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The Journey Toward Wholeness: Enneagram Wisdom for Stress, Balance, and Transformation
In everything from health care and politics to technology and economics, we are experiencing feelings of loss, anger, and anxiety. In the Enneagram's wisdom, our number determines how we respond. We automatically move to another number when we're feeling stress and to yet another when we're feeling secure. Such moves may help us feel better temporarily but don't last. In this book for those who want to dive deeper into Enneagram wisdom, expert teacher Suzanne Stabile opens the concept of three centers of intelligence: thinking, feeling, and doing. When we learn to manage these centers, each for its intended purpose, we open a path to reducing fear, improving relationships, and finding wholeness. Using the dynamic stability of the Enneagram, she explains each number's preferred and repressed center of intelligence and its role in helping us find internal balance. Using brief focused chapters, this book provides what we need to deal with the constant change and complexity of our world to achieve lasting transformation in our lives.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2021
334 people are currently reading
3850 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 155 reviews
November 11, 2021
For those who have already been introduced to the Enneagram and are familiar with their number, this is an excellent resource to guide you into deeper Enneagram work. It has a companion study guide to facilitate group work.
Each number has a preferred way of taking in information (thinking, feeling, or doing), and the numbers that have the same dominant center are grouped together in the same triad. The first section of the book is organized by triads and includes teaching about each number’s moves in stress and in security.
The second section is about stances, which in my opinion, is Suzanne’s greatest contribution to Enneagram work and the place where I personally have found the greatest potential for growth and transformation. Stances are groupings based on numbers that have the same repressed center of intelligence, which refers to the center (thinking, feeling, or doing) you have the least natural access. Some of the richest Enneagram work we do is when we learn to bring up our repressed center in order to achieve balance.
Suzanne teaches deep concepts clearly and illustrates them with stories about real people and real relationships. This is powerful work that I believe can make the world kinder, more compassionate, and more just.
Each number has a preferred way of taking in information (thinking, feeling, or doing), and the numbers that have the same dominant center are grouped together in the same triad. The first section of the book is organized by triads and includes teaching about each number’s moves in stress and in security.
The second section is about stances, which in my opinion, is Suzanne’s greatest contribution to Enneagram work and the place where I personally have found the greatest potential for growth and transformation. Stances are groupings based on numbers that have the same repressed center of intelligence, which refers to the center (thinking, feeling, or doing) you have the least natural access. Some of the richest Enneagram work we do is when we learn to bring up our repressed center in order to achieve balance.
Suzanne teaches deep concepts clearly and illustrates them with stories about real people and real relationships. This is powerful work that I believe can make the world kinder, more compassionate, and more just.
March 28, 2025
Suzanne stabile is genuinely a wonderfully smart and Insightful mind and I’m truly happy to have been exposed to her works and had a chance to digest them and Enneagrams as a whole, it’s truly been a positive life changing journey in some ways. Now I’d recommend reading some more basic level insights in the topics before diving into this since it’s almost a level two of sorts, building and even enhancing on previously explained and covered topics and ideas brought up or explored in previous chapters but with the addition of explaining and defining the three mindsets both in the positive and negative that all points on the gram react and live off of felt like I truly have gotten just a bit more towards what I feel my true internal identity might be which is wonderful. 4.75/5
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August 22, 2023I really enjoyed this. A very clear informative explanation on health and stress as well as stances in the Enneagram.
I'd recommend it if you enjoy the enneagram.
She brought in Christian spiritual practices as encouragement, so it didn't feel new age'y at all.
I'd recommend it if you enjoy the enneagram.
She brought in Christian spiritual practices as encouragement, so it didn't feel new age'y at all.
November 8, 2021
I've read a lot of Enneagram books, taken several tests, and studied it with friends. Suzanne's work on the subject continues to be the standard for me. Her teaching here on triads and stances is so illustrative and enlightening, her stories so personal, that you can't help but see your own journey in the pages.
Many use the Enneagram as a crutch, "this is just who I am," but Suzanne helps you level up, go deeper under the surface, lift up the hood and get dirty, metaphor metaphor metaphor (bet you can guess my type).
