The Role of Storytelling in HEALING TRAUMA AND FAMILY WOUNDS with the enneagram
Bea, Uranio, and students at The Experiential Enneagram inner work retreat.
Trauma often leaves us feeling fragmented, making it difficult to put our experiences into language. When something overwhelming happens, our minds may struggle to make sense of it, and our emotions can become buried or disconnected from the full story. Storytelling is a powerful tool in trauma healing because it helps us weave those disconnected pieces together, bringing clarity and integration.
An Enneagram-based inner work retreat offers a powerful opportunity to step away from daily distractions and focus on the patterns that keep you stuck in cycles of stress, avoidance, or emotional overwhelm.
Whether spoken, written, or shared in a safe space, telling our stories allows us to reclaim our experiences rather than feeling controlled by them. When we are witnessed with compassion, our pain becomes lighter, our emotions become more manageable, and we begin to see ourselves not just as someone who has experienced trauma, but as someone capable of healing. That’s why narratives are such an important part of our methodology in The Experiential Enneagram inner work retreat (coming up in May in London and September in California).
How Trauma Shapes Personality Patterns
When we experience trauma, we instinctively develop coping mechanisms to keep us safe, but over time, these protective strategies can become limiting. The Enneagram helps us see how each personality type’s behaviors and emotional patterns are often rooted in past wounds, shaping how we navigate relationships, stress, and even self-worth. Trauma can feel frozen in time, making it difficult to process or even put into words, but healing begins with awareness. By recognizing the unconscious ways we protect ourselves, we create space to move beyond survival mode and into deeper healing.
Trauma and the Body – Unlocking Stuck Energy
Trauma isn’t just something we think about—it lives in the body, shaping how we move, breathe, and respond to stress. When we experience something overwhelming, our nervous system can freeze, leaving us feeling stuck, disconnected, or unable to fully process what happened. This is why trauma healing isn’t just about talking—it’s about reconnecting with the body in a way that feels safe and supportive.
Gentle movement, breathwork, and grounding practices help release the tension and immobility that trauma creates, allowing the body to process what the mind alone cannot. By learning to listen to these physical cues with compassion, we can begin to restore a sense of presence, safety, and trust within ourselves.
How Each Enneagram Type Responds to Trauma
Each Enneagram type responds to trauma in a unique way, shaped by deeply ingrained defense mechanisms designed to protect against pain. By understanding how these patterns manifest, we can begin to recognize where we might be stuck and explore new ways to heal with greater self-awareness and compassion.
How Enneagram Type 8 Copes with Trauma
Enneagram Type Eights often cope with trauma by powering through it, suppressing their vulnerability, and pushing forward with intensity. This can make it difficult to recognize when their strength is coming from a place of self-protection rather than true resilience. Healing happens when they learn to slow down, soften their defenses, and allow themselves to feel the emotions they’ve worked so hard to keep at bay.
How Enneagram Type 9 Copes with Trauma
Enneagram Type Nines tend to disconnect from their trauma, numbing out or avoiding conflict to maintain a sense of peace. This can make them feel stuck or passive in their own healing, struggling to acknowledge their pain or advocate for their needs. True growth comes when they gently bring themselves back into their bodies, staying present with discomfort and trusting that facing their emotions won’t overwhelm them.
How Enneagram Type 1 Copes with Trauma
Enneagram Type Ones often hold trauma in their bodies as tension, self-judgment, and an internal pressure to do everything “right.” They may feel an urge to control their emotions or believe they must be disciplined in how they process pain. Their healing journey begins when they allow themselves to relax, release perfectionism, and embrace the truth that healing isn’t about getting it right—it’s about letting go.
How Enneagram Type 2 Copes with Trauma
Enneagram Type Twos often minimize their own trauma, focusing on taking care of others while ignoring their own pain. They may believe that their suffering isn’t as important or that acknowledging it will make them seem needy or weak. Healing happens when they give themselves permission to receive care, recognizing that their emotions matter just as much as anyone else’s.
By bringing awareness to the ways trauma shapes the Enneagram type’s defense mechanisms, we can begin to gently lower our guard, foster deeper connections, and step into a more grounded, resilient way of being.
How Enneagram Type 3 Copes with Trauma
Enneagram Type Threes often try to move past trauma by focusing on success and achievement, or appearing as if they have everything under control. They may struggle to acknowledge their pain because they fear it will slow them down or make them look weak. True healing happens when they allow themselves to be vulnerable, recognizing that their worth isn’t tied to performance but to their full, authentic self.
How Enneagram Type 4 Copes with Trauma
Enneagram Type Fours can become deeply identified with their trauma, sometimes holding onto it as part of their sense of self. They may dwell in emotional intensity, feeling that their suffering makes them unique or meaningful. Growth comes when they learn to honor their pain without letting it define them, finding the balance between deep feeling and emotional resilience.
How Enneagram Type 5 Copes with Trauma
Enneagram Type Fives often retreat into their minds when dealing with trauma, analyzing their pain instead of feeling it. This intellectual approach can create emotional distance, making it hard for them to connect with their own experiences or the support of others. Healing happens when they bring awareness to their bodies and emotions, allowing themselves to experience rather than just understand their pain.
How Enneagram Type 6 Copes with Trauma
Enneagram Type Sixes may experience trauma through a heightened sense of fear and anxiety, feeling either overly dependent on others for security or completely isolated in self-protection. Their minds can get caught in worst-case scenarios, making it hard to trust themselves and the healing process. Growth comes when they begin to build inner trust, recognize their own resilience, and learn to find safety within themselves.
How Enneagram Type 7 Copes with Trauma
Enneagram Type Sevens tend to escape trauma by staying busy, distracting themselves with excitement, or avoiding painful emotions altogether. They may fear that if they slow down and truly face their pain, they’ll get stuck in suffering. True healing happens when they learn that they can sit with discomfort without losing their joy, finding freedom in presence rather than avoidance.
The Power of Inner Work Retreats: Healing Trauma Through the Enneagram
Healing trauma isn’t just about understanding what happened—it’s about learning how to reconnect with ourselves in a way that allows for real transformation. The Enneagram provides a powerful map for this journey, helping us see how our deepest wounds have shaped the ways we protect, disconnect, or overcompensate in response to pain. But awareness alone isn’t enough—true healing happens in safe, intentional spaces where we can do the deeper work of softening our defenses, reconnecting with our bodies, and allowing our emotions to move through us.
Inner work retreats that incorporate the Enneagram create exactly this kind of healing environment, offering the structure, guidance, and support needed to move beyond survival mode and into a place of wholeness. In these spaces, we don’t just learn about our patterns—we actively engage in practices that help us release what no longer serves us, making room for greater self-compassion, connection, and resilience.
