Working with an Enneagram Therapist: How Type Ones Can Benefit from Therapy

You’ve always been drawn to self-improvement.  Being no stranger to working on yourself, you are intrigued by what the Enneagram has shown you about yourself and others.  You are intrigued by what it has to offer.  In many ways, learning that you are an Enneagram 1 has felt relieving.  You like things to make sense, and although it doesn’t feel good to be a 1, you are hopeful that you can find some reprieve.  Your inner critic is harsh, consistent, and demands a lot of you.  The idea of learning to be more playful and self-forgiving sounds wonderful, but it’s hard to imagine how you can accomplish that. You know that you need to be more compassionate towards yourself, but deep down you don’t really feel that you deserve that.

The Enneagram is such a powerful tool to use in therapy or Enneagram coaching.  When my clients find their correct type and resonate with the work of that type, it accelerates their self-awareness and self-growth.  The Enneagram acts like a mirror and a compass.  My clients can see the good, the bad, and the ugly AND understand what’s keeping them stuck.  They learn how to break the cycles that are keeping them stuck and preventing them from thriving.  If you study the Enneagram, you know that it goes SO MUCH deeper than what a small blog or social media post can describe.  The Enneagram is just as complex as the humans it represents.  Keep that in mind, and here are some basics about Enneagram Type 1. 

Type 1 

• Core Emotion: Anger (Internalizing)

• Filter: Sees everything that isn’t right 

• Energetics: Upright, straight

• Traits: Discerning, serious, orderly, high expectations for self and others, rule following (society’s OR their own)

• Values: Integrity, fairness, quality and doing things the correct / best way 

• Childhood: Learned early on that it wasn’t okay to make mistakes and internalized that they are a mistake and must judge themselves harshly to fix it 

• Not afraid to: Do conflict if it serves a greater purpose, stand-up for what they believe is right, be discerning, see things in black and white ways

• Hard for them to:  Make mistakes, be flexible, adapt to unexpected change, see things in the gray, let loose and play 

Common Experiences for 1’s 

• Feeling a lot of internal pressure to get things right and do things well

• Having a painful inner critique that is harshly judging them and reprimanding them ALL of the time.

• Feeling frustrated.  1’s can easily see what isn’t right and can see solutions to make it right, but things often aren’t that easy 

• Seeing things in black and white. Nuance and gray areas aren’t as easy to see or sit with.  1’s like things to be clear. 

• Having difficulty giving themselves a break or not sticking with the planned structure.  If the break or change is planned, that’s easier, but life can’t always be planned. 

• Feeling responsible for everything, even things that they logically know they can’t control 

• Feeling resentful of always having to take responsibility to get things done the right way.  It’s often easier for 1’s to just do it themselves, so delegating can be difficult- but taking on so much responsibility leads to exhaustion, over-working, and resentment 

Type 1 Trauma Response

Seeks Safety Through Predictability and Order

• High adherence to following the “right” rules

• Safety is in the system of following the rules, not necessarily in the rules themselves

• A sense of security comes from understanding and predicting things in a black and white way

• Gray areas and the loosening of the rules doesn’t just feel uncomfortable, it may feel downright unsafe  

• Resistance to frivolousness, high judgment of self or others

• Frivolousness can feel like having no control and feel unsafe

• High anxiety when things don’t go as planned

• High level of self-punishment when a mistake is made

• Self-criticism and self-judgment can bring substantial pain

• Feeling an unrealistic level of responsibility for what happens (feeling responsible for things that they couldn’t possibly control)

• Carrying a substantial burden of responsibility “If I don’t do it, who will?"

• Letting loose, playing, or allowing silliness can trigger deep shame and fear

• Words of affirmation and kindness from others may feel untrue and impossible to believe

• Feelings of being a terrible person, deep shame when a mistake is made or when they lose control

• Feeling that they don’t deserve kindness, grace, or forgiveness

• Deep shame and holding a core belief that they are a mistake

No matter where you are in your Enneagram journey, working with an Enneagram therapist will help you create the kind of change you desire in your life.  It will help you understand and remove the barriers that your type is creating to having the kind of love and relationships that you want.  My goal is for you to walk away from therapy with confidence and a feeling of empowerment. I will help you get clarity on what you need to do to grow into the healthiest version of your type. Our Enneagram work and trauma work is never really fully complete, but Enneagram therapy can help you gain clarity on what you need to heal.

Learn more about working with Hanna

If you are ready to get started, the first step to working together is to schedule a free 20 minute consultation. Investing your time, money, and emotional energy into therapy or coaching is a big deal. It’s an investment in yourself and your wellbeing. It’s important that you make this investment with trust and confidence that working together is a good fit. This is why I offer a 20 minute consultation. During this time we can identify your needs and answer any questions that you have about working together.

Hanna Woody is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in Asheville, North Carolina.  She has over 12 years of professional counseling experience and specializes in breaking cycles of intergenerational trauma, childhood trauma, and the Enneagram.  Certified in the Embodiment Tradition, she has over 150 hours of training and teaching experience.  Hanna is in private practice and provides online mental health therapy, Enneagram coaching, and Enneagram training.

Therapy in Asheville, Raleigh, Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Greensboro and all North Carolina regions. 

Therapy for Childhood Trauma, Anxiety Therapist, Childhood Trauma Therapist, Therapy for Cycle Breakers, Narcissistic Abuse Recovery, Enneagram Therapy, Enneagram Therapist, Enneagram Coaching