"You can't change how you see, but you can change what you do with how you see." This book is Suzanne helping you to do that work.
Many use the Enneagram as a crutch, "this is just who I am," but Suzanne helps you level up, go deeper under the surface, lift up the hood and get dirty, metaphor metaphor metaphor (bet you can guess my type).
"You can't change how you see, but you can change what you do with how you see." This book is Suzanne helping you to do that work.
February 20, 2022
Summary: Draws on the wisdom of the Enneagram to help focus on our responses to stress, both as they reflect our dominant and repressed centers of intelligence intelligence.
Suzanne has written a couple very popular books on the Enneagram, The Road Back to You and The Path Between Us. The first is an introduction to the Enneagram and how it contributes to self-understanding. The second discusses how persons who are different Enneagram types interact with each other. This book focuses in on how different Enneagram types respond under stress, and how one might grow into health.
The book focuses on two aspects of the Enneagram. The first has to do with what Enneagram Triad our type is within. There are three triads. The Feeling Triad includes those who are 2s, 3s, and 4s, the Thinking Triad includes those who 5s, 6s, and 7s, and the Doing Triad, those who are 8s, 9s, and 1s. For each type in the Triad, our response to stress will reflect our dominant intelligence–feeling, doing, thinking. We are inclined to ask, “what am I feeling?” or “what am I thinking?” or “what is to be done?” depending on our type. Of course, none of these responses alone are always enough, and healthy responses to stress draw upon the best of all three. This comes by understanding the numbers we move toward in stress and security for our particular type, and moving to the healthy sides of these numbers. Stabile offers introductions to each Triad and then a chapter for each type in the Triad. She begins with an illustrative story, how a particular type sees the world, the type’s response to stress, including the Enneagram type we move toward in stress, a key to healthy response, practices to try and the type we move toward in security.
The second part of the book focuses on our number’s “Stance” which has to do with which particular center we tend to repress in our stress responses. The stances are the Withdrawing Stance (represses doing), including those who are 4s, 5s, and 9s, the Aggressive Stance (represses feeling), including those who are 3s, 7s, and 8s, and the Dependent Stance (represses thinking), including the 1s, 2s, and 6s. What this means is that without work, we draw on only two of the three intelligences when we respond to stress. Again, Stabile offers an introduction to each stance, and a chapter for each type within a stance and resources for incorporating the repressed intelligence. Particularly helpful for each type are the Transformative Possibilities, a list of suggestions for one’s type.
I found that the material for my type made sense, as well as making sense of how colleagues and friends who are different types respond. I am one of those Withdrawing Types, and the encouragement to wade into discussions and to share my observations and thinking is especially helpful. Obviously, knowing one’s Enneagram type helps, so I would encourage reading The Road Back to You or another introduction to the Enneagram before, or along with, this book. What was uniquely helpful in this book was to understand my default responses to stress and to discover that I have options and am not stuck with the default.
____________________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
Suzanne has written a couple very popular books on the Enneagram, The Road Back to You and The Path Between Us. The first is an introduction to the Enneagram and how it contributes to self-understanding. The second discusses how persons who are different Enneagram types interact with each other. This book focuses in on how different Enneagram types respond under stress, and how one might grow into health.
The book focuses on two aspects of the Enneagram. The first has to do with what Enneagram Triad our type is within. There are three triads. The Feeling Triad includes those who are 2s, 3s, and 4s, the Thinking Triad includes those who 5s, 6s, and 7s, and the Doing Triad, those who are 8s, 9s, and 1s. For each type in the Triad, our response to stress will reflect our dominant intelligence–feeling, doing, thinking. We are inclined to ask, “what am I feeling?” or “what am I thinking?” or “what is to be done?” depending on our type. Of course, none of these responses alone are always enough, and healthy responses to stress draw upon the best of all three. This comes by understanding the numbers we move toward in stress and security for our particular type, and moving to the healthy sides of these numbers. Stabile offers introductions to each Triad and then a chapter for each type in the Triad. She begins with an illustrative story, how a particular type sees the world, the type’s response to stress, including the Enneagram type we move toward in stress, a key to healthy response, practices to try and the type we move toward in security.
