Enneagram Type 9: Step 7

Enneagram Type 9: Working Step 7 in Overeaters Anonymous

Step 7: “Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.”

For Enneagram Type 9s, working Step 7 in Overeaters Anonymous involves confronting their tendency to avoid conflict, suppress their own needs, and seek comfort in food as a way to numb out or escape discomfort. Type 9s often resist taking action that might disturb their internal or external peace, leading them to ignore their own growth and needs. In this step, Type 9s are invited to practice humility by recognizing the ways they avoid addressing their shortcomings and asking their Higher Power for the courage to face them and remove them.

Here’s a guide to help Type 9s work Step 7 deeply:

1. Recognize the Shortcomings Rooted in Avoidance

Questions to ask:

  • What specific behaviors or attitudes did I identify in my Step 6 inventory that stem from my desire to avoid conflict or discomfort?
  • How do I use food to avoid facing difficult emotions or uncomfortable situations?
  • In what ways do I procrastinate or become passive, allowing my shortcomings to persist?
  • How does my tendency to “go along to get along” impact my recovery journey?

Example:
You might recognize that you overeat or choose unhealthy foods when you’re feeling anxious about a potential conflict or are avoiding a difficult conversation.

2. Embrace Humility by Facing Discomfort

Steps to take:

  • Reflect on Humility: For Type 9, humility means acknowledging that avoidance is not a peaceful solution. It takes true humility to face discomfort and realize that avoiding it is a form of control or denial.
  • Practice Confronting Discomfort: Begin to confront the discomfort you tend to avoid, both emotionally and relationally. Practice identifying when you’re avoiding action, and ask your Higher Power for the courage to engage with what you’ve been ignoring.

Questions to ask:

  • How can I practice humility by facing the things I’ve been avoiding in my life and my recovery?
  • What fears come up when I think about addressing conflicts or taking responsibility for my own needs?

Example:
You might decide to face a difficult conversation or situation head-on, even though it feels uncomfortable, trusting that your Higher Power will help you navigate it.

3. Ask Your Higher Power for Guidance and Courage

Steps to take:

  • Prayer and Meditation: Engage in prayer or meditation focused on asking your Higher Power to help you let go of your avoidance and procrastination. Be specific about the shortcomings you want to release, such as complacency, self-forgetting, or indecision.
  • Surrender Passivity: Ask for the courage to be more proactive in your recovery and in facing life’s challenges, trusting your Higher Power to guide you toward growth.

Questions to ask:

  • How can I ask my Higher Power to help me let go of my tendency to avoid conflict or difficult emotions?
  • What specific shortcomings am I ready to surrender, and how can I begin trusting my Higher Power to help me face them?

Example:
You might pray for the strength to stop using food as a way to avoid your emotions, asking instead for the courage to face those feelings and deal with them directly.

4. Practice Surrendering Comfort-Seeking and Inaction

Steps to take:

  • Release Comfort-Seeking: Start to practice letting go of the need to remain comfortable at all costs. Recognize that personal growth often requires discomfort, and ask for the strength to embrace it.
  • Take Action: Begin to take small, manageable actions that you’ve been avoiding. Whether it’s addressing an issue at work or dealing with emotions you’ve been suppressing, lean into the discomfort with a sense of trust in your Higher Power.

Questions to ask:

  • In what areas of my life am I avoiding action or conflict, and how can I begin to take steps toward addressing them?
  • How can I trust that facing discomfort will ultimately bring me peace and healing?

Example:
You might begin by addressing a small issue you’ve been avoiding—perhaps setting boundaries with a loved one or taking action on a goal you’ve been putting off.

5. Cultivate New Habits of Engagement and Assertiveness

Steps to take:

  • Develop Engagement: As you let go of avoidance and passivity, focus on developing new habits of engagement. Be more present in your relationships and in your own life, actively participating instead of withdrawing.
  • Cultivate Assertiveness: Practice expressing your needs and feelings more openly. Let your Higher Power help you to assert yourself in ways that honor both your own well-being and the needs of others.

Questions to ask:

  • How can I develop new habits of engaging with life instead of retreating into passivity or avoidance?
  • In what ways can I practice assertiveness, trusting my Higher Power to help me maintain balance and peace?

Example:
You might practice asserting your needs in a relationship, gently but firmly stating your boundaries or desires instead of withdrawing and avoiding potential conflict.

Summary for Type 9

For a Type 9 working Step 7 in Overeaters Anonymous, the challenge lies in humbly acknowledging their tendency to avoid discomfort, conflict, or action. Humility for Type 9s means facing their avoidance and passivity head-on, asking their Higher Power for the courage to take responsibility for their needs and emotions. By releasing the need for comfort and safety at all costs, and trusting that growth often requires discomfort, Type 9s can experience deeper peace and healing. This step encourages Type 9s to engage more fully in their recovery and relationships, allowing their Higher Power to remove the shortcomings that have kept them stuck in avoidance and inaction.