Personality Types: Using the Enneagram for Self-Discovery Paperback – October 29, 1996

I must have bought my first copy of this book 20+years ago and not read it until very recently because the paper around the edges was yellow! I did do the Rh VPI and Personality tests on line a few years back and again recently.Seriously if you really want to know about the Enneagram and its amazing ability and applications this the ONLY book you should read. I know because I read several others by several other authors and they were absolutely wasteful of my time and added nothing to my knowledge. This is a big book and we live in a time when attention span seems to be an archaic phrase but every minute you spend here will yield useful practical and fascination knowledge about who you and others around you really are.I cannot say enough about the impact this book has had on my life and knowledge of human personality.The last 80* pages are incredible in their identification of our human potential and spiritual nature without descending into preachy denominationally based text. The only critique I have is that there is clear cut identification of "what" needs to be addressed but no "how" to get there. That of course could be construed as medical advice so I will insert the other thing that came out of this study EMDR as a tool to transform.The only other "complaint" I have is there are so few books written by these authors and in this day and age of mental health issues I would love to read more of their information. I think the Enneagram and EMDR will become the wave of the future. I suspect we'll start seeing it on social media big time.So I wish the best modern authors on the topic would jump into the fray before the hype and the nonsense do!

This is probably TMI, but my husband & I have been married for 21 years and we were struggling (not unlike most long-term marriages or relationships at some point or another). We mutually decided he needed to embark on a modern-day Aboriginal Walk-About for 30 days. I helped him pack up our travel trailer and off he went to a local RV park to live on his own...time needed to figure himself out (and time for me to re-center my soul & enjoy some alone time). He embarked on journaling and meditation (neither of which he'd ever done before) and spent time "being" with himself....a journey of self-discovery & self-reliance. I purchased two books for him to take on his journey and this book was one of them. I stumbled on this book entirely by accident through a review of another book I was considering getting for him. After reading countless reviews for this book it seemed like it might be a good read. I knew nothing about Enneagrams so the profound change that came from his reading this book was a complete fluke. My husband dove into this book his first week away. He was completely obsessed with it. He would call me in the evenings crying (he NEVER cries). It was like an awakening for him and suddenly all of his struggles and personal bewilderment became crystal clear and he understood himself for the first time in his entire life (his words). He would read to me from the book every night. It piqued my curiosity (I hadn't even opened the cover when I bought it, I just packed it into the trailer for him to read while he was away) so I decided to buy myself my own copy since he wasn't home for us to share the book. I wanted to figure out my personality, then our adult children and so on. I even bought the book for my sister. The Enneagram concept is somewhat complex, but truly mind-blowing once you get things dialed in and understand how it works. Learning how each personality type functions within the healthy to unhealthy levels and how this impacts your life and all of your personal relationships. It's frighteningly accurate (as long as you are being honest about yourself) and nothing short of fascinating. I would recommend this book to anyone. Frankly, I'm shocked that therapists (both marriage and personal) don't have their clients take the Enneagram test online before embarking on any type of therapy, understanding yourself is key to facilitating change. This book is a must read for anyone on a journey of self-enlightenment.

I read this book first but have since read other books on the enneagram. This one was so incredibly thorough that I haven't gained much from the follow up books. They may add a little here and there, but this book was the only one I really needed. It's the perfect in depth introduction or for those who want a deeper dive. It really digs into each personality type.