The second part of the book focuses on our number’s “Stance” which has to do with which particular center we tend to repress in our stress responses. The stances are the Withdrawing Stance (represses doing), including those who are 4s, 5s, and 9s, the Aggressive Stance (represses feeling), including those who are 3s, 7s, and 8s, and the Dependent Stance (represses thinking), including the 1s, 2s, and 6s. What this means is that without work, we draw on only two of the three intelligences when we respond to stress. Again, Stabile offers an introduction to each stance, and a chapter for each type within a stance and resources for incorporating the repressed intelligence. Particularly helpful for each type are the Transformative Possibilities, a list of suggestions for one’s type.
I found that the material for my type made sense, as well as making sense of how colleagues and friends who are different types respond. I am one of those Withdrawing Types, and the encouragement to wade into discussions and to share my observations and thinking is especially helpful. Obviously, knowing one’s Enneagram type helps, so I would encourage reading The Road Back to You or another introduction to the Enneagram before, or along with, this book. What was uniquely helpful in this book was to understand my default responses to stress and to discover that I have options and am not stuck with the default.
____________________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
April 26, 2025
4.25 - While this book had a little bit more of a religious perspective than I was originally expecting, the author provided an excellent deeper dive into the enneagram, particularly focused on triads and stances. I learned several new things about my type and it inspired me to do some self-reflection in a way that I haven’t gotten from other enneagram books.
August 25, 2024
I’ve read several books on the Enneagram but this is my favorite because it is SO practical. I read it slowly and forced myself to journal along, and ended up learning so much about myself as a Two wing One. I came away with several specific action points for finding more balance in my personality and managing stress in healthy ways. Highly recommend!
December 25, 2021
I’ll just come right out and say it: ’m a big enneagram guy.
November 6, 2023
3.5 rounded down
I thought this was a solid Enneagram book. The author is religious, but that never felt overly done or off-putting for me. The focus on stances was interesting and thought-provoking. My number as presented here resonated less than most other interpretations I've read, though.
I thought this was a solid Enneagram book. The author is religious, but that never felt overly done or off-putting for me. The focus on stances was interesting and thought-provoking. My number as presented here resonated less than most other interpretations I've read, though.
January 30, 2024
Written in a manner that makes you feel like she is sitting across from you at the kitchen table. She presents an outstanding walkthrough of the subject. On a path of consistently wanting to understand what drives me, I wish I would have read this book years ago. She gets to root that influences so much of our interactions. I will keep this book for reference and highly recommend to those seeking the best versions of themselves.
October 16, 2021
[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
4 stars - Great!
This is just the sort of book that begs to be read in print so you can underline and highlight and write in the margins! I will definitely be reading this again when I can get a print copy.
For me, this an intermediate level Enneagram resource - best for folks who know their numbers and have started digging into what that means. This focuses on centers of intelligence (head, heart, gut) and stances (aggressive, dependent, withdrawing).
The content is balanced out with fun stories from the author. Stabile fans, and Enneagram enthusiasts should be sure to pick this one up!
4 stars - Great!
This is just the sort of book that begs to be read in print so you can underline and highlight and write in the margins! I will definitely be reading this again when I can get a print copy.
For me, this an intermediate level Enneagram resource - best for folks who know their numbers and have started digging into what that means. This focuses on centers of intelligence (head, heart, gut) and stances (aggressive, dependent, withdrawing).
The content is balanced out with fun stories from the author. Stabile fans, and Enneagram enthusiasts should be sure to pick this one up!
February 3, 2022
I wanted to like this book, as I am a big fan of the author, her co-authored book The Road Back to You, and every podcast interview I listen to her give. However, I have been disappointed in the author's solo written books (this one and The Path Between Us). This book became repetitive and didn't seem to add much in terms of practical advice on spiritual practices that each type can use. I love listening to the author in podcast interviews--she has so much wisdom to share and relatable stories to vividly illustrate each type. Speaking seems to be more her gift than writing; her stories lacked detail and fell flat and her suggestions were redundant.
