The characteristics of the instinctual subtypes are often discussed and presented, but seldom do we have a vision of what it might be like to live without distortions in our instinctual drives and orientations. Understanding what the undistorted instincts might be like necessitates understanding the world view that creates these distortions–that of the ego or personality. It also entails opening to a world view that allows these drives within our psyches to find their true function and sort themselves out. Key to such a shift becoming actualized in our inner and outer lives is a conceptual framework that opens our psyches to such possibilities.

In this presentation, we will explore the new global paradigm that is emerging in the various disciplines and its implications for essential living by focusing on each of the instincts. We will explore the overarching distortions for those of each subtype, and what life might be like without such aberrations.

This workshop will include a presentation, interpersonal exercises to be done with other participants, and a discussion period.

Sandra Maitri was a member of Claudio Naranjo’s first SAT group, which began in 1970 and in which the Enneagram was taught in the U.S. for the first time. She has taught the Enneagram to the public and to hundreds of students of the Diamond Approach (founded by A.H. Almaas) in the U.S., the United Kingdom, and in Europe. She is a senior and supervising teacher of the Ridhwan School, home of the Diamond Approach, and she is its director of teacher training in California. Her first book, The Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram: Nine Faces of the Soul, was published in 2000. Her second book, The Enneagram of Passions and Virtues: Finding the Way Home, was published in 2005, both by Tarcher/Penguin.