Re: Sense of self and centres

Posted by Hal on October 30, 1998 at 16:36:09:

In Reply to: Sense of self and centres posted by Ilmar on October 30, 1998 at 13:50:02:

: I'm wondering about the theories of some enneagram teachers about our sense of self
: being located in different places. As a Five, I'm definitely in my head (behind my
: eyes.) On the other hand other people reportedly locate themselves in the heart or gut
: centres. Eg Eights in the centre of the body.
: Confirmation or falsification? Please cite testimony not theory.
: If true, it would help with, say, Five-Nine discrimination.

: Ilmar

I agree that people will locate their sense of self in different places. I'm a 4w5, and I tend to equate my self with my mind. If you asked me a year ago, I would have certainly said that my mind is centered in my brain, but now I'm not nearly so sure. My logical thoughts are processed in the brain, but I don't know if thoughts come from there. My mind gets intuitions and feelings as well as thoughts, and the brain can interpret them and put them into words, but they don't seem to originate there. My heart seems to play a big role in intuition, but some intuitions can be a whole-body kind of knowing. My heart feels like the center of emotions, but I tend to see emotions as things that affect me, not as things that are me. I feel gut reactions to many things, but they do not feel more foreign and don't seem to make up what I would call my self.

So I have no definitive answer for myself--I don't really know where my self is centered. And that lack of an answer to this question is probably very much the province of a 4.

- Hal -

Follow Ups:

• Re: Sense of self and centres Peter 14:15:54 10/31/98 (1)
  • Re: Sense of self and centres Ilmar 10:39:00 11/02/98 (0)

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