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The film that says it all...
The Enneagram Prison Project Finds a Village
A Panel of Ex-Cons at the IEA
"You guys have no idea what you're about to go do in Denver," I told two of my favorite ex-cons, during an Enneagram Prison Project (EPP) film shoot this summer. Now, with hindsight, I can honestly tell you that apparently, neither did I.
Clay Tumey and Elam Chance each learned the Enneagram during a program I facilitated in a Texas prison where they were incarcerated several years ago. They may have come to the International Enneagram Association (IEA) Conference in Denver - in part - out of loyalty to me. When they took their seats on a panel at the conference, however, they showed up for themselves. Because of the way in which they did so, the IEA community embraced them, and their raw narratives about how their types contributed to their incarceration and survival "on the inside." This reception was the most beautiful model of non-judgment and compassion that I could have hoped to see.
 As Clay and Elam shared their un-edited stories, the audience was riveted. Each panelist dropped - again and again - into a space of vulnerable self-reflection that profoundly opened our hearts - both to them and to ourselves. Several people watching were quietly sobbing in their seats during the two-hour presentation. With a courage many of us aspire to muster, these two guys relentlessly addressed what it is to be human, to run from pain, to face our regrets, and to attempt to make things right when we finally see a different way to be in the world.
 Using Jasinda Wilder's words, I reminded the group that: "Compassion and pity...are not the same: pity is looking down on someone, feeling sorry for them and offering nothing; compassion is seeing their pain and offering them understanding."
I was peripherally aware of the mounting emotion as Clay and Elam shared their stories. Reflecting on them now, it strikes me afresh at how restorative it is just to simply sit and take in someone else, without judgment. If we do nothing else, listening with an open heart is profoundly transformative, for each of us. We welled up with compassion for the panelists and, in so doing, found more for ourselves. I felt potentiated by their depth of self-disclosure.
 Elam Chance began circling his heart when we met two years ago while he was incarcerated. Many people tell me that they can't decide on their Enneagram Type. This is especially true in prison, where there is a certain safety in not picking. This is why I insist that people choose something, so that we can get to work. Elam came to the decision that he was a Type Seven when he recognized that he was running from the type itself. In his own words... To continue reading Susan's blog, click here...
LISTEN TO AUDIO OF THIS PRESENTATION
To hear a portion of the presentation given at the IEA Conference, click here.
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MEET THE TWO MEN WHO PRESENTED AT THE IEA
THE ENNEAGRAM PRISON PROJECT PANELISTS...
 CLAY TUMEYIn the months leading up to May 21, 2007, Clay Tumey was living a detached existence, withdrawn even from the reverie that his music once was, steadily isolating himself from his own painful life experiences. In a hopeless, suicidal state, an unhealthy Type Five at its destructive worst, Clay's mind had become a playing field in which he devised schemes that would eventually be classified as federal offenses. In an unthinkable act that some might interpret as total self-sabotage, Clay gave himself up to authorities in what proved to actually be a profound step towards personal freedom.  "Growing up in the Dallas suburb of Mesquite, TX, I have lived the majority of my life by the motto: 'If you can't explain your beliefs, they're probably not yours.' Accordingly, I've always had a steady desire to push the envelope in an effort to learn new things and experience life in a less typical way than most. This culminated in a trip to prison, which is where I was introduced to Susan Olesek, the Enneagram, and a desperately needed new perspective. After my release in August 2010, I went home with a newly discovered awareness and a certainty that prison was amongst the best things to ever happen to me. With a better understanding of self, I appreciate my new ability to simply see people as unique rather than wrong, valuable instead of worthless, and necessary instead of dispensable."
 ELAM CHANCE Misdiagnosed since childhood as manic-depressive, Elam Chance grew up feeling shamed in ways that have kept him running from himself for the majority of his life. Turning to hard-core drugs, and a violent protest of his own life circumstances, Elam found himself in a frenzied spiral which culminated in nine years of prison. While doing the remainder of his "time," before seeing parole, Elam was introduced to the Enneagram. After a compelling read of the Seven chapter, Elam saw himself with a recognition that was suddenly hopeful. He recognized that the all too familiar labels for the dysfunction with which he was identified, were merely unhealthy manifestations of his personality structure, but not all of whom he knew himself to be...  "I felt like I was just herded through the gauntlet of life. I thought I was just so messed up. I really believed something was wrong with me. When I met Susan Olesek and read about my type using the Enneagram, I think I was finally able to see inside of myself. I know that I had all of the unhealthy aspects of Type Seven and Eight, but she helped me to recognize that I had the good parts, too. When I got out of prison, all I wanted to do was run. Sevens have a lot of hurt. I realized that I was never disciplined, I think I was able to see in myself and know that I had to focus on what I wanted. So, I took a breath and had a sober moment, for a change... When I got out, I took a remedial job, signed myself up for child support and worked 13-14 hours shifts to put myself on a disciplined track." |
YOUR SUPPORT IS APPRECIATED
Stand with Us to Do This Work.
