Using the Vertical Dimension of the Personality for Personal Growth

A feature article by an Alumbo member, Apr 19, 2008         

Roxanne Howe-Murphy, Ed.D

During a recent coaching conversation, one the great benefits of working intentionally with the Enneagram. was again confirmed. I was working with a new client who had determined months before that she is dominant in Enneagram Type Seven, alternatively known as the Enthusiast , the Epicure, the Adventuer, and the Optimist.

When she first learned about her type, first, she was amazed that any system could so brilliantly describe her internal experience, as well as her external behaviors and life's journey. Second, she recognized many of her personal experiences described in the Enneagram as ones that cause her sadness and loss from which she consistently has tried to escape.

Initially, she became fearful that she was "trapped" in these avoidant behaviors, which had led her to move quickly from one experience to another, often resulting in clutter, incompletion and frustation on her part and on the part of others in her life.

I was able to show her the dynamic Enneagram journey that she was on as long as she continued to grow her self-observation capacity, and allow for new alternatives to the habitual patterns associated with her type. She intuitively recognized the aspects of herself that seemed to be free of these patterns, and began to see that these historical patterns were not her life-sentence. It seemed her soul was reawakened, as she expressed her deep relief.

For a little background: over a 12 year period, Don Riso, a pioneering Enneagram teacher and author, observed the multitude of variations that take place within the human experience and discovered what has become the nine levels of health and flexibility within each dominant personality type.

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These levels are also known as The Vertical Dimension of the Personality. Later, he and Russ Hudson, another brilliant Enneagram pioneer, and collaborator, continued to refine these levels of behaviors, attitudes, and internal motivators. The outcome is a map of the movement within each type from our most radiant nature to the most afflicted, constricted and unhealthful aspects of the type.

Just to note: the Riso-Hudson approach to the Enneagram is the only one endorsed by Ken Wilbur, because it only through this Vertical Dimension that the Enneagram approaches being a comprehensive psychology. Understanding the vertical dimensions of the personality is fundamental to our individual growth and evolution. It is also core to the evolution of consciousness at a more global level. What is everyone moved up on level of psychological and spiritual health? We would live in an entirely different world!

I wlll be co-teaching the Enneagram Levels of Development Workshop June 13-15 in Burlingame, California. It's the first time this work has been taught on the West Coast. For more information, and to join us in this soul-awakening work, visit www.lifewisecoaching.com/levels-of-development/

Author Profile
Howe-Murphy earned her doctorate from the University of San Francisco, her M.A. from San Jose State University, and her B.A. from the University of Iowa. She is certified as a coach and Riso-Hudson Enneagram teacher. She directs the Enneagram Institute of the San Francisco Bay Area, an affiliate of the acclaimed Enneagram Institute, a global leader in Enneagram studies. She is among the first generation of teachers authorized to offer workshops created by Don Riso and Russ Hudson, preeminent Enneagram teachers and authors.

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