Much of the world didn’t understand the importance of Enneagram subtypes in 2004, but a three-day workshop opened the door to new possibilities for working with the Enneagram.

In the late 90s, Beatrice Chestnut and Uranio Paes discovered the Enneagram in the 1990s and were hooked, changing their career paths to use this important tool in their work. At that time, they were privileged to study the Enneagram closely with seminal authors and founders of the Narrative School, David Daniels and Helen Palmer. David was the father of Bea’s good friend and the one who introduced her to the Enneagram—one day looking at her and told her he thought she might be a Type Two in a powerful personality typology. Uranio, ever the learner, came across Helen’s book and started working with the Enneagram immediately thereafter. They found themselves active members of the International Enneagram Association (IEA) and dedicated students of the Narrative Tradition.

The typology was incredible. But there was always a subtheme in the Enneagram world that didn’t seem to click: the Enneagram subtypes. As they studied the Enneagram subtypes, what they found was too vague. The descriptions of the subtypes didn’t feel like it was particularly useful for personal growth. They lacked specificity for the growth paths and none of them seemed to click. In his work, Uranio focused on the instincts and centers but didn’t use subtypes in his work. And Bea felt like she avoided that part of Enneagram theory because it didn’t provide enough to help her clients.

Because of this lack of developed literature, neither Bea nor Uranio studied and taught the Enneagram incorporating theory involving subtypes.

Turning Point

On the 10th anniversary of the founding of the International Enneagram Association, Bea and Uranio’s understanding and appreciation of subtypes changed forever. In morning sessions at the conference in Arlington, Virginia in August 2004, Bea and Uranio saw a glimmer of hope that they finally found what they were both looking for. Both were on the board of directors and they invited Dr. Claudio Naranjo to conduct a special extended lecture series on the subtypes.

As the IEA Conference Chair, Bea wrote a welcome message in the 2004 program ”and we’re also thrilled to have Claudio Naranjo offering a special workshop on Enneagram Sub-types.” Perhaps Dr. Naranjo could shed some light on deeper wisdom in the Enneagram.

*From the 2004 IEA Global Conference Program*

Over 350 Enneagram enthusiasts from around the world filled the large conference room. On the first day, Dr. Naranjo and 17 teachers who worked closely with him presented brand-new, elaborate descriptions of the 27 subtypes. It was a lot to take in, as no one in the room had heard of these descriptions described this way previously.

On the second and third day, the groups were separated into groups based on their subtypes, and the teachers helped those who didn’t know which subtype they were. Bea’s understanding of herself changed dramatically after, with the help of Naranjo’s team, identifying herself as a Self-Preservation Two. She initially resisted the idea of being a Self-Preservation Two, associating this subtype with childlike traits, which she didn’t see in herself. However, after lowering her defenses and engaging in self-reflection, she realized there could be some truth to it, and this recognition marked the beginning of a profound shift in her self-understanding. And a fascination of the power behind these new descriptions of the Enneagram subtypes.

Uranio’s acceptance of Naranjo’s theory of Enneagram subtypes wasn’t as immediate as that of Bea. Being that Naranjo was a fellow Social Five, Uranio was empathetically expecting a rant jumping from one idea to the next. However, his three-day interactive workshop was arranged in a clear and orderly way, which was a delightful surprise given Naranjo wasn’t known for being organized in his lectures.

As a teacher of the Enneagram in Brazil for many years, he took notes from Naranjo’s lecture and appreciated the interactive nature of his workshop. Uranio thought his idea’s were powerful, but wasn’t sold immediately and wanted to put his theory to the test. After the conference, when he arrived back home in Sao Paulo, he continued contemplating the descriptions of the subtypes that Naranjo articulated clearer than anyone else had previously. Some of the distinct issues that his students were having began to validate aspects of Naranjo’s descriptions of the subtypes.

Initiation

After the workshop at the IEA conference, Bea and Uranio didn’t really see an impact on the way people discussed the subtypes in the Enneagram community. So Bea went on a mission to learn everything she could about Naranjo’s concepts of the subtypes—from samples of writings to any video clips she could find. She then wrote The Complete Enneagram to bring Naranjo’s work back to the center of Enneagram conversation and his version of subtypes to more people.

With Bea’s research written down concisely in her ground-breaking book, it helped Uranio confirm what he understood about these acute definitions of the Enneagram subtypes. He began to carefully and slowly adapt the descriptions of the subtypes into his teaching. He witnessed first-hand how precisely both the descriptions and the paths of development were outlined according to the subtypes and the impact they had on his students.

As they used Naranjo’s subtypes with their clients, Bea and Uranio noticed that there were personalities that didn’t exist in the basic nine-type theory. This was often the case of counter types, which never existed in Enneagram theory previously. Without understanding this concept, it’s easy to see how mistyping was so common. It helped explain so precisely the differences between people of the same type.

And what they both found that was truly groundbreaking, was that each subtype has its own distinct growth path. One stubtype might have a very different growth path that another subtype of the same Enneagram type. This guided advice and results Bea and Uranio gave and experienced.

It become clear that there was a lot to learn, explore, discover together, and teach to others. This strengthened Bea and Uranio’s mutual respect for each other’s direction of studying the Enneagram and decided to join forces to bring this cutting-edge, quality Enneagram theory to the world. They have gotten lots of positive feedback from students using the subtypes, working both on themselves and with clients.

They are certain that whoever studies the Enneagram subtypes in the way they teach will find similar benefits.

The Lecture that Shaped Contemporary Enneagram Theory (Copy)

Enneagram with clients: Understand early childhood experience solely from type