Elam Chance, Suzanne Dion, Susan Olesek, Rick Olesek, and Clay Tumey Enneagram Prison Project Come alongside us and join the momentum we are building to bring the Enneagram system to the incarcerated. It really will take a village. And we believe we have one...
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EPP and IEA-Nor Cal Invite you to:
An Evening of Sharing Next Saturday Night!
An evening of sharing with like-minded friends. Including a short presentation with Susan Olesek and Elam Chance on the EPP | 4:00 - 8:00 p.m | Sunday |
September 14, 2013 |
Rumor has it that you have been touched - in one way or another - by this intriguing tool for self-discovery known as The Enneagram. For myself, I find my work around this system at once deeply satisfying, and sometimes a little too solitary. It is with this sentiment that - together with the Northern California chapter of the IEA - I would like to invite you to come and gather for an evening at my home, watching the sunset on my porch, and sharing parts of who we are with one another. We will be offering delicious food (guaranteed, because it's a potluck), some serious communion with like-minded friends (familiar and new), and a short, but compelling presentation about the Enneagram Prison Project, something close to my heart. We're delighted to be joined by one of my dear friends and favorite ex-cons, the renowned Elam Chance. We will be holding space for you to come as you are, and see - in person - how the whole truly is greater than the sum of its parts. We are located in the city of Los Gatos, three miles up a mountain, "Next to the moon!" shouted a lively repair-man once. SO, please RSVP to get directions, consider carpooling, bring a sweater, come early and stay late. We are looking forward to spending time with you. Click here for more information. Contact Susan at 408 829 1807.  
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About the Enneagram Prison Project...
 In April of 2012, Susan Olesek - an Enneagram Facilitator-Trainer based in California - founded THE ENNEAGRAM PRISON PROJECT (EPP). With the help of a newly established Board of Directors, Susan remains determined to bring the immense transformation she witnessed working with hundreds of inmates to the hundreds of thousands she knows are newly incarcerated every year in the United States alone.
Our Mission
EPP is a non-profit dedicated to the self-awareness education of the incarcerated through the Enneagram. The education process includes iincludes in-depth study of the Enneagram system combined with mindfulness meditation and awareness practices.
 
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Please join our mailing list... |
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"Society needs to better be able to deal with bringing incarcerated men and women back into society, and I think that the Enneagram is a really profound and powerful tool for doing that.
One of the things that the Enneagram teaches us is that: number one, we have to practice acceptance. We have to see not only accept ourselves for who we are, but other people for who they are. We have to not just see them for who they are, but accept them where they are in their challenges and their struggles with life. Obviously, this is something that people who are incarcerated and who are looking to find ways to come back into society need support for. Susan's program is excellent at doing that.
Susan herself is a gifted facilitator. She has a huge heart. She has a real intuitive sense of how to reach people who are difficult to reach and she's been able to do that through this project.
I highly recommend that people support the Enneagram Prison Project. I think it's something that everybody in the Enneagram community can be proud of, and it's a great example of the difference that the Enneagram can make in people's lives and
also in society."
- Mario Sikora
Former IEA President, Entrepreneur, Teacher,
and IEA Board Member
August 4, 2013
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"...here's a population of people that we discount,
that [we] think can't benefit, they can't grow, they can't learn the Enneagram and it's basics and it's fundamentals, and the power of transformation...
that's what moved me, not just the stories - which were profound, and moving - but the work they're doing, the changes they're making in their lives, and the hope. All the populations we think can't be reached CAN be reached, and that's what EPP is exemplifying."
- Dr. David Daniels
Founder, Enneagram Studies in the Narrative Tradition (ESNT)
Clinical Professor of Psychiatry
Stanford Medical School
Stanford University
August 4, 2013
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"When I got into the Enneagram many years ago it was for the sake of things like this happening. Just seeing the power in people, seeing a deeper truth about themselves, the power to transform lives, the power to turn things around even when we think that might be very very difficult, is something that moves me very deeply, I think this is a sacred and intelligent direction for our society as a whole.
I'm totally in support of the Enneagram Prison Project and I hope you will be too. This is what this work is really about, this kind of compassionate offering."
- Russ Hudson
Author, Renowned Enneagram Teacher, Trainer, and
Thought-leader
August 4, 2013
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"Susan's love makes a difference. It is the Enneagram, but it's not just the tool, but the way in which she works with incarcerated and made them feel loved - that they deserved to be loved. I think that is what helped trigger and helps bring about change. It was really touching to see that [at the IEA presentation] and I hope that she gets all the support that she deserves to grow this work even more.
I'm really proud of how Susan has been brave to take on this project and make it known to the community, having done so with a lot of passion and with a lot of sacrifice as well as
with a lot of love.
- Maria José Munita
IEA President, 2013
August 4, 2013
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