The Enneagram Prison Project, a personality analysis self-help group, celebrated its graduates by acknowledging what they have accomplished. The event was held in San Quentin’s Chapel B.
In efforts to learn more about his personality graduate Donell Haynie participated in the program, where he learned about things he did not notice in the past.
“Reflecting back on my childhood. I learned that a lot of things that contributed to my life as an adult had been because of certain trauma that I had suffered,” Haynie said. “So because of that for a long time I pretended to be someone I wasn’t in order to live up to the high standards instead of just being comfortable with who I was.”
Resident Haynie expressed how he is able to pass on to his daughter what he learned through the program. He says to learn about psychological development and have a deeper relationship with friends and family is worthwhile.
Haynie said he will use his new found knowledge to better understand his thoughts, and to use the skills he learned in the group to teach his child how to recognize physical and verbal abuse.
“I was able to explain to my daughter why I didn’t allow her to be verbally or physically abused as a child. I didn’t want her to suffer the trauma and pain that I went through,” Haynie stated. “So yes, this group absolutely helped me have a better connection with my daughter.”
Susan Olesek, founded the program, began coming to San Quentin in 2016 to teach residents about the psychological system that helps people understand their behavior.
Olesek facilitated this group with two formerly incarcerated individuals Dustin Baldwin and Alex who served as ambassadors to the program.
Baldwin, paroled in March of 2020, after doing a six-year term said he liked teaching the group because he felt like he’s connecting back with his tribe that he left behind.
“Leaving this place and doing the work wasn’t easy, I had a lot of slips and falls, coming back into a place like this it’s like home you guys are my family,” Baldwin said. “You guys are my people, my tribe, I have connected with my tribe coming back in here”.
Alex served 26 years in prison, has been part of the Enneagram for 10 years. He said he teaches the lessons he learned from the group to help people heal from the same trauma that he had growing up.
“I get a continuous freedom and joy seeing other people heal from the same trauma I had,” Alex said.
He added that the people in prison are not the only one, that gets to enjoy the program, Enneagram is taught all over the country to incarcerated people.
