Challenging Work for Enneagram Type 8

An Insider’s Perspective on EnneaType 8

As an Enneagram Type 8, the drive to push past limits is second nature. We instinctively power through obstacles fueled by action—whether verbal, physical, or emotional discharge. But the survival strategies that kept us safe as children now limit our growth, locking us into patterns that no longer serve us. Real transformation isn’t about pushing harder but embracing patience and learning to hold intensity without acting on it.

Podcast Discussion: Enneagram 8 Growth Work

The Discharge Trap

For an Eight, discharging energy feels like the natural way to handle anything. We’re used to it—whether through intense physical activity, heated verbal exchanges, or powering through situations. It’s like chopping wood: hard work that burns off energy but never reaches the issue’s root. This habit of discharge keeps us in survival mode, believing our projections and acting out without ever growing. The key isn’t pushing past limits—it’s in holding steady and allowing something deeper to emerge.

Sensitivity and Discharge

Eights often bulldoze through situations in our rush to act, unaware of the emotional wreckage left behind. Our lack of sensitivity stems from reactivity, which is easier than feeling. Discharging energy gives us the illusion of handling things, but it prevents us from connecting to the subtle, vulnerable parts of ourselves. Emotional sensitivity allows us to connect deeply with others and our inner experience. But we avoid it because staying present with our vulnerability feels unbearable.

For Eights, weakness and vulnerability are intolerable, but underneath the surface bravado and toughness is a tender heart and longing for genuine connection.
Sandra Maitri (The Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram)

Staying in the Fire

Eights are used to pushing through limits, but it feels unbearable when asked to hold intense energy without discharging. The nervous system heats up like a red-hot coil, and everything in us wants to act to release the tension. But real growth isn’t about pushing through; it’s about learning to tolerate the heat, holding the charge long enough for something to shift internally. This requires patience, something foreign to most Eights. We’re not changing ourselves through willpower—we’re allowing ourselves to be changed by the process.

Freeing the Body Armor

For Eights, somatic work is vital. Our ego identity is so deeply tied to our physical experience that intellectualizing or strategizing through emotions doesn’t cut it. We need practices that directly engage the body. It’s not about exerting more physical effort—we’ve already mastered that. It’s about feeling the energy in our body, holding the charge, and staying present with it long enough for our layers of body armor to release. This allows us to access the emotional sensitivity and vulnerability we typically avoid.

Tummo, Wim Hof, and the Breath of Fire

What’s helped me most as an Eight is breathwork. Tummo breathing, in particular, has been a powerful tool for holding the charge without discharging it. Tummo generates internal heat, allowing the energy to move through the body and burn through resistance. The Wim Hof method and “breath of fire” are also effective, keeping us in the work zone—where we confront the charge without letting it go. These techniques engage the nervous system, preventing us from falling into our habitual mode of pushing through or discharging.

Curiosity as the Key

One of the most helpful shifts I’ve made is developing a sense of curiosity. Instead of fighting the intensity, I approach it with an open-ended question: “I wonder if I’ll become a pile of ashes?” This playful curiosity changes how I engage with the process. Instead of seeing it as something to endure, I explore it. Curiosity softens resistance, turning that red-hot coil into a streaming of aliveness. For Eights, this attitude of curiosity is essential—it keeps us engaged with the work, even when it feels unbearable.

From Survival to Aliveness

The journey for Type 8s isn’t just about surviving—it’s about moving into a more profound, subtle way of living. We’re learning to hold intensity without discharging it, developing patience and sensitivity, and allowing ourselves to be more fully alive. The real work is to embrace the aliveness of holding the charge without acting on it. This is the shift from survival to a more nuanced, integrated life.

This has been a challenging—and rewarding—part of my journey. Learning to sit with the fire, letting it burn through old patterns, has awakened me to a new kind of power—a power that doesn’t rely on action or control but on presence and the ability to embrace the full spectrum of my experience. And in that presence, I’ve found a deeper aliveness—one that isn’t tied to survival but to living fully, authentically, and openly.

Eights assert themselves to be in control of their environment, but what they often don’t realize is that it’s their fear of being controlled that drives them.
David Daniels (The Essential Enneagram)

The Diamond Approach and Open-Ended Inquiry

In my work with the Diamond Approach®, I’ve discovered that real growth requires more than managing intensity. The open-ended inquiry process central to the Diamond Approach allows us to explore the deeper layers of our experience, integrating both personality and essence. Through this exploration, we begin to see that what we’ve relied on for survival—our armor and independence—is only a fraction of what’s possible.

The Diamond Approach also incorporates the Enneagram as a powerful map for understanding the complexities of personality. As a Type 8, I know firsthand the challenges we face around vulnerability, power, and independence. But I also know the potential we have for transformation when we engage with this work sincerely and with curiosity.

An Invitation to Fellow Eights

I invite my fellow Type 8s to explore this path with me. As an Enneagram 8 and a Diamond Approach teacher, I offer guidance and support tailored to our unique challenges. You can deepen your understanding of yourself—not by pushing through but by inquiring into the essence of who you truly are.

If you’re ready to move from survival into a fuller experience of aliveness, I’m here to support that path process with you. Let’s explore what it means to hold the charge, to stay with the fire, and to find the real power that comes from embracing our authentic nature.