Thirty-five years ago, an unlikely duo, a spiritual teacher from Berkeley and a psychiatrist from Stanford, anticipated the growing influence of the Enneagram and joined together to create a program to train teachers in this powerful system. Just pause for a moment and take in the fact of 35 YEARS! What lasts 35 years these days?! Where were you in November 1988? Were you even on this planet yet? In these days of memes and 30-second sound bites, it’s really quite remarkable.

Today, the training started by Helen Palmer and David Daniels, modified and expanded over the years, is going strong. Imagine for a moment each person who has attended a TNE course as a pebble in a pond. The ripple effects of their knowledge of the nine types, increased awareness, and compassion have spread to impact thousands of lives as they’ve shared their experience with their family, friends, coworkers, and clients.

My first experience of the training in February 1990 is unforgettable. I remember watching one of the certifying students struggle to smoothly interview a panel of folks who represented Type 4. At that moment I realized the genius and skill of Helen and David and their incredible ability to draw out the key characteristics and energy of each type through the narrative method. I’ve been hooked ever since.

To honor this milestone, we invite you to share your memories and how this work has impacted you. Maybe you are an old-timer like me, or maybe you are brand new to the Enneagram. Maybe your first memories are also of Helen and David, or maybe you’ve learned from other Narrative faculty.

What’s your first memory of the Narrative Tradition? What touched you – made you laugh or made you cry? How might it have changed your life?  Please take a few minutes and let us know by leaving a comment here or sharing it in our Google form.

Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing some of the nuggets of wisdom for each type I’ve gained from Helen and David on Facebook and Instagram. I hope you will follow along and join us in sharing your own stories and memories. After all, the Narrative has always been about the community, and you are an important part of that.

May your sharing inspire others to explore this powerful system to help transform lives and create a more compassionate world.

Terry Saracino
Founding President and Core Faculty