At the root of much of our addictive behavior is an intense felt sense of shame or sadness that arises from our feeling - at a deep level - our very self to be inherently “bad”.  This in turn often drives the story of meaning we form very early in our life and can lead to a false belief that we do not deserve to belong anywhere or with anyone.  Until we can find connection, community and caring to challenge that story in a thorough process over time, we will likely try to compensate with a mask or persona that serves to protect, promote or plan our way through life.

Any personality type can unconsciously cope in this way from an early age and carry it into adulthood.  But it appears that the master of this “program for happiness” is the ennea-type Three, many of whom keep an array of different masks ready to don at a moment’s notice.  Often experts at reading the room, Three’s seem to intuitively know with who, how and where they want to fit in, so that success, value and acceptance follow. But being the best at something usually brings with it a false sense of the belonging they were made for but fear is not to be theirs without performance.

Join us for this episode of HOW’S THAT WORKING FOR YOU? as Kyle Berman shares a life of early ‘adulting’ behaviors, including organizing a caper to steal his mom’s Mothers Day present at age 9 to declaring he would be the most well-planned, efficient and successful homeless person in his city!  And in between and along the way we visit military school, Brazil, overdoses, suicide ideation and psych wards, and, finally, a community of genuine belonging and ongoing healing that is bringing his true self into being and driving an innovative vision for others.