Posts by Marie Holsclaw

We talk a lot in Enneagram circles about “transformation.” In fact, the whole goal of the Enneagram is to generate personal and collective transformation. The Narrative Enneagram’s basic mission states this well: “Transforming lives and creating a more compassionate world.” Until we lock into the work of transformation, we are not taking the Enneagram seriously. And…

Updated: Aug 25, 2022 WHY IS TRANSMUTO A NONPROFIT? Would you be surprised to learn that Transmuto is a nonprofit? I’d love to tell you the story why. Prior to launching Transmuto, I invested over 30 years in pastoral ministry. I witnessed the gamut of the church experience. While I had many wonderful experiences providing pastoral…

Many might find it surprising that Enneagram Eights possess a defense mechanism. Eights come across with great strength, confidence and outward flowing energy we might assume that Eights have no need to defend against anything. However, Eights are no exception to the human condition of defense mechanisms. In fact, Eights do their defense mechanism much…

We’ve worked our way through Types 1-6 in our exploration of defense mechanisms from the Enneagram perspective. We now land on Type 7, the last of the fear-based, head types. Defense mechanisms are the automatic responses we employ to avoid and/or compensate for the discomforting experience of having our idealized view of ourselves threatened. Whenever…

Our next stop working our way around the Enneagram as we explore our defense mechanisms is Type Six–the loyalist, trooper, skeptic, worrier. By way of reminder, we all share in the human experience of anxiety, regardless of our Enneagram Type. It’s important to keep in mind a couple of things: Each Enneagram Type has its…

We’ve been working our way around the Enneagram circle, discussing each Type’s primary defense mechanism. A common mistake we make when it comes to Personality Typing Systems like the Enneagram is to assume that each Type is completely unique from all the others. But that just isn’t true. We all share in the human experience…

My apologies for the lag between posts. We spent a good chunk of March moving. We decided to downsize and relocate after 25 years. We discovered you accumulate a lot of stuff raising 5 children and living in one place that long. Now back to the subject at hand–defense mechanisms. Each of us has automatic…

What do you do when you feel uncomfortable in social situations? What is your automatic response when you feel insecure? Or when negative thoughts and feelings threaten your self-esteem? What happens when you receive feedback from others that contradict the image of your self that you work hard to project and like to believe is…

One of the more fascinating patterns of human behavior is the phenomena known as defense mechanisms. I introduced defense mechanisms in the previous post. By review, defense mechanisms are automatic, often unconscious, responses we employ to cope and protect ourselves from feelings of anxiety, threat and guilt. They serve the dual purpose of warding off…