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The enneagram has been a widely used tool in recent years. This effective tool helps us understand our core motivations—and understanding those core motivations helps us understand how we think, feel and behave. Understanding who God made us (fearfully and wonderfully Ps 139) can help us process trauma. 

What if we understood why we find ourselves running from emotional pain? What if if we could name our greatest fears? What if we understood those fears? What if we understood childhood messaging? What if we paid attention to how God made us? 

WHAT IF? 

This episode of Wednesdays With Watson brings Karissa Harrison.  Karissa is a certified enneagram coach and brings expertise to the podcast that is in line with listener expectations. Karissa is also a pastor and brings her heart for people to the podcast. This episode provides a gospel centered approach to the enneagram, and is in line with how God made us as we see in Genesis 3:26.

Karissa provides an overview of the enneagram, a greek word, meaning “nine” and “picture”. What is different about the enneagram as compared to other highly popular personality assessments? Karissa tells us, and helps us understand the power of this tool! This tool can be extraordinarily helpful in the presence of trauma.

Centers of Intelligence

Each enneagram type operates in a primary center of intelligence. Centers of intelligence helps us understand how we are processing information and making decisions.  Our secondary center of intelligence plays a supporting role. Our third center of intelligence is the one that we suppress and can work against us.

The gut (body) center of intelligence are enneagram types 8, 9 & 1.

The heart center of intelligence are enneagram types 2, 3 & 4.

The head center of intelligence are enneagram types 5, 6 & 7.
 
 Core Fear

Our core fear (or motivation) will inform our behavior. We will avoid our core fear at all cost. We spend tremendous amounts of energy trying to prevent the realization of our core fear.  Understanding the enneagram core fear helps us get to the root of what causes undesired behaviors and reactions to life in general. Understanding our core fear helps us process trauma.

Childhood Messaging

Childhood messaging is important for us to understand. Childhood messaging is the message that we experience either directly or indirectly in childhood. There are three types of childhood messaging and it influences the way we show up in the world as adults.

Wounding messages that arrive with an intent to harm.

Injuring messages that arrive without intent to harm.

Influencing messages that arrive from our caretakers without intent to harm.

Core Longings

Core longing is the message each of our hearts need to hear both implicitly and directly. We receive these messages through the truth of the Bible and through community.  While nothing on this planet will ever totally meet our core longing, it is helpful to understand what our hearts need to hear. When we do this, we can set ourselves up for healing from trauma.
 
 Scripture References:

John 10:10

Hebrews 4:15

Psalm 139

Eph 3:20

I Peter 2:9

John 3:16

Isiah 43

I Peter 3:19

Deuteronomy 4:31
 
 Josh Bales: "Isn't That Amazing Grace"

You ARE:
SEEN KNOWN HEARD LOVED VALUED