I spent 18 months studying with bestselling author and mental health pioneer Gabor Maté, through his organization Compassionate Inquiry.

I found this work to be gentle, loving and soft for the nervous system.

“The purpose of the Compassionate Inquiry is to drill down to the core stories people tell themselves – to get them to see what story they are telling themselves unconsciously; what those beliefs are, where they came from; and guide them to the possibility of letting go of those stories, or letting go of the hold those stories have on them …

That’s what Compassionate Inquiry is.”

~ Dr. Gabor Maté

The work of being present is very important, because what we are trying to do can only happen in the present moment. For most of us, this means starting a practice, or making the practice that we have stronger. Being in the present moment, or the “Here and now,” means that we are fully aware of what is happening to us and around us, at this single moment in time. 

Add to this the complication that two-thirds of our experience happens beyond  our conscious thought,  and this is why I use so many more techniques in my work.

The Enneagram is a powerful tool that can help you gain insight into your motivations, core beliefs, and the unconscious patterns that drive your behavior. It is based on 9 archetypes or character traits. We all can access each of the 9 types within us, however one of the Enneagram Types acts as a powerful and centered default for each of us. As we come to learn about our type and how we engage with it in the various things that we experience and navigate, it gives us opportunities to make different choices.