The 3 Centers

Unlock the Power of the 3 Centers of Intelligence

The wisdom tradition behind the Enneagram holds that humans are “three-brained beings”—that we function through three different “centers of intelligence.”.

Understanding how imbalanced Centers of Intelligence negatively impact us and what we can do to activate centers that are underdeveloped can an unlock greater self-awareness ,improve decision making and help you naviagate relationships with deeper insight.
Celtic Symbol

What Are the 3 Centers?

The Enneagram teaches that human intelligence is expressed through three primary centers: Thinking (Head), Feeling (Heart), and Instinct (Body). Each center represents a fundamental way of processing the world and is associated with three Enneagram types.

Understanding your dominant center can unlock greater self-awareness, improve decision-making, and help you navigate relationships with deeper insight.

3 Centers of Intelligence
3 Centers

Hover over a center

Move your cursor over the head, heart, or body.

Head Center

HEAD CENTER - think it is true

Decisions made through the Head Centre often become a quest for certainty. They can feel deeply significant and real, yet are somewhat abstract—almost as if the decision exists independently, in a separate, objective realm. In the process of deciding, the world is divided by thought into a conceptual framework of duality—pros and cons—which are then examined and balanced through logic and analysis

When relationships are navigated primarily through the Head Centre, they can feel detached, as though the person is watching from a distance—acting as an observer, a thinker, a dreamer, a pragmatist, or an optimistic re-interpreter of what might be. Rumi cautions against excessive reliance on the mind in matters of the heart when he writes, “Cease thinking, lest you pour kerosene over all that which is lush and green.”

“All which is beautiful and noble is the result of reason and calculation

HEART CENTRE - feel it is true

Decision-making often revolves around the Heart Centre, though for many of us its influence remains unconscious. Expressed in terms of what we like or dislike, where passion or ease is felt, we intuitively know that we won’t fully commit if our heart isn’t in it. Reconnecting with the feeling that tells us “this feels right” strengthens our sense of engagement, fosters collaboration, and helps us prioritize the choices that truly matter to us.

The Heart Centre is often our compass in the realm of relationships—as Rumi beautifully puts it, “Love is the bridge between you and everything.” When used wisely, the Heart Centre helps us feel and express emotions with balance and clarity. However, over-reliance on it can result in hypersensitivity, a tendency to interpret everything through a personal lens, or the use of emotion to influence or control others.

“The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen nor touched but are felt in the heart

Instinctual Center v2

INSTINCTUAL CENTRE - It is

Decisions made through the Moving or Instinctual Centre are grounded in direct experience. The Body Centre seeks engagement—it wants to act, respond, and physically interact with a situation to gauge where we stand. Here, a decision isn’t an abstract idea, but something we do. Gut knowing arises from our immediate, embodied sense of reality—often described as intuition or common sense. We access this deep and often immediate knowing when something is present for the instinctive wisdom is a sense rooted in the felt experience of what’s unfolding

Relating with conscious awareness of the Instinctual Centre cultivates grounded presence and authentic action. By noticing physical tension or arising impulses, we become attuned to our body’s instinctive response, allowing us to respond appropriately, set healthy boundaries, and find inner calm. While it can lead to impulsiveness the conscious use anchors us in our physical presence and sense of identity. This embodied awareness strengthens our ability to engage with the world confidently and authentically,

"Never ignore your first instinct just because it isn't what you want to believe."

Nasrudin Teaches us how to look

A little anecdotes or parable related to the movement of awareness comes from a collection of stories about the historical Sufi figure, Nasrudin. Nasrudin is a historial sufi figure who often plays the role of the “wise fool” in stories. In doing so he provides lessons through actions that may seem nonsensical, silly, or foolish but are more impactful than any simple intellectual explanation.

One evening, Nasrudin was out near a sidewalk, looking through the grass and bushes under the light of a lamp post.

A friend of his walked by and asked what Nasrudin was up to. “I’m searching for my house keys,” said Nasrudin.

The friend offered to help, and the two spent a considerable amount of time continuing to search under the light of the lamp post.

Finally, the friend asked, “Where did you last have your keys?” “Oh, back at my house” replied Nasrudin.

Exasperated, the friend shouted, “Then why are we looking here?!” Nasrudin plainly stated, “Because the light’s better here. than at my house”

The Centers of Intelligence are not as Simple as you think.

It is not always a good idea to identify one’s Enneagram Type from one’s assumed intelligence centre. This is because the journey of self-awareness that takes us to our true centre often starts in another centre and then takes us to our Type’s centre. This journey of self awareness of centres is different for each type and indeed for each person.

