally respected psychotherapist, best-selling author, and President of the International Enneagram Association. Affectionately referred to as “Dr. E,” her work is dedicated to dismantling marginalization and transcending the divisive practice of "othering". Dr. E has coached and mentored a diverse spectrum of individuals, including best-selling authors, top-tier executives, spiritual luminaries, accomplished therapists, and a myriad of thought leaders, each hailing from distinct and varied backgrounds. In her multifaceted roles as consultant, coach, mentor, and spiritual teacher, Dr. Egerton guides humanity toward harmonious unification. Dr. Egerton’s book, Know Justice Know Peace: A Transformative Journey of Social Justice, Anti-Racism, and Healing through the Power of the Enneagram was featured on Amazon’s #1 Best Seller in New Releases. Her current book The Enneagram Made Easy was released in March 2024 and has an accompanying 9 book series called “The Enneagram Inner Work Journals.”

To begin, Dr. E explains her view that the Enneagram is the blueprint of the soul. It is a user manual for our operating systems that we wish was given to us at birth. When people do discover the Enneagram, they inevitably reflect on the ways their past may have been easier with that knowledge. The Enneagram is an ancient symbol which seekers have been following since before Plato, although it was only introduced to the western world in the 1970’s. The Enneagram as we know it today is a marriage between ancient knowledge and modern psychology. There are 9 different points/energies on the Enneagram map. The energy to which you fall closest is the one that houses your basic fears, desires, and core motivation, and that’s where you find your strongest virtues. Understanding all of the different points helps us increase our awareness and understand the traits within ourselves. Dancing with all 9 energies is so important since each has the opportunity to uncover new things about ourselves and the people around us.

Every year, Dr. E develops a cohort of social justice workers to take them through a 3-12 month journey. To know justice and peace, she explains, is to know love first and foremost. Anger and hatred will not move the social justice movement forward. The very first thing to do is work on healing your own wounds. Each point on the Enneagram is closely related in some ways, yet has vastly different needs. Listen as she walks listeners around the Enneagram, and explains how each point feels the most confident in their sense of belonging. Studying each of these nine points is the best way we can begin to embody and embrace love in our own lives. By embodying our own energies, we become more accepting and understanding of the energy of others. Dr. E strives to appeal to the inherent goodness that exists within every human being. The Enneagram is among the best tools to help us see, embrace, and celebrate ourselves in a way we may have never done before.

Listeners can discover their Enneagram point by taking the free quiz available on Dr. E’s website. However, she stresses the importance of answering the questions with complete honesty. Failure to do this will likely give you a false result. She recommends that people first take the quiz on the website, then read Enneagram Made Easy to best connect with their placement. Before wrapping up, Dr. E offers her best tips for working with our own energies to bring ourselves out of dark phases. Finally, she shares that for her, belonging means feeling aligned with creation so that she never has to question her belonging among it.

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0:09 - Dr. Mona introduces today’s guest, Dr. Deborah Egerton.

2:15 - What is the Enneagram?

12:05 - Using the Enneagram for social justice.

14:49 - Dr. E walks us through the 9 energies of the enneagram as they relate to belonging.

20:37 - Appealing to the inherent goodness within all human beings.

27:47 - How people can find out what their Enneagram point is.

32:29 - What does belonging mean to Dr. Egerton?

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Learn more about Dr. Deborah Egerton

Purchase Dr. E’s new book Enneagram Made Easy

Find Dr. E on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube