Enneagram Type 4 (The Individualist) and Step Two:

For Enneagram Type 4, working Step Two in Overeaters Anonymous involves acknowledging that their emotional intensity and feelings of being different or misunderstood can’t be managed through food. Type 4s may use food to cope with deep emotions or to feel special, but Step Two asks them to trust that a Higher Power can restore balance in their lives.

1. Admit That Emotional Intensity Can’t Be Managed Through Food:

Type 4s often turn to food to either intensify or numb their emotions. Step Two requires them to admit that their emotional experiences can’t be managed or controlled through food.

• Reflection question: “How have I used food to manage my emotional intensity, and how has this approach kept me from finding real peace?”

2. Recognize the Unmanageability of Emotional Over-Identification:

Type 4s tend to over-identify with their emotions, which can lead to eating based on mood or feeling disconnected from others. Step Two helps them see that a Power greater than themselves can restore them to sanity by balancing their emotions and relationship with food.

• Reflection question: “How has my over-identification with my emotions made my relationship with food unmanageable?”

3. Acknowledge That Healing Doesn’t Come from Being Unique:

Step Two asks Type 4s to let go of the idea that their uniqueness or specialness can fix their eating struggles. They need to trust that healing comes from a Higher Power, not from being set apart in their suffering.

• Reflection question: “What would it feel like to release the need to be unique in my struggles and allow myself to be restored by a Power greater than myself?”

4. Surrender the Fear of Being Ordinary or Flawed:

Type 4s often fear being ordinary or flawed, which can lead to using food to maintain a sense of specialness. Step Two encourages them to surrender this fear and trust that a Higher Power can restore them to sanity, even if they aren’t special in their suffering.

• Reflection question: “How has my fear of being ordinary or flawed contributed to my food struggles, and how can I begin to let go of that fear?”

5. Trust in the OA Process and the Power of Emotional Balance:

For Type 4s, Step Two is about trusting that a Higher Power can help them find emotional balance and stability, which will help restore their relationship with food. They must trust that they don’t need to rely on emotional intensity to guide them.

• Reflection question: “How can I trust that by allowing a Higher Power to restore emotional balance, I will find peace in my relationship with food?”

Summary: Type 4s work Step Two by recognizing that their emotional intensity can’t be managed through food and that they don’t need to be unique in their struggles. By trusting in a Higher Power, they can find emotional balance and healing.