*The following is an excerpt from the book “Dreaming of Cupcakes: A Food Addict’s Shamanic Journey into Healing:”

In Buddhism, there are three personality types, which Jack Kornfield goes over in his book “The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology:” grasping, aversive, and deluded.  These are sort of the lenses that we see the world through…His book describes the differences between these types and gives a guide for how to identify which category individuals fit into.  Kornfield says that “[t]he unhealthy patterns of our personality can be recognized and transformed into a healthy expression of our natural temperament.” I will describe each of them briefly complete with their light aspects and their shadow ones.

Aversive Types are survival oriented.  They tend not to be terribly politically correct and they don’t care much whether their views are unpopular.  They are on alert for any danger or problems that might be in the space they are in.  Because they are mainly interested in survival, they are very interested in energy conservation. They can be aggressive in their approach when they are operating in the dark side of their characters.  In the light, they are assertive and direct.  Their shining is that they know how to survive and they can be fantastic leaders who know how to delegate to people who are skilled in various areas in order to bring a goal to fruition.

Deluded Types have a natural connection with the spiritworld.  They are quirky and dance to the beat of their own drummer.  They are often artistic and creative and they put their attention on beauty.  Their strength is their ability to tap into the world of Spirit to pull down a vision.  Their weakness is that they can get caught up in that world and forget about the physical and human laws that govern their existence here on Earth.  They are often late to events and can become easily overwhelmed and confused.  When under stress, they tend to check out and visit their dream worlds so they do not have to deal with the discomfort they feel in the physical world.  In the light, they can be true beacons showing people the way into new ways to be in the world that are more life-giving.

Grasping Types have a vision for how the world “should” be.  They like to help– even when it means overriding their own needs.  They are natural mediators with a healthy dose of diplomacy.  Their shining is that they can often come up with creative solutions to the world’s problems.  They are the worker bees who will put their energy toward a dream that benefits the global community.  Their pitfall is that they can sometimes get so caught up with their vision that they refuse to accept the reality of the situation or world where it is in the moment.  Presence can be hard for them.  There is also a tendency towards “right” and “wrong” thinking–making things into a dichotomy.

I am a Grasping Type.  Learning that this is just the lens I see life through really helped me to ease up on myself and on the universals I lived by (always/never) that were simply not true.  I know I am not positive all the time and that used to be unacceptable to me. However, it is the truth in the moment.  It is authentic.  Learning to accept that and also accept that the negative states offer a window into the shadow part of my nature gives me a unique opportunity to see what needs to be healed or shifted.  In that way, negativity is essential to my evolution.

Jennifer Engrácio has been a student of shamanism since 2005. Jennifer is a certified teacher who has worked with children in many different education settings since 2001. She is a certified shamanic coach, reiki master, and lomilomi practitioner; in addition, she runs Spiral Dance Shamanics. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, she now lives in Calgary, Canada with her life partner.