The subtype is as powerful as the fixation; it can exacerbate distortion and suffering or be used as a portal for liberation. The couple relationship is like a hot house for the distorted patterns of subtypes and fixated behavior; it brings out the best and the worst, providing many opportunities for freedom and true love.

When the Enneagram is used for liberation or awakening it is understood that the themes of suffering are based in the distorted perceptions of the ego fixation, which includes the subtype.When the fixation is dissolved or released, the suffering that was caused by fixated identity disappears.

The focus of this work is to release the illusion of fixated identity, focusing on understanding the influence of subtypes on fixated behavior to facilitate liberation or awakening. Participants will be led into processing how the distorted patterns of their subtypes affect their relationships, and how to work with the patterns as they show up in order to release them.

Lissa Friedman received her MA and Ed.S in Mental Health Counseling, and a Ph.D. in Art Therapy. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and a Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice since 1984. She has been working with couples for over 20 years. She teaches the Enneagram and leads monthly workshops on utilizing the Enneagram as a therapeutic tool.

Dr. Friedman began studying the Enneagram with the Arica school, established by Oscar Ichazo in 1986. She was an apprentice teacher from 1992 to 1994. She has had four articles published in the Enneagram Monthly: The Subtypes and Movement (April, ’04); Working with Couples for Awakening (May, ’04); The Ego is the Seed of Essence (July, ’04); Stripped Naked – From Fixation to Freedom (Dec. ’04). Her forthcoming book, Enneagram of Awakening: A Path to Freedom, is in review.