Enneagram Type 9: Step 1

Enneagram Type 9 (The Peacemaker) and Step One:

For Enneagram Type 9, working Step One in Overeaters Anonymous means acknowledging how their tendency to avoid conflict, disengage from life, and seek comfort has affected their relationship with food. Type 9s may use food to numb out, avoid emotional discomfort, or maintain a sense of inner peace.

1. Admit Powerlessness Over Using Food to Avoid Conflict:

Type 9s often use food to numb their emotions or avoid dealing with conflict. Admitting powerlessness means recognizing that food is no longer an effective way to avoid discomfort or difficult emotions.

  • Reflection question: “How have I used food to avoid conflict or uncomfortable feelings, and how has this approach become unmanageable?”

2. Recognize the Unmanageability of Avoidance:

For Type 9s, life can become unmanageable when avoidance leads to disengagement and an unhealthy reliance on food for comfort.

  • Reflection question: “How has my tendency to avoid difficult emotions or situations contributed to an unmanageable relationship with food?”

3. Acknowledge the Importance of Engagement:

Step One encourages Type 9s to recognize that disengaging from life and avoiding conflict won’t bring peace. They must actively engage with their feelings and challenges rather than using food as a substitute for true inner peace.

  • Reflection question: “What would it feel like to engage fully with my emotions and seek peace without relying on food?”

4. Surrender the Fear of Discomfort:

Type 9s often fear discomfort and may turn to food as a way to maintain inner harmony. Admitting powerlessness means surrendering the belief that food can keep them comfortable and safe from the challenges of life.

  • Reflection question: “How have I used food to avoid discomfort, and how has that made my life unmanageable?”

5. Trust in the OA Process and the Value of Active Participation:

For Type 9s, Step One is about trusting the OA process and understanding that healing requires active participation and engagement, not avoidance.

  • Reflection question: “How can I trust that by actively engaging with the OA process and my feelings, I will find the peace I’m truly seeking?”


Summary: Type 9s work Step One by admitting their powerlessness over their tendency to avoid conflict and discomfort through food. By learning to engage with their emotions and trust the OA process, they can find lasting inner peace and healing.