spiritual practices for enneagram type 3 Archives

Hello there! I am really enjoying studying the enneagram and spiritual practices together! I hope you are too, and that you are getting new ideas and beginning to think differently about how certain practices can impact your life! Today, we are going to talk about the enneagram type 3 and spiritual practices that will help this type grow the most.

Looking at spiritual practices through the lens of the enneagram, sheds new light on how we choose our spiritual practices. If you are already engaged in a daily practice, I applaud you! However, you might notice that the practice you’ve selected for yourself is one that really fits… it comes easy to you, and you enjoy this time. If you’ve been following this series, you know this is what we call a down-river practice.

In addition to this practice, it is extremely helpful to add an up-river practice to your day. This is what we will be focusing on here. Up-river practices take you out of your comfort zone, and allow you to stretch and grow in the most powerful ways.

Enneagram Type 3 and Spiritual Practices

Practices for Type 3

Confession

Threes are busy. They are getting things done ALL THE TIME! They can get lost in the chase of winning the task they are in. This fast-paced life has its pit-falls just like every type. What makes a type 3 great, is also their biggest struggle.

Since threes are motivated by success and winning, they sometimes cut corners, and let the goal of winning get in the way of being true to themselves and others.

The key here, is to slow down, reflect, and use the spiritual practice of confession.

A trusted friend or family member can be the source of this practice, allowing type three to also grow in the area of depending on others. Confession is done best with someone else there to support, listen, and sometimes offer advice or forgiveness.

It is very challenging for type three to “turn off their showmanship.” They are used to being the center of attention and showing up in a way that presents them in the best light.

In a sense, Confession is going to do just the opposite. Confession is showing your mistakes and downfalls, the things that might bring along shame and regret. Threes tend to shy away from sharing in this vulnerable way.

However, this is exactly why this practice is so healing and powerful for a type three. Being real and authentic about life, messy mistakes and all will move type three leaps and bounds upriver!

Journaling

If sharing with a friend is not an option, the next best thing is journaling. The key here, is to be real. Just like in confession, falsifying facts is only going to cause more pain and trouble. The practice is nearly the same. It requires: slowing down, being honest about where in your life you have not been authentic, and real self-reflection.

In addition, naming feelings in a journal is a great practice for threes. Feelings are hard to grasp, and threes often set them aside to get things done. This doesn’t mean they don’t have feelings, only that their feelings are repressed and need processing. A journal is a great space to name and process feelings. It also takes out the possibility for shame, which threes tend to avoid.

If you are a type 3, I hope you will give honest confession a try whether it is to a person or a journal. This will be so healing and meaningful for you!

If you know a type three, let them know that you can be a trusted friend with whom they can open up to. You could be the person that they come to with their heavy truths and realities.

Thanks for reading!

I hope these words inspire your life, and bring you closer to wholeness.