Responses to the Chris Heuertz Allegations
Word got out into the enneagram community and people are responding.
As the recent allegations against Chris Heuertz have been brought to light in the enneagram community, they draw varying reactions from those who learn about them. As one of the first people to know about these accusations, Brené Brown took down a podcast episode that featured Chris Heuertz and requested that her foreword be removed from his book The Enneagram of Belonging. Likewise, the International Enneagram Association (IEA) issued a statement saying that Chris Heuertz no longer serves on the IEA board and will not be presenting at the IEA co-sponsored conferences in the Great Lakes and Minnesota chapters. Zondervan and the Center for Action and Contemplation have paused any sort of promotional activity related to Chris Heuertz until more information surfaces about this situation.
Ryan O’Neal postponed the production and release of two episodes of his podcast in which Chris Heuertz was a guest. He issued a statement in which he wished for “hope, healing, and reconciliation”, saying nothing about the nature of the allegations. O’Neal has worked closely with Chris Heuertz in the past; his enneagram songs were heavily inspired by the words of Chris Heuertz.
Heath Davis Havlick found the IEA’s statement on the incident “sad” because the IEA extended support and to “any IEA members who have suffered from any abusive relationships in their past” rather than to Chris Heuertz. This can be heard at around 8:13 in her video. She goes on to say that the IEA’s stance implies a presumption of guilt and that the IEA “missed an opportunity” to show unity and compassion. Havlick went on to condemn the recent responses as judgmental and uncompassionate, flying in the face of the nature of enneagram work.
The Turning Point Enneagram Community, a collective group of enneagram teachers, spiritual leaders, and students, responded quite differently from Havlick. This group placed emphasis on the visibility of the abused in their statement and, like Chris Heuertz’s accusers, co-signed their statement. Among these co-signers are Russ Hudson, one of the men behind the RHETI (Riso-Hudson Enneagram Type Indicator), and Katherine Chernick Fauvre, the originator of enneagram tritypes.
As new information surfaces, the handling of the situation surrounding Chris Heuertz will challenge everyone, not just enneagram enthusiasts, to hold spiritual leaders accountable for their actions. Spiritual abuse and trauma are gaining new recognition in spaces that deal with abuse and its effects. Even in places that seem designed for the growth and wellbeing of the individual, abusers can weaponize teachings to do the opposite.