December 28, 2022
This is the book I talked about the most this year, telling everyone how much it was challenging and enlightening me. And if it's any indication of how good it was, and how long I was sitting with it and returning to it, I reached the renewal limit from my local library AND kept it way past the due date, because I'd rather pay the late fees than part with it. And now I will go and buy my own copy.
This book is well-organized and easy-to-understand, though very hard to live out. Stabile's questions at the end of the book provoke transformation:
"Are you willing to give up the familiar for the unknown?"
"Are you willing to say no in order to be able to say yes?"
"Are you willing to give up the false peace in some of your relationships for inner peace for yourself?"
Definitely a must-read for anyone interested in Enneagram Wisdom
This book is well-organized and easy-to-understand, though very hard to live out. Stabile's questions at the end of the book provoke transformation:
"Are you willing to give up the familiar for the unknown?"
"Are you willing to say no in order to be able to say yes?"
"Are you willing to give up the false peace in some of your relationships for inner peace for yourself?"
Definitely a must-read for anyone interested in Enneagram Wisdom
March 15, 2022
I love the Enneagram and the way it helps me see myself and others around me. This book was an excellent resource to dive further into the knowledge that the Enneagram can provide. This is not an introduction to the Enneagram, so if you are looking for that, look elsewhere. It does provide insight into how you can develop into your best self by knowing where you move to in stress and health. It also broke down the three "centers of intelligence"-thinking, feeling, and doing, and how the numbers relate to those centers. It's super interesting and I found myself nodding along when Suzanne was talking about my personal number. It's a must read from the Enneagram Queen herself for all devotees of the Enneagram.
October 31, 2021
Susanne’s new book is a needed and helpful resource in my work to discover who I am and how to relate with people in my life. For years I have studied the enneagram to deepen my understanding of myself and learn how to express my feelings and desires in a healthy way. Academically I know my number, my stress number and what number I go to in strength. Susanne has taught me well, but my question has been, “What work can I do to balance the forces of the centers of Intelligence: thinking, feeling and doing In my everyday life to use my gifts and function with comfort and success.” The Journey Toward Wholeness gives practical suggestions each number can do to work toward balancing their individual lives.
Thank you Susanne!
P Sparks
Thank you Susanne!
P Sparks
December 21, 2021
So interesting! She really delves into the wisdom of the enneagram. She details your stress number and how to be healthy. Then she looks at the stances and how you can use that knowledge to be a better person as well. Each chapter includes helpful questions for reflection.
June 28, 2023
Suzanne does it again. I took this book nice and slow and I am so glad I did. I love her previous books and I really wanted to absorb and read this one when I was in the right head space. I just love her stories and how she breaks down the enneagram in so many ways.
Would absolutely love for her to come out with a book that is focused on work place enneagram types etc.
Would absolutely love for her to come out with a book that is focused on work place enneagram types etc.
May 8, 2025
If you’re looking to dig deeper into the enneagram and how to better understand your number and how to become the healthiest version of you, this is a great book. Fair warning that Suzanne is a practicing Christian and there is a lot of faith talk in this book (I tended to skim those sections so not a huge deal for me).
January 3, 2022
This book is great if you're aware of your Enneagram type and are interested in doing inner work; for a newbie it might be confusing. It goes a bit deeper than other resources, and answers the "now what?" question that happens after learning your type, with sections devoted to how to grow yourself out of unhealthy behaviors into using all your centers of intelligence. She brings up some stuff that might make you angry and defensive, but that is ultimately true in terms of which center you 'repress' as part of your natural thinking. All in all, good. But brief. I wouldn't have minded more.
January 11, 2022
If you enjoyed Suzanne's other books/podcasts, I thought this was a helpful next step! I was interested in learning more about the stances, the gut/head/heart triads, and the orientations to time. There is a great deal about the preferred/support/repressed centers, which was fairly new to me and a nice exploration of that topic. It definitely gives a comprehensive view of how your number connects to other numbers in ways I didn't realize. We really are all more connected than we think!
