This week on Real Talk with Rachael I'm talking with Enneagram expert Ian Morgan Cron about the mental health aspect of the Enneagram. Ian is a bestselling author, psychotherapist, Enneagram teacher, and host of the popular podcast, Typology. His national bestseller, The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery, is used around the world as people seek to better understand who they are. He and his wife, Anne, have three children and live in Nashville, Tennessee.

We're talking about:

• The origins of the Enneagram and what attracted Ian to it
• The Enneagram doesn't put you in a box, it helps you understand the box you're already in and how to get out of it.
• You shouldn't start assessing your child's Enneagram number until late adolescence or when they become interested in learning about it for themselves.
• Everyone has two wings, but one wing is more dominant. 
• Your Enneagram number doesn't change, but you can operate as other numbers in different situations.
• Your self-awareness affects your mental health and ability to succeed.
• The Enneagram brings awareness to the unconscious motivation that has been tripping you up, giving you the freedom to make different choices.
• “Information is not transformation.”
• Don’t box yourself into your number and don’t use it as an excuse for poor behavior.
• “You have a personality, but you are not your personality. Your identity is in Christ.”

Don't forget to take the IEQ9 test and check out Ian's new course True You: a Deeper Exploration of Your Enneagram Type!

Enneagram types and their unconscious motivations:

Type 1: Improvers – ethical, meticulous, detail-oriented; unconscious motivation – to perfect themselves, others, and the world.

Type 2: Helpers – warm, caring, giving; unconscious motivation - to be needed and avoid acknowledging that they have personal needs.

Type 3: Performers – success-oriented, image-conscious, wired for productivity; unconscious motivation - success, to appear successful, and to avoid failure at all costs.

Type 4: Romantics – creative, sensitive, moody; unconscious motivation - to be special and unique to compensate for some perceived missing piece in their makeup.

Type 5: Investigator – analytical, emotionally detached, private; unconscious motivation - to gain knowledge, conserve energy, and avoid relying on others.

Type 6: Loyalists – committed, practical, worst-case scenario thinkers; unconscious motivation - fear and the need for security, safety, and support.

Type 7: Enthusiasts – fun, spontaneous, adventurous; unconscious motivation - to be happy and have fun in order to avoid emotional and psychological pain.

Type 8: Challengers – commanding, intense, confrontational; unconscious motivation - to assert strength and power over the environment and others to mask vulnerability.

Type 9: Peacemakers – pleasant, laid back, accommodating; unconscious motivation - to keep the peace to merge with the preferences of others in order to avoid conflict at all costs

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Connect with Ian on his website, Instagram, or Facebook. Connect with Rachael on her website, Instagram, or Facebook