Earn 2 CEUS!*
Lyndsey Fraser is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Certified Sex Therapist, and an IEA Accredited Professional. She has presented on the intersection of the Enneagram, relationships, and sexuality in various U.S. and international forums. Being one of the few sex therapists in the world working explicitly with the Enneagram.
Sam E. Greenberg is a doctor of psychology whose research focuses on the intersection of sexuality and personality through the lens of the Enneagram. Sam’s research identified nine discernible patterns of sexual desire and expression associated with each Enneagram type. Sam helps clinicians understand and utilize this information to support individuals and couples healing sexuality issues.
Description
This session presents the basics of the Enneagram typing system and focuses on how to apply the Enneagram system to approach sexuality in therapy practice. The Enneagram model provides tools to address “the elephant in the bedroom” - the fact that many marriage and family therapists are not talking about sexuality with their clients. Using the Enneagram helps therapists to talk about sexuality issues with clients using an easy, depersonalized map of sexual approaches and tendencies.
Background:
The Enneagram Model of Sexuality developed concurrently in research and sex therapy practice, supported by both scientific evidence and clinical outcomes. Sexuality researcher, Sam E. Greenberg, PhD investigated the research question What is the relationship between Enneagram type and patterns of sexual desire? in an 814 participant quantitative study published in 2023. Concurrently, Lyndsey Fraser, MA LMFT, CST implemented use of the Enneagram personality typing system with her sex therapy clients, based upon the patterns she noticed over thirteen years of clinical work. The scientific results and the clinical results demonstrated identical outcomes: distinct and discernable patterns of sexual desire and expression mapped to the nine Enneagram types. Specific sexual patterns that are predictable by the nine Enneagram types include: overall sexual desire, cues that spark sexual desire, sexual assertiveness, ability to understand and communicate sexual desires to a partner, degree of tenderness to touch, sexually explicit materials use, likelihood of participation in kink and BDSM, solo sexual desire, frequency of sexual thoughts, comfort level with sexual dry spells, and many more.
Clients experience notably increased pace of progress in sex therapy when the Enneagram model is used. Relational work benefits significantly as clients are able to depersonalize sexual habits of their partner and understand that these are a factor of personality rather than individual choices and behaviors. Incorporating the Enneagram into therapeutic work also builds deep understanding of the self and partner. Type specific strategies can be used to approach the partner and meet their needs. Judgement decreases as the Enneagram Model of Sexuality gives partners language to communicate about their sexual selves.
Objectives:
1. Understand the basics of the Enneagram typing system
2. Apply the Enneagram typing system to sexuality in your therapy practice
3. Learn how to have compassion & understanding for your clients in your office around their differing Enneagram types & sexual approaches
* This CE activity offered by Minnesota Association of Marriage and Family is approved by the Minnesota Board of Social Work as an approved CE Provider (approval valid through July 25, 2026).
This CE activity is pending CE approval with Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health and Board of Marriage and Family Therapy.
