What Is the Enneagram? My Journey from Sceptic to Accredited Practitioner

When I first heard about the Enneagram, I was sceptical. How could a simple system of nine personality types offer real insight into who I am? Over time, my curiosity grew, and I decided to explore this tool more deeply. What started as casual reading turned into a meaningful journey of self-discovery and personal growth. In this post, I want to share how I got interested in the Enneagram, the path I followed, and the benefits I gained along the way. Why not discover your own type while you're here?

My personal journal with Enneagram notes

How I First Encountered the Enneagram

My journey with the Enneagram began quite by accident, thanks to a good friend who mentioned it in conversation with my wife. Looking back, it arrived at exactly the right moment in our relationship—almost like it knew we needed it. That deeper understanding of our personalities and patterns genuinely helped us find our way through a challenging time.

I’ve always been fascinated by psychology and personal growth, but many personality systems felt a bit too generic or surface-level for me. The Enneagram felt different right away. It wasn’t just about slapping on a label; it offered a rich, compassionate map of our deepest motivations, fears, and paths toward growth. I started devouring articles and videos, completely hooked. The idea that we each fall into one of nine core types, each with its own beautiful and complex patterns, just clicked for me.

When my wife and I finally took the test and saw our types, it was surprisingly spot-on. It opened the door to so much empathy and understanding between us—almost like we were truly seeing each other for the first time.

So if you’ve landed on this site by chance… maybe it isn’t chance at all. The Enneagram has a gentle way of showing up for people exactly when they need it most. I’m really glad you’re here.

Diving Deeper into the Nine Types

Understanding my type was just the beginning. The Enneagram describes nine core personality types, each with strengths and challenges. Learning about all nine helped me see people around me in a new light. Here is a brief overview of the types:

• Type 1: The Reformer – principled and purposeful

• Type 2: The Helper – caring and interpersonal

• Type 3: The Achiever – success-oriented and adaptable

• Type 4: The Individualist – sensitive and expressive

• Type 5: The Investigator – perceptive and innovative

• Type 6: The Loyalist – committed and security-oriented

• Type 7: The Enthusiast – spontaneous and versatile

• Type 8: The Challenger – confident and decisive

• Type 9: The Peacemaker – easygoing and receptive

  
  

Each type has a core fear and desire that drives behaviour. For example, my type fears being worthless and desires to feel valuable. Recognising this helped me understand why I sometimes push myself too hard or avoid certain situations.

My Path of Self-Reflection and Growth

Once I discovered my type, I began journaling about my reactions and emotions. For the first time, I could clearly see the patterns I’d been repeating without even realising it. That understanding brought a whole new level of self-awareness — something I don’t think I would have reached so deeply on my own.

I also fell in love with the idea of wings — the two neighbouring types that add extra colour and nuance to your main type. Exploring my wings helped me see why I sometimes behave in ways that didn’t perfectly fit my core type. It made the Enneagram feel much more alive and flexible, rather than a rigid box.

The real magic, though, has been in the growth work. The Enneagram gently encourages us to move towards the healthy qualities of another type. For me, that meant learning greater self-compassion and patience. I started practising mindfulness, set small achievable goals, and slowly began facing some of my deeper fears. Month by month, I felt myself becoming calmer, more balanced, and far less reactive.

(If you’ve read your Enneagram Report, I highly recommend focusing especially on the Growth Paths and Recommendations section — that’s where the real transformation begins.) Have a look at our sample report to get a feel for the depth of insight it will provide you.

In 2015, I took a big step and trained as an accredited Enneagram Practitioner through Integrative9 in South Africa. More recently, I’ve begun a Level 2 Counselling course at Taunton USC, with plans to complete Levels 3 and 4 to qualify as a fully trained counsellor and psychotherapist.

One of the most important parts of this training is deepening your own self-awareness so you can truly show up with empathy for others. The Enneagram has been an incredibly powerful tool for that, and I can’t recommend it highly enough — to anyone, at any time, in any season of life.

That’s why I created this website with the help of AI: so that others could experience the same meaningful shift in self-understanding that I did. Use our empathic test to find out what your Enneagram type is and receive your personalised report..

TIP: When you start your conversation with the Chatbot, type in your own language:

"Can we do this in French?" or "Pouvons-nous faire cela en français?" or whatever language you would like to use.

How the Enneagram Changed My Relationships

One of the biggest benefits of learning about the Enneagram was improving my relationships. Understanding the motivations behind others’ behaviour helped me communicate better and avoid misunderstandings.

For example, a close friend is a Type 6, who values security and loyalty. Knowing this, I became more patient when they expressed doubts or worries. Instead of feeling frustrated, I offered reassurance. This strengthened our bond.

At work, I noticed colleagues’ types influenced how they approached tasks. Recognising these differences helped me collaborate more effectively. The Enneagram became a tool for empathy and connection.

Practical Tips for Starting Your Own Enneagram Journey

If you’re curious about the Enneagram, here are some steps that helped me:

• Use Eugenio’s Enneagram test. It will engage with you asking you questions which will uncover your enneagram type and more.

• Read books or listen to podcasts from trusted Enneagram teachers.

• Keep a journal to track your thoughts, feelings, and reactions.

• Reflect on your core fears and desires to understand your motivations.

• Explore your wings and growth paths to see how you can develop.

• Use the Enneagram to improve communication and empathy with others.

• Take time to learn about the positive and endearing qualities of the other types. True growth happens when we gently step beyond the automatic patterns and limitations of our own type and begin to embody the healthier strengths found in the other numbers.

  
  

Remember, the Enneagram is a tool for self-awareness, not a box to limit yourself. It offers a path to understand your patterns and choose how to respond differently.

Embracing Growth Beyond the Enneagram

While the Enneagram opened the door to self-discovery, it’s only one part of my personal growth journey. I combined it with other practices like meditation, therapy, my counselling course and reading about emotional intelligence. Together, these tools helped me build resilience and a deeper sense of self.

The Enneagram continues to be a guide, reminding me to check in with my motivations and fears. It encourages me to grow in ways that feel authentic and sustainable.