My therapist colleague Melinda Olsen (Inviterra Counseling) and I are writing several blog series about the Enneagram, a comprehensive yet compact personality framework that reveals our reactive, “autopilot” patterns of thinking, feeling, doing, and relating.
In this series, someone from each Enneagram Type (Types One through Nine) will be sharing about their own journey of discovering and using the Enneagram for deep healing and personal growth.
In today’s post, we’ll be hearing from fellow clinician Stefie Dominguez (full-time grad school student, fun-time musician and soon-to-be therapist) about being in the world as a Type 7.
Here are the other posts in this series that are published so far:
Type 1 - Josh Chan
Type 2 - Melinda Olsen, LMFT
Type 3 - Morgan Hancock, LMFT
Type 4 - Joanne Kim, LMFT
Type 5 - Alyssa Harris
Type 6 - Jonathan Siu
Type 8 - Marianna Torres
Type 9 - Lorren Siu, LMFT
What’s it like to be an Enneagram Type Seven?
SYNTHESIZING MINDS
I've definitely noticed I love making connections about things that may seem unrelated to the naked eye. The interconnectedness of things. I even got an "endless knot" tattoo to symbolize that idea that everything is connected because it genuinely feels like a foundational reality in my life.
GOOD BRAINSTORMERS
Brainstorming sessions are my absolute favorite. It's like my brain can go many different ways and I can think of so many different options and scenarios altogether. I'll give you many ideas; just don't ask me to follow through on them or lay out a strategic path to getting to the end goal. That's for Enneagram 1s :)
PREFERENCE FOR HAVING MANY OPTIONS
I love keeping my options open and I feel genuine anxiety when I feel like I'm being "trapped" into certain ways of going about things. When I feel like I'm being told what to think or do, I instinctively want to "rebel" against it.
When did you first realize you were an Enneagram 7?
As soon as I found out about the Enneagram, it was pretty obvious to me and to my friends. I remember when I first took a test, 7 and 9 were my top two results. I certainly can see myself having a lot of 9 characteristics, although looking at my motivation, fears and triggers really confirmed my 7ness.
What do you wish people knew about Type Sevens?
7s are really deep! We're just not deep with many people. I've noticed that an intellectual connection is absolutely necessary for me to feel like I can deeply bond with someone. Trust takes a bit of time, but once you're in that inner circle, you're really in and I cherish sharing the harder things with you. But if you're not in that inner circle I'm reeeeally good at keeping you out.
One thing you're working on to grow beyond your type.
For the past 2 years, I've really dug deep into what it means for me to be present in the moment and connected to my body. It is ridiculously easy for me to feel like I went an entire day in my head and thoughts, which really affects my mood. Really learning to sit in pain without avoiding it, meditating on the present, and connecting to my body through yoga have all been essential to my growth toward being someone who can be still and aware of the here and now.
What are your Enneagram type's emotional habits?
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Don't know your Enneagram type?
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What are your emotional habits?
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I was a panelist at the EnneaSummit for the Heart Type Panel hosted by Tyler Zach (Enneagram 3).
In this video, six panelists give firsthand accounts about what it's like to be an Enneagram 2, 3, or 4.
If you're eager and intentional about personal growth, here are 5 reasons why I think you def should consider attending one of Beatrice Chestnut & Uranio Paes' type-specific Enneagram retreats.
I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Elizabeth Irias on the podcast Light Up The Couch. Beth and I talked about all nine Enneagram Types as well as how therapists can integrate the Enneagram into their practice.
How we dress or present ourselves is one way our inner world shows up on the outside (for better or worse!). Check out how personal styling with the Enneagram in mind can help you discover your authentic style and build confidence in how you show up in the world!
Did you know that some people can have negative reactions about REST, relaxation, stillness, vacation, play? In this blog, I share about going from being someone who rarely takes breaks to now having regular vacations multiple times a year.
Not all Enneagram types have an easy time celebrating their birthdays! Here are some reasons why some of us might have a hard time, as well as some tips on how to take good care of you!
The three Enneagram instincts (Self-Preservation, Social, and Sexual) instincts show up in the way we engage our lives and creative endeavors. Check out this conversation with Rim from The Empowered Sensitive and Creative Podcast!
Each of the nine Enneagram types point out the universal human motivations and themes that make the “colored” lens through which we see life. Which one is yours?
Melissa Smith from the podcast “High Vibe Mindset” invited me to talk about emotional growth and the Enneagram types. Here is the transcript of our illuminating conversation spanning all nine types and how they can grow beyond their behavioral patterns.
Joanne Kim (OliveMe Counseling) and Melinda Olsen (Inviterra Counseling) join Nikhil Sharma (AlignUs World) in a six-part series to introduce the Enneagram - a personality framework that reveals our subconscious patterns. Check out the sixth part of this series here on the Enneagram Body Types!
