Troy Phillips
EPP Ambassador
Troy Phillips is an EPP Ambassador, originally from Tahachapi and now living in Bakersfield, CA. Through his work with the Enneagram Prison Project, Troy learned that, while he will always be seeking safety and security, he can also address any issue or circumstance by paying attention to his thoughts and feelings and expressing them in a safe place. In his own words, he’s “learned to respond and not react when he’s triggered.” According to Troy, “this an ongoing process and I am still learning. I also know that I have caring people around me [who are] full of support at any time.” These days, Troy is learning to remodel and build homes while getting his own handyman service business off the ground. Troy is still learning how to spend time outside of work, he says, but “relaxation is it.”
"Physically, when EPP found me, I was in prison at San Quentin under a [three-strikes] life sentence. Mentally I was…locked in a box, living in a cage in my mind. I didn’t even know… I needed to unlock that door.
EPP has helped me come to terms with what went on in my life as a child, as a young adult, and into my adulthood. It’s helped me understand that I have safety and security issues that I deal with.
EPP has given me a home away from home, a family I never had. EPP has opened a door…it’s a place where it’s safe and I can talk about anything.
I don’t have to do this life alone and there are people there that can help. That’s the greatest gift. EPP has helped me rely on myself and others. I don’t have to live in a cage, or in a self, anymore. I choose to reach out and EPP has helped me with that.
AN EPP Ambassador is somebody that is continually working with EPP. They give insight...for people that are going to go work in the prison system. Ambassadors give good firsthand knowledge.
The Enneagram has really really helped me. When I came in I was skeptical. But just sitting there, listening to the guides, knowing that they’re teaching and giving information from their heart, really opened up.
Outside of my incarceration for the past sixteen months, EPP has been there day in and day out --any time I need them, they continue to help and they will always be there to help. They’re family. They just call to check in on me. That’s a good thing. The learning doesn’t stop."
