David N. Daniels

David N. Daniels, M.D. (August 30, 1934, to May 26, 2017) was a world-renowned Enneagram teacher, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine, a leading developer of the Enneagram system of nine personality styles, the lead author of the bestseller, The Essential Enneagram (Harper Collins), updated and revised with vital new material in 2009, and wrote the highly anticipated The Enneagram, Relationships, and Intimacy with co-author Suzanne Dion, which was published late 2018. He also co-developed the outstanding DVD, The Enneagram: Nine Paths to a Productive and Fulfilling Life and The Enneagram in the Workplace.

David N. Daniels was educated at Stanford University School of Medicine and completed his medical degree in 1958. He then served on the faculty in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine until 1970 at which point he started a private psychiatry practice. Dr. Daniels discovered the Enneagram in 1984 and worked tirelessly for 33 years until his death in 2017 to bring rigor, scientific thinking, and credibility to the Enneagram. He is considered one of the founding fathers of the modern Enneagram.

In private practice for over 40 years, David also taught the Enneagram system at Stanford University, in the community, and internationally for 33 years. Together with Helen Palmer (author and teacher), he co-founded the Enneagram Studies in the Narrative Tradition (ESNT) now called The Narrative Enneagram (TNE), The Enneagram Professional Training Program (EPTP), and was one of the original founders of the International Enneagram Association (IEA) and led the effort to sponsor the first International Enneagram Association conference at Stanford University.

David brought his knowledge of the Enneagram to individuals, couples, and groups and to a wide range of applications in clinical practice and the workplace. He has developed many innovative workshops, including The Dynamics of Vital Relationships, Anger and Forgiveness, Loss and Grief as Transformers, the Enneagram’s Gift to Love and Life, Intimate Relationships, Love and Will, and The Enneagram’s Gift to Mastering Conflict Constructively and Compassionately.