February 11, 2022
Excellent transition from the first to second and now this third book by Suzanne stabile. Beautiful encouragement for the journey of transformation.
April 15, 2022
Appreciate Suzanne’s writing style. Not necessarily a Christian perspective, but I enjoy Enneagram stuff so this taught me new tools.
October 11, 2023
A solid enneagram book for those who have already read every other enneagram book. Def not an introductory book!
July 23, 2024
This was a really good look at how each type processes information and responds to stress. Loved that it had practical steps for growth for each type.
February 14, 2022
I’ll come back to this one. Good enneagram insights for times of stress, how to regain balance.
September 27, 2023
My favorite and the most personally useful of all of the Suzanne Stabile’s enneagram books.
November 1, 2021
I have been studying Enneagram wisdom for the past 3 years, which by no means makes me an expert. I have read Suzanne Stabile’s two other books on the Enneagram and devoured both. I was drawn to The Journey Toward Wholeness when I saw her live in Nashville about two months ago at an Enneagram Stance teaching. She hit on several topics that are covered in depth in her new book.
The book is a wealth of information about each Enneagram number and where the number goes in stress and security (which is an excellent reason to be familiar with ALL the numbers in the Enneagram from the two previous books). Suzanne also covers stance and how it impacts your response in your number.
I received an advanced reader copy of this book. I am excited to get my hard copy of the book soon so that I can make notes in it and highlight much of it! It’s rich wisdom from the Godmother of the Enneagram and will provide many things to digest and contemplate on a second or third reading. Highly recommend to those of you who want to really do in-depth Enneagram work.
The book is a wealth of information about each Enneagram number and where the number goes in stress and security (which is an excellent reason to be familiar with ALL the numbers in the Enneagram from the two previous books). Suzanne also covers stance and how it impacts your response in your number.
I received an advanced reader copy of this book. I am excited to get my hard copy of the book soon so that I can make notes in it and highlight much of it! It’s rich wisdom from the Godmother of the Enneagram and will provide many things to digest and contemplate on a second or third reading. Highly recommend to those of you who want to really do in-depth Enneagram work.
November 10, 2021
Solid, Essential Teaching from a Reliable Source
Enneagram godmother, Suzanne Stabile, offers readers an engaging resource in her new book, The Journey Toward Wholeness. Her book invites intermediate students of the enneagram to journey beyond diagnosis, into a process of growth and exploration. The book is full of stories and specific tools for taking the next step on the journey.
Perhaps the best part of the book is her triadic approach to working with type. For novices of the enneagram (and many instagram influencers) the enneagram can appear to be a randomly assembled grouping of behaviors or character traits. Suzanne’s book goes beyond stereotypes and memes to explore the inner architecture that creates type. This, she teaches, is formed by the unique arrangement of centers of intelligence. Suzanne uses theory and a wealth of practical examples to explain the distinctions in how each type uses thinking, feeling, and doing to take in and process information.
Understanding the mechanisms at play within our type is essential for two reasons. First, it provides helpful, objective tools for determining type and for helping to prevent mistyping. Second, it answers the question, “what now?” for those who know their type but feel at a loss for how to begin the work of transformation. Suzanne lays out two important arenas for personal growth: how we see, and what we do with what we see.
I have been an avid student of Suzanne’s work for many years. Her books, conferences and podcast have been of tremendous benefit on my own enneagram journey. I was anxious to get my hands on this compilation of her years of teaching and wisdom all in one, accessible package.
This book is a solid offering from Suzanne, worth adding to your enneagram library. I’d like to share what’s in the book, what I loved, and what could be further explored in the future.
What’s In The Book
This book is concerned with the three centers of intelligence, and is broken down into two major sections: Triads and Stances.
The first half of the book is dedicated to Triads, which essentially explains how we see the world. Triads are determined by the dominant center of intelligence; types 2, 3, and 4 have a dominant feeling center and are members of the Heart Triad; types 5, 6, and 7 have a dominant thinking center and are members of the Head Triad; and types 8, 9, and 1 have a dominant doing center and are members of the Gut Triad. Suzanne breaks down how each type manifests this dominant center of intelligence, providing specific behavioral examples for each type. She goes on to describe the impact of “excess” feeling, thinking, or doing in our type. She broadens readers’ knowledge by explaining the inner arrow lines of the enneagram, providing some insight into what we can learn from our stress and security numbers. She provides specific advice for bringing balance to each type in a section titled “Try This.”
