Enneagram Type 8 (The Challenger) and Step Two

For Enneagram Type 8, working Step Two in Overeaters Anonymous means facing the ways in which their need for control, power, and strength has affected their relationship with food. Type 8s may use food as a way to assert control or avoid vulnerability, but Step Two asks them to trust that a Power greater than themselves can restore them to sanity.

1. Admit That Control and Strength Can’t Fix Your Relationship with Food:

Type 8s often use food to maintain control or power in their lives. Step Two requires them to admit that using food as a means of control has become unmanageable and that only a Higher Power can restore balance.

• Reflection question: “How have I used food to feel more in control, and how has this approach led to unmanageable patterns?”

2. Recognize the Unmanageability of Control and Intensity:

For Type 8s, life can become unmanageable when their need for control and intensity leads to compulsive or aggressive behaviors around food. Step Two helps them see that a Higher Power can restore balance by helping them let go of the need to control everything.

• Reflection question: “How has my need for control or intensity made my relationship with food unmanageable, and how might letting go of this lead to greater peace?”

3. Acknowledge That Vulnerability Is Not Weakness:

Step Two asks Type 8s to acknowledge that being vulnerable is not a sign of weakness. Trusting in a Higher Power allows them to step into their vulnerability and restore sanity in their relationship with food.

• Reflection question: “What would it feel like to let go of control and allow myself to be vulnerable with my eating and my recovery?”

4. Surrender the Fear of Being Controlled or Overpowered:

Type 8s often fear being controlled by others, which can lead to a compulsive need for dominance, even with food. Step Two asks them to surrender this fear and trust that a Higher Power can guide them without taking away their strength.

• Reflection question: “How has my fear of being controlled or vulnerable influenced my relationship with food, and how can I begin to surrender this fear?”

5. Trust in the OA Process and the Power of Surrender:

For Type 8s, Step Two is about trusting that surrendering control does not mean losing power. By allowing a Higher Power to guide them, they can find greater strength and sanity in their lives.

• Reflection question: “How can I trust that by surrendering control over food to a Higher Power, I will actually find more freedom and peace in my recovery?”

Summary: Type 8s work Step Two by admitting that their need for control and strength is keeping them stuck in unmanageable behaviors around food. By trusting in a Higher Power, they can let go of their fears and embrace vulnerability, finding true balance and healing.