Welcome to this blog! As you will notice, it’s not only about the Enneagram, but also on inner growth in general. However, since what I am exploring is often the Enneagram, the centres and the instincts and the levels of balance (among other things), I’m assuming that most of you know about these things. But if you don’t, there will be plenty here for you anyway 🧡
Below, you find the 20 latest articles. If you want to read about the centres, the instincts, inner work and growth or other specific topics, follow the links here and find others in the top navigation — and obviously, you can use the archives to the right. Happy reading!
Cicci Lyckow Bäckman
The one who blogs 😉 (click the link for more )
“Threes typically compare”; “No, it’s Fours that do that” — zooming out to understand type descriptions
A friend of mine recently asked me about two of her teachers both using “comparing” as a typical trait when describing type — but…
Don Riso’s “Levels of Development” — the dynamics of ego-identification
An often marginalised although critical part of the understanding of Enneagram points is the vertical aspect of balance that Don Riso discovered, mapped out…
Love, human connection and all the interpretations of “merging” — another go at untangling the confusion
I previously wrote a blog article on the difference between merging, as it is expressed within the sexual instinct, and the dissipating blending (in)action…
Self-awareness: Learning to be present to your experience (and your reactivity)
In self-help books and teachings, there is often talk about the importance of self-observation or self-awareness; to train yourself to be aware in and…
Why do a uniform course on working with the Levels of Development if the whole point is working from my current level?
The levels of development mapped out by Don Riso have been different things to me at different points in my journey. At first, they…
The intangible energy from which our personality develops — a look at essential qualities
One way to look at the Enneagram types is as in originating from an essential quality — or, more accurately, from the loss of…
Anger in the instinctive triad — grasping the subtleties of the “triad theme” descriptions
Recently, I saw the question raised how Ones and Nines were “anger types” — Ones, after all, preferring to not show anger, and Nines…
Moving to higher ground — utilising the concept of the Levels of Development
The “Levels of Development” within the Enneagram always made sense to me — in theory. When I first encountered them (which was basically when…
Unseen treasures and forgotten keys — thoughts about lame uses for the Enneagram
The way lots of people treat the Enneagram today feels to me like the equivalent of returning to a grocery store over and over,…
Surface or Core — real understanding, or just trait-spotting?
Sometimes, people say that they have to “access their Nine” (when perhaps they mean “chill”) or “awaken their One” (when perhaps they mean getting…
“Identification” in our instinctual drives — distinguishing personality from instinct
Did you hear about the notion that you can be either positively negatively identified with any instinctual drive — regardless of where this drive…
Our wounded hearts — the compost in which our ego personality develops
Sometimes people talk about “wounds” that form the basis of each personality type, and then a debate erupts whether our personality is actually wound-based,…
My type story — finding the right type after being summarily (and wrongly) defaulted into the wrong one
I’m not a great fan of typing services. Offering to work with a client, following up conclusions, looking at deeper personality structures and exploring…
“Anger” is not one thing — how generalisations and simplifications squelch our inner experience
Lately, I’ve seen a lot of different posts on the topic of anger on social media, in and out of the Enneagram context. How…
Luring the ego into the business of truth — welcome to Self-Definition 101
The Enneagram seems to be growing exponentially in popularity, which is cool. But, let’s face it — this increased interest is not primarily because…
Growth hovering — substituting a new and improved intellectual grasp for actual experience
Are you prone to growth hovering? We all are, at least on and off, since this is one of the ego’s favourite activities. But…
Did you only learn it, or did you actually get it? The importance of zooming out
We hear a lot about understanding the Enneagram, as such — the system, the types, the arrows, the instincts, and so on. But we…
Trauma, healing and our instinctual reality — your gut looking out for you
Trauma* is a therapeutic chapter of its own. There’s talk of emotional trauma, and psychological trauma, and of course physical trauma. Instincts, though, are…
Heart and gut “distinguished” (at least for relatively creative, flowing and open minds 😉)
Some people report confusion when it comes to the expression of the gut centre and heart centre, respectively. And sure — not only for…
”Whip-and-carrot” or self-compassion? Critical aspects of working with the instincts
Any inner work, and working with the instincts in particular, requires a generous helping of self-compassion. When the ego gets involved — and it…