Joanne Kim (OliveMe Counseling) and Melinda Olsen (Inviterra Counseling) join Nikhil Sharma (AlignUs World) in a six-part series to introduce the Enneagram - a personality framework that reveals our subconscious patterns. Check out the fifth part of this series here on the Enneagram Heart types - the feelers!
Joanne Kim (OliveMe Counseling) and Melinda Olsen (Inviterra Counseling) join Nikhil Sharma (AlignUs World) in a six-part series to introduce the Enneagram - a personality framework that reveals our subconscious patterns. Check out the second part of this series here!
Joanne (OliveMe Counseling) and Melinda (Inviterra Counseling) are Enneagram therapists who love helping people grow beyond their reactive patterns of thinking, feeling, and doing. Listen to part 4 of their 4-part series as they discuss the Head Triad and their central emotion of fear.
Joanne (OliveMe Counseling) and Melinda (Inviterra Counseling) are Enneagram therapists who love helping people grow beyond their reactive patterns of thinking, feeling, and doing. Listen to the introduction of their 4-part series as they discuss emotions, the Enneagram, the three Centers of Intelligence and dominant instincts.
I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Elizabeth Irias on the podcast Light Up The Couch. Beth and I talked about all nine Enneagram Types as well as how therapists can integrate the Enneagram into their practice.
Marianna Torres shares what it’s like to be a Enneagram Type 8 (aka “The Challenger”). “I wish people knew how to understand my assertive nature and to not take it like a personal attack.” Read more to learn about Type Eights.
Jenna Cox-Hadley (Enneagram Type Three) shares her song called Potential. Every day comes with the potential that anything could happen, and with the overwhelming dread that, well, anything could happen. Is it possible for us to take calculated risks without destroying our own zest for the joys of life? Have a sneak peek into the inner world of an Enneagram Type Three!
Each of the nine Enneagram types have autopilot patterns of thinking, feeling, and doing that also show up at work, for better or for worse. Learn what your strengths, limitations, and growth steps are so you can have deeper, greater impact as your own type of leader!
Enneagram Type Fives (Type 5s) are not great at small talk. We’d much rather get to what you know and what makes you tick. We understand that everyone is an expert in something, even if they don’t know it. Read about what it’s like being a Type One from Alyssa,the CEO and founder of The Karuna Lab Life Coaching services.
Though we have all three Centers of Intelligence (head, heart, body), there's WAY too much emphasis on Head Center especially in the Westernized world. Read the blog to learn how to reconcile and integrate all three.
Each of the human survival instincts - Self-preservation (SP), Social (SO), and Sexual (SX) - have their respective bias towards certain relationship habits. See which one resonates with you.
Melissa Moore from the podcast “Faith Hope Love with Melissa Moore” invited me to talk about life as a Four. Listen to our conversation or read the transcript here.
Read this blog to learn some of the things that stood out to me personally at the Chestnut Paes Enneagram Academy's Retreat.
If you're eager and intentional about personal growth, here are 5 reasons why I think you def should consider attending one of Bea & Uranio's Enneagram retreats.
Beatrice Chestnut and Uranio Paes Enneagram workshops and retreats became the milestone markers of how I've healed and grown over time, as I vividly remember what I was working through each of those moments.
It's so important to not judge ourselves for having done what we said we wouldn't do, or not doing what we said we would do. We can’t change by shaming ourselves.
All of us have the capacity of being self-referencing or others-referencing - using ourselves and others as reference points for life, respectively. But what’s the difference between being self-referencing and being selfish, and being others-referencing and being generous? How can we grow beyond our Enneagram type by practicing both options?
I have a love/hate relationship with the fact that the Enneagram is picking up in popularity. I LOVE that more people have heard about it. I HATE that the information that's being passed around is the exact OPPOSITE of what the Enneagram was meant for.
Here's a bit of tongue in cheek for you, somewhat based on my observations as an Enneagram therapist. (I'm half joking...and half serious.)
© Copyright 2021 Joanne B. Kim. All rights reserved.
JOANNE B. KIM, LMFT
Joanne is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and Certified Brainspotting Practitioner in San Jose, CA, who loves helping people create emotionally thriving relationships. She helps people EXHAUSTED by anxiety, shame, and an allergic reaction to anger create VIBRANT relationships where they matter, too.
Many of her clients are:
(1) the highly responsible, conscientious, and empathic types
(2) Enneagram Type Ones, Twos, Fours, or Nines
(3) Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs)
(4) adult survivors of emotional abuse and neglect
The most common words spoken by those who’ve sat with Joanne:
“I thought it was just me. I’m NOT crazy!”
“I can finally figure out what to do with all these feelings!”
I was a panelist at the EnneaSummit 2024 for the Enneagram Practitioner Panel.
In this panel, we share our experiences and observations about what different Enneagram types think they need in therapy, what they actually need, and some important growth steps so they can grow beyond their type.