There are many challenges people can face as they tread through life. The faith that we had learned since childhood and habits we had developed out of survival can shake as we learn more about who we are in absence of other people’s presence and societal influence. A fact of life that Bill and Kristi Gaultiere had first-handedly experienced and learned from. As an objective perspective, the Gaultiere had published a great resource that can help introduce and explain the complexities of the Enneagram.

The Gaultieres use the Enneagram as a spiritual psychology tool and they explain it as such with plenty of examples for each Enneatype. As known quietly throughout the Enneagram community, giving credit where credit is due can be a difficult thing. But the Gaultieres do a wonderful job by giving their respect to the resources that helped them create this book. In an orderly fashion, the authors really do the readers justice as they format the contents in an easy-to-understand manner along with their accessible and conversational writing style. Such as the title, the book’s sections are categorized in each center of intelligence’s core feelings, and then dives into each type explanation.

Throughout the book, the Gaultieres explains Jesus in each type and offers practical exercises to help each person become more compassionate with their type. These practices allows individuals to create their own framework so that they can better seek a deeper understanding of themselves and a more robust connection with their faith, particularly the Christian faith.

While the book excels in merging psychology, spirituality, and religion, some readers may find certain sections to be more tailored towards a Christian audience. It gives the Christian community a great resource to dive into the Enneagram with their terminology. However, the overtly religious references and expressions might limit the book’s appeal to those from different faith traditions or those who identify as non-religious.

As Enneagram scholars may learn, the history of the Enneagram is shrouded in mystery as several religious faiths try to claim a piece of it’s origin story. As a caution, readers should be quite careful with published works that claim to know exactly where the Enneagram was created from. Readers should take Healthy Feelings, Thriving Faith as one part of the truth, and view this as one resource to jumpstart their own Enneagram journey.

To conclude, Healthy Feelings, Thriving Faith is a well-written and insightful guide that marries psychology, spirituality, and religion. Bill and Kristi Gaultiere offer readers a map to emotional well-being while nurturing a flourishing faith. This book is not only a valuable resource for individuals treading the complexities of their inner world but also weaves an example of how connected people’s emotional health is tied to their spiritual vitality.

Image source: https://www.soulshepherding.org/

Authors Bill and Kristi Gaultiere are both psychologists and spiritual directors. For more information, please visit their website, Soul Shepherding.