Nuances of Type and Subtype

From Surviving to Thriving

A contemplative, metaphoric exploration into our instinctual drives and how they impact the soul’s thriving.

Man was composed of two natures, the animal or lower self and the spiritual or higher self, and this is because the former is necessary to the development of the latter.
— The Zohar

For practitioners, guides, and sincere seekers ready to enter the Enneagram as a lived path of transformation.

Module 2 of 5 — Contemplative Enneagram Practitioner Certification

This module is part of the Contemplative Enneagram Practitioner Certification (CEP) training and certification program, while also standing fully on its own as a complete and transformative experience.

About this Course

Our instinctual drivers are often seen as primitive and as driving our basic survival needs. However, we will explore our instincts as foundations for our thriving–our shared flourishing–our ability to embody our divine potential. By learning what instinctual priorities we default to, we can begin to free ourselves from their sense of urgency and make freer, more conscious choices that support our desire for spiritual connection and communion with Ultimate Reality.

What you will learn

In this course, you will

  • Learn about our instinctual drives–their aims and energies–and the instinctual needs they are trying to get met. Discover the alchemy that occurs between our instinctual drives and the passions and mental fixations of our Enneagram personality types.
  • Gain an overview of some of the main yet differing views in circulation today on the role of the instincts in Enneagram inner development.
  • Explore how instinctual priorities (sometimes called our instinctual stack, sequence, or patterns-of-expression) can impact our relationship to our spirituality, including our relationship to the Divine, and how we relate to spiritual community, companionship, and our contemplative and other spiritual practices.

What's Included

This self-study program includes access to approximately 14 hours of video teachings and discussion, recorded live, along with access to dozens of slides.  Move at your own pace and engage the material in your own rhythm. This program counts toward IEA professional accreditation points.

These recordings will remain available for your continued reflection and integration—accessible indefinitely, and for at least one full calendar year from the time of purchase or your live session, whichever is longer.

Your tuition may be applied toward our Enneagram-Informed Spiritual Direction program, should you choose to  deepen in this path.

Accreditation and Certificate of Completion

IEA Accreditation Points

This counts toward 14 IEA professional accreditation hours,

Certificate of Completion

Participants who complete this module may request a Certificate of Completion. This is distinct from full certification as a Contemplative Enneagram Practitioner, which requires completion of the full CEP program.

To request your certificate, please email: revnhien@evolvingenneagram.com

Program Investment

$400

Nuances of Type and Subtype from Surviving to Thriving

A Self-Study Course

✔ 14 hours of recorded teachings

✔ Unlimited access for a minimum of one year

✔ Discover the nuances of type and subtype and how they impact the soul’s thriving 

✔ Purchase price is fully credited to Evolving Enneagram Spiritual Direction Program

Considering the Spiritual Explorers or the Certified Practitioner Path?

For those feeling called to continue more deeply into contemplative formation, the Spiritual Explorers Path includes both Modules 1 & 2 and serves as the opening gateway into the full CEP Training & Certification Path.

Learn more about CEP and SE

Registration for the 2026-2027 cohort opens soon.

Subscribe to our e-newsletter to be notified as soon as registration opens and receive a substantial Early Bird discount code.

Facilitator Bio

This program is guided by Rev. Nhien Vuong.

Rev. Nhien is the founder of Evolving Enneagram and a contemplative teacher, spiritual director, and international presenter. Her work integrates the Enneagram with contemplative practice, guiding individuals and communities into deeper presence, wholeness, and compassionate awareness.

She has been studying the Enneagram since 2002 and teaching it since 2006. She is a Certified Somatic Enneagram™ practitioner and a Certified Awareness to Action Enneagram Professional, and is among fewer than 30 practitioners worldwide accredited by the International Enneagram Association (IEA) with Distinction.

Full Bio

The animal body is the temple of the soul, and the soul is the light of the body.

— Hildegard of Bingen.

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