Working with the Head Center

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Leather Worker Thinking on Ideas

Working with the Heart Center

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Working with the Body Center

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Non venenatis est ante vel felis. Morbi rutrum nulla sed nunc semper, accumsan maximus risus posuere. Nunc aliquet risus ipsum, id blandit neque porttitor ut. Duis dignissim, nulla ut elementum dictum, urna nisi bibendum purus, ac faucibus ex elit quis urna.

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Curabitur sit amet nunc suscipit, viverra odio vel, fringilla nulla. Curabitur elementum libero non urna vehicula ornare. Sed nec velit at purus efficitur dignissim. Fusce non dolor arcu. Ut vitae dui id est euismod ultricies.

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Elementum ac augue ac, accumsan molestie ex. Pellentesque viverra condimentum sapien vel fermentum. Vivamus ex lectus, tempor id purus non, malesuada egestas metus. Ut tincidunt ac ex ut viverra. Morbi hendrerit sem sit amet lacus dictum tincidunt.

Explore Our Test Options

The Three Centers of Intelligence

We offer a range of test options designed to meet different needs, from personal insights to in-depth business assessments. Choose the option that fits you or your organization.

Head Center

Types 5, 6, 7

People in the Head Center process the world through logic, analysis, and future planning. They seek security, knowledge, and certainty but can struggle with overthinking and anxiety.

Key Growth Focus: Trusting intuition and balancing logic with emotional awareness.

Heart Center

Types 2, 3, 4

Those in the Heart Center navigate life through emotions, relationships, and self-image. They seek validation, connection, and meaning but may struggle with self-worth and external approval.

Key Growth Focus: Developing inner confidence beyond external validation.

Body Center

Types Types 8, 9, 1

People in the Body Center experience life through gut instincts, physicality, and personal boundaries. They seek autonomy, control, and harmony but can struggle with resistance, anger, or repression.

Key Growth Focus: Balancing instinct with emotional and mental reflection.

Understand the 3 Centers of Intelligence

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How to Work with Your Center

Each center has its strengths and challenges, but true growth comes from balancing all three. Here are some key practices:

Sit down and bring two hands to your belly, around the navel. Try to sit with good posture without leaning back, ensuring that neither the chest nor head lean forward more than the belly. For about five minutes, concentrate on your breath, while you try to sense your abdomen.

Then, stand up and, for about three minutes, walk with your hand still on your inflated belly (as if you were pregnant, regardless of gender). Notice the temperature, noises in the room, and any sensation in your body (vitality or tiredness, hunger or thirst). Try to occupy and delimit your territory when you walk. Try to sense how it is to live life through an instinctual experience. When you finish, come back to your normal walk, observing how fast your body posture changes when you take your hand off your belly.

Sit down and bring one of your hands to your chest. Try to sit down with good posture, ensuring that neither the head nor belly lean forward more than the chest. For about five minutes, concentrate on your breath, while you try to sense your heart space. Then, stand up and, for about three minutes, walk with your hand on your chest, having it a bit “inflated” and leaning it more forward than your head and your belly. If possible, try to do this exercise with other people and look into their eyes and smile as you pass them.

Try to sense what it is like to live life through an emotional experience. When you finish, come back to your normal walk, observing how fast your body posture changes when you take your hand off your chest.

Sit down and bring one of your hands to your forehead. Try to sit down with good posture, making sure that neither the chest nor belly lean forward more than the head. For about five minutes, concentrate on your breath, while you focus your attention on your whole head space. Then, stand up, and for about three minutes, walk with your hand on your forehead and with the head leaning forward beyond your chest and belly.

Try to sense how it is to live life through a mental experience. When you finish, come back to your normal walk, observing how fast your body posture changes when you take your hands off your forehead.

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About the Enneagram

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What is the Enneagram?

Learn about how the Enneagram can help you better understand yourself and others.

3 Centers icon
Introduction to the 3 Centers

Discover the Head, Heart, and Body Centers and how they shape your core responses to the world.

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Introduction to Nine Types

An overview of the nine Enneagram types and the unique traits that define each one.

3 Instincts icon
The 3 Instincts

Explore the three key instincts—Self-preservation, Social, and Sexual—and their influence on you.

27 SubTypes icon
Introduction to the 27 SubTypes

Explore the Enneagram’s 27 subtypes and how they refine the nine core types.​

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Publications

Access books, articles, and resources from leading Enneagram experts to deepen your understanding.

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