Why Self Help Is Not Always Helpful with Susan Piver

This episode is brought to you by Mitopure, BiOptimizers, and Beekeeper’s Naturals.

If you’ve ever been curious about why you are the way you are, the Enneagram can provide some really interesting insights. Translating this ancient practice into modern life can help us understand our unique gifts and how we can best show up in the world. The Enneagram is a system of mapping nine ways of being, including personality and beyond. The teaching of the Enneagram—an ancient map of how we work—has a fascinating intersection with Buddhism—an ancient map of how the mind works. 

I couldn’t be more excited to sit down with my very good friend Susan Piver to explore this connection and learn more about using the Enneagram and Buddhism to create greater self-love. Susan Piver is the New York Times bestselling author of many books, including the award-winning How Not to Be Afraid of Your Own Life, The Wisdom of a Broken Heart, Start Here Now: An Open-Hearted Guide to the Path and Practice of Meditation, and The Four Noble Truths of Love: Buddhist Wisdom for Modern Relationships. Her newest book is The Buddhist Enneagram: Nine Paths to Warriorship.

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Here are more details from our interview (audio version / Apple Subscriber version):

What is the Enneagram? (5:53 / 2:48) 

The problem with the self-help movement (10:59 / 7:56) 

When working on yourself is counterproductive (14:09 / 11:00) 

Releasing self-aggression (16:03 / 13:32) 

Three ways to work with difficult emotions (27:21 / 23:23) 

Bringing the Enneagram into Buddhist thinking (33:31 / 28:49) 

Finding your Enneagram type (35:04 / 30:23) 

How the Enneagram can help free us from our negative self-talk (50:04 / 45:20) 

Using tonglen meditation to deal with individual and global pain (54:22 / 50:42) 

Directing our minds to gratitude and openness (1:02:02 / 56:08) 

Get a copy of Susan’s book, The Buddhist Enneagram: Nine Paths to Warriorship, here, and find her online community, the Open Heart Project, here.