Is the Enneagram Dangerous for Christians?
As a student of Claudio Naranjo, Christians who use the Enneagram have asked me what Claudio Naranjo meant when he used the metaphor of “automatic writing.” They did not understand that it was a metaphor.
Thank you for this question. I really appreciate your care and concern for your communities. I have taken the time to respond, hoping it will make those concerned feel better about teaching the Enneagram of Personality.
As one would expect, there are always misunderstandings, misinterpretations, and misquotes in every field, and the Enneagram is no exception. So, it can be easy to conflate correct and incorrect information. It can also be difficult to sort through misinformation or navigate the need for more historical information available on the Enneagram. The historical timeline of the enneagram can be found on my website at www.katherinefauvre.com/history.
It may be meaningful to add my perspective on this as I attended intensives with both Oscar Ichazo and Claudio Naranjo, completed certification programs with Helen Palmer-David Daniels, Don Riso-Russ Hudson, Kathleen Hurley-Ted Dobson (aka Theodorre Dobson), and studied with all of the early authors. In addition, I have conducted 24 research studies on the Enneagram and MBTI and have worked with thousands of people from all walks of life, including devout Christians.
First and foremost, it is important to remember that the Enneagram of Personality is a tool, not a "belief system" or a religion. The Enneagram is a 9-pointed symbol. The “Enneagram of Personality” is a 9-pointed personality system created by Oscar Ichazo and further developed by Claudio Naranjo. It is used by individuals and communities in both the secular and non-secular world as a tool for self-improvement to become more self-aware, empathetic, and compassionate.
What was said when?
During an interview about his work with the Enneagram, the interviewer asked Naranjo, “Where did your definitions of the [Enneagram types] come from? Naranjo answered, “From my own observations but mostly from automatic writing… the specific information on Enneagram types, which I then verified with observation.
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However, many did not realize it was a metaphor, and many misquoted him. For example, he was misquoted to have said:
Naranjo said, “They came to him when he was practicing this exercise of automatic writing…”
This is an important misquote that suggests more than a simple metaphor. This error has caused many who studied the Enneagram unnecessary suffering and distress.
I was present during Naranjo’s 10-day intensive in 1996. He used the same metaphor when I asked him the very same question about the origins of the Enneagram and what it came from, who, and when?
Naranjo used the term “automatic writing” then as well.
I asked him what he meant by “automatic writing.”
Naranjo said it was a metaphor when he said, "automatic writing." He had years of experience with personality research as a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, beginning in early personality research in the 1960s.
Throughout his career, Naranjo learned of many research studies. He also participated in numerous research studies, including but not limited to Ohio State, Harvard, Berkeley, the University of San Francisco, and many more. He said this professional experience as a doctor, combined with his knowledge of Ichazo’s Enneagram points, enabled him to effortlessly describe the nine Enneagram types in 1971. He said he sorted multiple descriptions from multiple research studies into nine buckets representing the nine Enneagram types. He then observed people to determine what was true and not true, constantly refining his descriptions.
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Claudio Naranjo on Automatic Writing
Definition of Automatic Writing
Naranjo defined his metaphor of “automatic writing” based on a particular take on the definition of automatic writing. Automatic writing is thought to be performed without conscious thought; or deliberation, typically using spontaneous free association; as a means for Divine Guidance; or by spirits and/or psychic forces.
Backstory
In 1996, I attended a 10-day intensive with Claudio Naranjo. In the course, I observed that Naranjo often used metaphors when teaching the Enneagram. During his 1996 Enneagram Intensive, Naranjo used the metaphor of "automatic writing” but went on to explain what he meant by it.
He described it as free associations based on his experience and expertise as a psychiatrist and a psychoanalyst. He said the details of the types that Oscar Ichazo had proposed came easily because of his accumulated knowledge of many personality typologies created from research studies by renowned psychiatrists and psychologists he respected.
Naranjo said it flowed because all he had to do was sort the data according to Ichazo’s ideas of the 9 Enneagram types. He said that it was easy for him to do because of his familiarity with the research of Karen Horney, Erich Fromm, William Sheldon, and many others.
He went on to say that he then observed and evaluated whether or not he could confirm his hypotheses on the groupings. He could do this because he was part of a group of people studying with Ichazo in Arica, Chile, and had given their Enneagram types.
In 2010, in the interview people cite, Naranjo mentioned "automatic writing' again. Only this time, he did not seem to have the time to be able to go into his explanation. It was only by chance that I had heard Naranjo use the same metaphor of "automatic writing" 14 years earlier. Because I had heard him use this metaphor before, I could clarify what Naranjo meant by the term.