The Enneagram: A Path to Compassion and Wisdom

The Enneagram is a dynamic system that cultivates self-awareness, compassion, and wisdom. It describes nine types, each with distinct ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving. Importantly, it illuminates the underlying motivations that answer the question of why we do what we do.

Renée Rosario, MA, LPC, is a transpersonal, body-centered psychotherapist, Enneagram consultant, and Core Faculty member of The Narrative Enneagram. She maintains a private practice in Colorado.

The 9 Types

The Enneagram describes nine personality types with distinctive motivations and perspectives. Although we are each unique individuals influenced by our various cultures, we share common human needs and have developed strategies to meet them. The nine types orient around these survival strategies and help us navigate our relationships and our inner and shared worlds.

Paths of Transformation with the Enneagram

Psychological Growth

The Enneagram provides a map for navigating your psychological well-being by illuminating the habitual patterns that can limit growth. Our types bring us many gifts, which when overused tend to create challenges. As we learn about the system, understanding and compassion deepen.

Body Wisdom

All psychological and spiritual experience happens in the body, and most decisions are informed by experiences held there, even when we are unaware of that input. To change how we respond to ourselves, others, and the environment, we need to sense what is arising somatically and allow ourselves to be with it.

Spiritual Awakening

The Enneagram is also a spiritual map, offering guidance to access a greater reality beyond our type structures. Developing the capacity to witness our type patterns allows us to see beyond our conditioned sense of self—everything we've learned about who we are—and discover we are more than we may ever have imagined.

Relationships

The Enneagram provides the key to unlock the repetitive struggles that can happen in relationships. It helps us understand why we can experience the same interaction so differently from those we care about, cultivating greater understanding and compassion.

Sharing the Love

The workshop I did with Renée brought me so much more than I had expected.  I showed up relatively knowledgeable about my type, hoping to learn more about myself (I’m a self-referencing type, hahaha).  While I certainly left with fresh insights about how I operate, the greatest gift was a deeper understanding of the other types.  Her warm, patient, and skillful guidance helped everyone in the room share their own, unique perspectives.   This left me with far greater compassion for others, humility about my own, partial perspective, and some skills for relating with others with more authenticity and love. My relationships with others now have a chance to become deeper, more genuine, and more fulfilling.  This was infinitely valuable.

- Angela Raines, Elephant Journal (editorial)

Renée Rosario is an extraordinarily gifted teacher whose insight, humor and compassion have touched my soul. From Renée, I have come to understand and accept myself better and see my habitual ways of living as remnants of an early-developed coping style. I have also learned how to turn off my critical, judgmental mind and regard myself (and others) from a compassionate and positive point of view. Most importantly, Renée has taught me valuable lessons about the virtues and highest good that we all inherently possess.

- Dr. Sally S., Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Renée brings a tender touch of compassion as a teacher, allowing space for all that wants to come up for her students.  I was first introduced to the narrative tradition through Renee’s masterful facilitation and now believe it is a powerful process.  Renée is also able to bring her knowledge and wisdom of evolutionary spirituality into her teachings of the Enneagram, which I highly appreciate.

- Nomali Perera, Teacher/Coach of Integral Theory & Application

I have been working with Renée and exploring the Enneagram for over 2 years now. The time I’ve spent with Renée in her office and in her classes has been the guiding light on my spiritual and psychological journey.

I have grown much deeper compassion for myself and others through the enneagram. My partner and I use the enneagram every day to understand and relate to each other; we’re able to see past our initial reactions and enter into a much greater place of love, empathy and connection. What a beautiful gift!

I can’t thank Renée enough for introducing me to this heart opening and life changing system.

- Chelsea Brady, Artist

Renée brings exceptional presence and warmth to her teaching which creates an open, safe, and supportive space to delve into the breath and depth of the enneagram.  This work has helped me see my own, as well as others, deeper motivations which has  facilitated change, release of judgments,  and greater freedom of being.  Renée is gifted and heartful teacher.

- Beverly Baima

What I enjoy the most about taking courses with Renée is that she really meets each person where they are at.  And she has an amazing ability to very skillfully get to the core of an issue and shine light on it.

- Alan Rosacker, 5 Element Acupuncture Student

I wanted to thank you for your well run Enneagram workshop in Boulder last fall.  As a non-professional “newbee” to the Enneagram I was fascinated. It was soooo informative.  Just when I think I figure myself out, I go and get surprised all over again!   I hope to come again to some future event and get surprised at myself again! I have read several Enneagram books but being among people who are also hungry for more understanding was inspiring (eye-opening, uncomfortable, and refreshing all at the same time!)

- Debbie Winchel