Every year, I'm digitally offgrid for several days at an inner work retreat with my Enneagram teachers Beatrice Chestnut & Uranio Paes, who founded the Chestnut Paes Enneagram Academy.

Some of these retreats, which are a part of their Professional Certification Track & Personal Mastery Track, became the milestone markers of how I've healed and grown over time, as I vividly remember what I was working through each of those moments.

Here’s are some things I worked on at these retreats:

Recognizing my Enneagram 4 SP autopilot habits of:
- Getting sucked into melancholy
- Monologuing about past hurts (much like a broken record)
- How I create my own suffering
- Push/pull dynamics in relationships
Connecting with my physical body
Tapping into & releasing pent up rage that's actually my ally
Connecting with the flow of life, rather than trying to control everything

Since starting my Enneagram journey, my life did a total 180. I barely recognize myself from when I was younger, and now have dimples to prove it!

This is a snapshot of how I used to be:

"I AM how I feel."
The "good, easy kid"
Emotionally shut down, trying not to be a burden
Closeted queer kid who grew up in the church
MAJORLY repressed in all the ways
Withdrawn, disconnected from myself & others
Queen of RBF (Resting Bitch Face)
An intensity, drama, and complexity junky
Way too familiar with anxiety, guilt, shame (partly bc I was allergic to anger)
Depression, anxiety, panic attacks, loneliness, shame
Suffering silently & solo

...and how I am nowadays:

"I have feelings, but I'm more than my feelings."
Anger is one of many feelings that tell me what I need or want
Open, flexible, light & easy
Guilt-free rest & play as part of my normal rhythm
Open heart to receive whatever life has in store for me that day
Nurturing and pursuing my desires (rather than swinging between repression & resentment)
Mutually nourishing relationships
Having the time of my life

Here’s a video of me sharing my takeaways from a past inner work retreat.

If you're wanting to supercharge your own inner work journey (I'm specifically looking at all y'all who tend to hoard heady knowledge about personal development without actually taking action), I HIGHLY recommend CP Enneagram's personal retreats.

What are your Enneagram type's emotional habits?

Grab this free guide that shows you how to grow beyond the patterns that keep you stuck!

Don't know your Enneagram type?

Find yours here!

More Blogs

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Enneagram Heart Types Panel (EnneaSummit)

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How CP Enneagram Type-Specific Retreats Help You Dive Deep into Your Personality

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The Enneagram Instincts & Creativity

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Enneagram Heart Types - 2s, 3s, 4s

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The Emotional Habits of Enneagram Types (Part 1: Introduction)

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The Language of Enneagram: Working with Enneagram Clients in Therapy

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My Annual Heart Cleaning

Beatrice Chestnut and Uranio Paes Enneagram workshops and retreats became the milestone markers of how I've healed and grown over time, as I vividly remember what I was working through each of those moments.

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It's so important to not judge ourselves for having done what we said we wouldn't do, or not doing what we said we would do. We can’t change by shaming ourselves.

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What is Self-Referencing + Others-Referencing?

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How NOT to Use the Enneagram

I have a love/hate relationship with the fact that the Enneagram is picking up in popularity. I LOVE that more people have heard about it. I HATE that the information that's being passed around is the exact OPPOSITE of what the Enneagram was meant for.

JOANNE B. KIM, LMFT

Joanne is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and Certified Brainspotting Practitioner in San Jose, CA. She helps people EXHAUSTED by anxiety, shame, and an allergic reaction to anger create VIBRANT relationships where they matter, too.

Many of her clients are:
(1) the highly responsible, conscientious, and empathic types
(2) Enneagram Type Ones, Twos, Fours, or Nines
(3) Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs)

The most common words spoken by those who’ve sat with Joanne:

“I thought it was just me. I’m NOT crazy!”

“I can finally figure out what to do with all these feelings!”

My Annual Heart Cleaning

Here’s are some things I worked on at these retreats:

This is a snapshot of how I used to be:

...and how I am nowadays:

Here’s a video of me sharing my takeaways from a past inner work retreat.

What are your Enneagram type's emotional habits?

Grab this free guide that shows you how to grow beyond the patterns that keep you stuck!

Don't know your Enneagram type?

Find yours here!

JOANNE B. KIM, LMFT

What are the Emotional Habits of your Enneagram type?

Grab this free guide that highlights the patterns that keep you stuck and the steps to grow beyond your type!

Here’s are some things I worked on at these retreats:

This is a snapshot of how I used to be:

...and how I am nowadays:

Here’s a video of me sharing my takeaways from a past inner work retreat.

What are your Enneagram type's emotional habits?

Grab this free guide that shows you how to grow beyond the patterns that keep you stuck!

Don't know your Enneagram type?

Find yours here!

Woo hoo!!

JOANNE B. KIM, LMFT

What are the Emotional Habits of your Enneagram type?

Grab this free guide that highlights the patterns that keep you stuck and the steps to grow beyond your type!

Woo hoo!!