The second half of the book is dedicated to Stances, which explains how we process or respond to how we see the world. Stances are determined by the repressed center of intelligence; types 4, 5, and 9 repress doing and are in the Withdrawing Stance, types 3, 7, and 8 repress feeling and are in the Aggressive Stance, and types 1, 2, and 6 repress thinking and are in the Dependent Stance. Suzanne provides ample stories, type descriptions, as well as testimonials from members of each type. She offers advice in the form of “Transformative Possibilities” for each type, along with questions to ponder.
What I Loved
- Astute, nuanced observations about each type. Suzanne does a terrific job of capturing and communicating the distinctive thinking, feeling and doing patterns of each type. She goes way beyond stereotypes and holds up a compassionate, honest mirror for self-reflection.
-In-depth teaching on Stances. Stances are an essential and often overlooked element of the enneagram. Learning stances has been, for me, one of the most healing tools in my marriage. If you know your type but don’t know your stance, you are missing a big piece of the puzzle, particularly when it comes to personal growth. Suzanne is fond of saying that “we can’t change how we see, but we can change what we do with what we see.” Her insights help us to identify our strategies for getting needs met, and consider other, more balanced possibilities.
-Wisdom from a master teacher. Suzanne graces readers with humorous, poignant illustrations, powerful insights, and hard-won wisdom. She is vulnerable in sharing her own experience, and offers great examples from others. Her introduction on liminal space is particularly moving, stirring readers to take action in this season marked by the anxiety and uncertainty of the covid pandemic.
-The useful “Try This” and “Questions to Ponder” sections. Both stimulate personal growth for enneagram students willing to put the time and effort into self-reflection. Worth returning to again and again, they would serve as outstanding journal prompts or small-group discussion starters. Suzanne guides away from treating the enneagram like a party trick or mere diagnostic tool, and plumbs greater depths in the spiritual journey.
For Future Exploration
-3, 6, 9 Stances. These numbers pose a special challenge in that they have the same dominant and repressed center of intelligence. Suzanne introduces the idea that either of the two support centers can be dominant. As a 3 myself, this has given me pause to ponder which of the two centers might serve the primary supportive role. Does this stacking change over time or in different circumstances? While the dominant and support center stacking seem to be important to other types, 3, 6, and 9 are offered less specificity. This is perhaps an area for greater exploration and explanation.
-Additional guidance on transformation. Suzanne concludes the book by stating that change happens when we add new practices in, but that transformation occurs when we let things fall away - usually as a result of a painful experience that we do not have control over. Her book is packed with sound advice for managing our personalities to create positive change. But personally, as someone on the journey who has begun the process of change, I’d love more guidance about what I am changing into. While a more balanced way of being has solved some problems, it has created others. Where once I had coping mechanisms as my faithful companions, I have entered a lonelier stretch of road without a clear destination. I’d love to hear more from Suzanne about the steeper climes of this journey.
Fans of Suzanne’s podcast and teaching will benefit from this book and it is a worthy addition to any enneagram library. The subtitle promises “enneagram wisdom for stress, balance, and transformation.” And while it delivers on the first two promises, I look forward to future offerings that lead into even deeper transformation.
Enneagram godmother, Suzanne Stabile, offers readers an engaging resource in her new book, The Journey Toward Wholeness. Her book invites intermediate students of the enneagram to journey beyond diagnosis, into a process of growth and exploration. The book is full of stories and specific tools for taking the next step on the journey.
Perhaps the best part of the book is her triadic approach to working with type. For novices of the enneagram (and many instagram influencers) the enneagram can appear to be a randomly assembled grouping of behaviors or character traits. Suzanne’s book goes beyond stereotypes and memes to explore the inner architecture that creates type. This, she teaches, is formed by the unique arrangement of centers of intelligence. Suzanne uses theory and a wealth of practical examples to explain the distinctions in how each type uses thinking, feeling, and doing to take in and process information.
