Energy Centres

The nine Enneagram personality types are each grouped into three energy centres (or ‘Centres of Intelligence’).  These centres are the Gut (physical), the Heart (emotional) and the Head (intellectual). 

Gut Centre

Operating from the gut, these types live instinctually and are intuitive. All three types express themselves honestly and directly. Self-forgetting is consistent to these three types. Eights forget rest and self-care. Nines self-forget and Ones forget to sit back and have more fun. Eights externalise their anger, Nines fall asleep to it and Ones suppress/internalise it.

Heart Centre

Operating from the heart, these types are often emotional. All three types reject the idea they can be seen for themselves and unconditionally loved, so they abandon their true selves to habit roles. They are all hunting for a sense of personal identity and project a false image to win approval of others. Twos project a likeable image, which they can change to please who they are with. Threes cast an image of success and achievement to win admiration. Fours project an image of uniqueness so they feel special, or they recapture or compensate for their missing piece to secure an authentic identity.

Head Centre

These types operate from the head, cognitively.  They are part of the fear triad, and have a distinct strategy for finding a sense of control and a safe refuge in this unpredictable world. Fives ward off fear with knowledge, Sixes with pessimism and Sevens with inexhaustible optimism. Fives are motivated by a desire to understand, Sixes by a need for security and Sevens to escape pain.