# Is there a better meditation practice for each intelligence (or personality) type?



## Google Mail (Dec 1, 2018)

Hi!
I started practicing Transcendental Meditation 3 years ago, it has been a very interesting and helpful discover, but I often wonder if there would be a better technique for each of the three intelligence types.

For example, I consider myself a rational, 5 type, and I mainly have problems in being in the moment, being grounded, being focused on what's happening, being more concrete and less imaginative and not detaching from situations. 
I consider Transcendental Meditation as a very "mind-focused" technique, because it consists in repeating a mantra for some time during the day, while other techniques focus on breathing, body and emotion awareness and so on.

I therefore sometimes ask myself if there would be more useful to practice a more "physically-based" meditation in my case (and maybe for all rational types) while a more "emotional-based" meditation for instinctual types and a more "mind-based" meditation for emotional types (each one with its theoretically weaker intelligence).
It could even be the opposite, so that rational types could focus more on a "mind-based" meditation to learn to control their thoughts and so on for the other two types.

What do you think? Do you have knowledge/experience about that topic?

Maybe in the end every meditation technique allows us to reach the same goal, to be free and present, but I honestly don't know because I never found an answer to that question from others and I don't have the experience to say it myself.

Thanks for your attention and have a nice day!


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## Handsome Dyke (Oct 4, 2012)

I'm not sure what emotional- or physical-based meditation would be like. I suspect that meditation is only suitable for people with certain cognitive styles and likely cannot be extended to all cognitive styles. I've definitely derived psychological benefits from increasing my physical activity, but I can't think of how any of that activity could be considered meditative. 

As an Enneagram type 5, I have found meditation unsuitable for me, and I doubt its suitability for other type 5s. Although all the types of meditation I've ever heard of are _sort_ of physical in the sense that the meditator is supposed to focus on her breathing, I've found that sitting quietly with nothing interesting to focus on is a perfect situation to start my mind roaming, which is the exact opposite of what a type 5 needs (and I suspect that this is true of many NTs, not just type 5s). I also seriously doubt that Se doms (and maybe type 7s) need to be any more "present" than they already are.


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## Tijaax (Dec 14, 2017)

As a fast reference for you, sorry for not developing it properly;

Enneagram 5 dominant on all the test and big preference to INTP archetype.

Mindfullness (clearing, releasing and thinking about nothing ...wow such pleasure) for learning to tame the mind. Active meditation for embodying, like walking or doing some exercices while focus on the movement and breath. I don't need a concrete scenario to do that it is almost integrated in the daily life.

I'm not much on mantras, i prefer developing the "skills" in a raw mode.

I would add shadow work as a important piece, but maybe we are going too far.


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## WickerDeer (Aug 1, 2012)

I have limited experience with meditation.

When I first learned it, it was more focused on releasing thoughts. Just acknowledging them and basically moving attention away from them towards a state of mental inactivity.

So it's hardly something that facilitates wandering minds.

I do find that rewarding, and I like that I learned that kind of meditation initially, but I prefer to do more visualizations--using imagination. That's how I was as a kid--my imagination was very vivid, and I like having exercises where I am actually expected to use it. 

I'm not sure about how meditation is defined--I tend to feel like we can have a 'meditative state' which is basically like a single focus that limits distractions. I think it's different for everyone--for me figure drawing, or drawing from life, in general, becomes meditative because I am hyperfocused and so I cannot really just think of all kinds of things. I imagine many many activities can facilitate this, according to the individuals.

But visualizations are also considered types of meditation it seems, and I also enjoy those--though I think they are more similar to reading a fiction book where you have more control over the story and plot.

I do like taking a break at times and meditating to break from thoughts--I think another version of this can help with sleep. Like just giving your mind permission to become inactive. But while it can be refreshing, I find I enjoy and get more excited about visualizations.

I do not think that meditation really gets someone out of their heads in any substantial way. I think it's helpful to do, but it's very head focused. However, getting engrossed in something outside of yourself to the point of hyperfocus could be idk. For me, with art, I am also producing something that others can see and interact with, which is very different than when I am meditating.

So maybe for a type 5 doing an activity that is meditative can help you to come outside of yourself--whether it be art, research, collecting...anything that results in some kind of tangible product.


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## Google Mail (Dec 1, 2018)

I know, I'm pretty late with the reply 

However, thanks for the answers, the truth is I found out what meditation really is, at least for me, and it is basically always the same thing, no matter how you practice it. It also serve for a purpose which is not "being more embodied" / "have less thoughts" / "be more detached from emotions" but something really bigger.

Thanks again and sorry for the late reply.


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