Understanding the mechanisms at play within our type is essential for two reasons. First, it provides helpful, objective tools for determining type and for helping to prevent mistyping. Second, it answers the question, “what now?” for those who know their type but feel at a loss for how to begin the work of transformation. Suzanne lays out two important arenas for personal growth: how we see, and what we do with what we see.
I have been an avid student of Suzanne’s work for many years. Her books, conferences and podcast have been of tremendous benefit on my own enneagram journey. I was anxious to get my hands on this compilation of her years of teaching and wisdom all in one, accessible package.
This book is a solid offering from Suzanne, worth adding to your enneagram library. I’d like to share what’s in the book, what I loved, and what could be further explored in the future.
What’s In The Book
This book is concerned with the three centers of intelligence, and is broken down into two major sections: Triads and Stances.
The first half of the book is dedicated to Triads, which essentially explains how we see the world. Triads are determined by the dominant center of intelligence; types 2, 3, and 4 have a dominant feeling center and are members of the Heart Triad; types 5, 6, and 7 have a dominant thinking center and are members of the Head Triad; and types 8, 9, and 1 have a dominant doing center and are members of the Gut Triad. Suzanne breaks down how each type manifests this dominant center of intelligence, providing specific behavioral examples for each type. She goes on to describe the impact of “excess” feeling, thinking, or doing in our type. She broadens readers’ knowledge by explaining the inner arrow lines of the enneagram, providing some insight into what we can learn from our stress and security numbers. She provides specific advice for bringing balance to each type in a section titled “Try This.”
The second half of the book is dedicated to Stances, which explains how we process or respond to how we see the world. Stances are determined by the repressed center of intelligence; types 4, 5, and 9 repress doing and are in the Withdrawing Stance, types 3, 7, and 8 repress feeling and are in the Aggressive Stance, and types 1, 2, and 6 repress thinking and are in the Dependent Stance. Suzanne provides ample stories, type descriptions, as well as testimonials from members of each type. She offers advice in the form of “Transformative Possibilities” for each type, along with questions to ponder.
What I Loved
- Astute, nuanced observations about each type. Suzanne does a terrific job of capturing and communicating the distinctive thinking, feeling and doing patterns of each type. She goes way beyond stereotypes and holds up a compassionate, honest mirror for self-reflection.
-In-depth teaching on Stances. Stances are an essential and often overlooked element of the enneagram. Learning stances has been, for me, one of the most healing tools in my marriage. If you know your type but don’t know your stance, you are missing a big piece of the puzzle, particularly when it comes to personal growth. Suzanne is fond of saying that “we can’t change how we see, but we can change what we do with what we see.” Her insights help us to identify our strategies for getting needs met, and consider other, more balanced possibilities.
-Wisdom from a master teacher. Suzanne graces readers with humorous, poignant illustrations, powerful insights, and hard-won wisdom. She is vulnerable in sharing her own experience, and offers great examples from others. Her introduction on liminal space is particularly moving, stirring readers to take action in this season marked by the anxiety and uncertainty of the covid pandemic.
-The useful “Try This” and “Questions to Ponder” sections. Both stimulate personal growth for enneagram students willing to put the time and effort into self-reflection. Worth returning to again and again, they would serve as outstanding journal prompts or small-group discussion starters. Suzanne guides away from treating the enneagram like a party trick or mere diagnostic tool, and plumbs greater depths in the spiritual journey.
For Future Exploration
-3, 6, 9 Stances. These numbers pose a special challenge in that they have the same dominant and repressed center of intelligence. Suzanne introduces the idea that either of the two support centers can be dominant. As a 3 myself, this has given me pause to ponder which of the two centers might serve the primary supportive role. Does this stacking change over time or in different circumstances? While the dominant and support center stacking seem to be important to other types, 3, 6, and 9 are offered less specificity. This is perhaps an area for greater exploration and explanation.
-Additional guidance on transformation. Suzanne concludes the book by stating that change happens when we add new practices in, but that transformation occurs when we let things fall away - usually as a result of a painful experience that we do not have control over. Her book is packed with sound advice for managing our personalities to create positive change. But personally, as someone on the journey who has begun the process of change, I’d love more guidance about what I am changing into. While a more balanced way of being has solved some problems, it has created others. Where once I had coping mechanisms as my faithful companions, I have entered a lonelier stretch of road without a clear destination. I’d love to hear more from Suzanne about the steeper climes of this journey.
Fans of Suzanne’s podcast and teaching will benefit from this book and it is a worthy addition to any enneagram library. The subtitle promises “enneagram wisdom for stress, balance, and transformation.” And while it delivers on the first two promises, I look forward to future offerings that lead into even deeper transformation.
January 20, 2025
Loved it. So helpful in personal growth and discovery. Practical, wise and always insightful, this is another winner from Suzanne Stabile
*Just as good the second time through
*Just as good the second time through
November 14, 2021
I rarely pre-order non-fiction books, but this book was in my Amazon cart the instant I learned about the release. Why? Suzanne is my most trusted Enneagram voice and has helped me immeasurably through her podcast, teaching at conferences, and two other books: THE ROAD BACK TO YOU (written with Ian Morgan Cron) and THE PATH BETWEEN US. I am passionate about the Enneagram and love sharing it with friends, co-workers, and family members. All of her books have helped me to do that, while also increasing my own knowledge about myself and others.
This book exceeded my expectations. While THE ROAD BACK TO YOU serves as more of an introduction to the Enneagram and THE PATH BETWEEN US zooms into the relational dynamics of the Enneagram, THE JOURNEY TOWARD WHOLENESS tackles the topic of how to lean Enneagram wisdom to be personally balanced and whole while life throws us chaos. This new book challenges us to do the work and points out our strengths...and our opportunities to grow. Diving deeper in to the three Centers of Intelligence and Stances provided so much color to my understanding of myself and the Enneagram as a whole.
As an Enneagram Six, I so appreciated the invaluable deep dive into the Thinking Triad and Dependent Stance teachings. I was inspired by the helpful tips for spiritual practice and ideas of how to bring up my repressed Center of Intelligence. I've always been confused about how I could be both thinking dominant and thinking repressed, but this book shed more light on that concept. Plus - and this is what I love about the Enneagram - the other chapters helped me understand the people in my life better, too.
If you're new to the Enneagram, this book may feel a little advanced, but I can't think of a more helpful resource to reach for if you're already a bit down the road in your journey. Suzanne's teaching - weighted with 25 years of experience on this topic - packs a real punch and helps us to examine our "auto pilot" responses to life. But just when you feel a little TOO seen :), there's also encouragement for each of us to just take the next step.
This book exceeded my expectations. While THE ROAD BACK TO YOU serves as more of an introduction to the Enneagram and THE PATH BETWEEN US zooms into the relational dynamics of the Enneagram, THE JOURNEY TOWARD WHOLENESS tackles the topic of how to lean Enneagram wisdom to be personally balanced and whole while life throws us chaos. This new book challenges us to do the work and points out our strengths...and our opportunities to grow. Diving deeper in to the three Centers of Intelligence and Stances provided so much color to my understanding of myself and the Enneagram as a whole.
As an Enneagram Six, I so appreciated the invaluable deep dive into the Thinking Triad and Dependent Stance teachings. I was inspired by the helpful tips for spiritual practice and ideas of how to bring up my repressed Center of Intelligence. I've always been confused about how I could be both thinking dominant and thinking repressed, but this book shed more light on that concept. Plus - and this is what I love about the Enneagram - the other chapters helped me understand the people in my life better, too.
If you're new to the Enneagram, this book may feel a little advanced, but I can't think of a more helpful resource to reach for if you're already a bit down the road in your journey. Suzanne's teaching - weighted with 25 years of experience on this topic - packs a real punch and helps us to examine our "auto pilot" responses to life. But just when you feel a little TOO seen :), there's also encouragement for each of us to just take the next step.
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