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May 5, 2023 · Call it enlightenment, call it a transcendence; ego death is one of the most profound (and sometimes frightening) experiences someone can have in their life. We asked the experts what ego death really means, how it happens, and how to achieve it.
- Overview
- History of Ego Death
- Signs of Ego Death
- What Triggers Ego Death?
- Positive Benefits of Ego Death
- Potential Pitfalls of Ego Death
- A Word From Verywell
Ego death, also known as ego dissolution, is a phenomenon commonly linked with the use of psychedelics. It's described by people who have experienced it as a feeling of losing one's self. It is termed so because it has been reported as feeling like a form of dying in which one lets go of their sense of self and identity.
Psychedelics that have triggered ego death include LSD, psilocybin, and ketamine. Words that have been used to describe the experience include eye-opening, cathartic, blissful, and scary. Understanding what one means when one refers to the ego is crucial to understand ego death better.
The ego is your self-identity. It is determined by how you view yourself. More than you may realize, your ego determines how you perceive and go through the world. It determines how you interact with others and the degree of your self-esteem.
Now that you understand what your ego is, you can view ego death as the realization that it holds significantly less importance than most people place on it. Visualize your ego as a deck of cards built into a tower and ego death as the collapse of this tower.
While the premise of ego death may seem terrifying, it may surprise you that people seek out the experience of "ego death."
The history of ego death as an idea can actually be traced to centuries-old religious and spiritual practices, such as Zen Buddhism, as a method of communion with the universe or a given deity. In more recent decades it has also come to be associated with psychedelic use. People turn to recreational psychedelic use for one of many reasons, one of which is phenomena like ego death.
Ego death is a highly personal experience. People who have experienced it share sentiments like feeling they lost themselves or feeling like they were one with the universe.
In a 2020 study into the link between glutamate use and ego death, researchers observed that higher levels of glutamate in the medial prefrontal cortical resulted in a negative experience of ego death, while lower levels in hippocampal glutamate were associated with a positive experience of ego death.
Although it's often linked with psychedelic use, other things can bring on ego death. Ego death may either be induced by psychedelic use or entering a deep meditative state. Other life-altering experiences like near-death experiences and childbirth have also been linked to experiences akin to ego death.
Spiritual people believe it can be conjured by your mind alone by entering a deeply meditative state. For Buddhists, the phenomenon is described as enlightenment. For Sufi Muslims, it's called Fana, which is defined as the passing away of self. It translates to "Die in God." For Sufi Muslims, Fana is achieved by constantly reflecting upon the qualities of God.
Improved Well-Being
In a 2022 study into psychedelic use and the role ego death and connectedness play on your mental well-being, researchers found that there are potentially beneficial therapeutic effects, including improved psychological well-being. This is especially true across several mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, and substance use disorder. Researchers also suggested that isolation and being overly self-focused, which are at the opposite ends of the scale of ego death and connectedness, may be linked with mental suffering.
Default Mode Network
Research shows a link between your ego and sense of self with your default mode network (DMN). The DMN is thought to be responsible for many things, including ego, emotion, morality, and empathy. How you view yourself and how much value you place on your sense of self and your self-identity all culminate in forming your ego. Some people regard the ego as a lens through which they view the world. People who argue for the benefits of ego death suggest that this lens is often restrictive. So, in turn, they believe that ego death serves to remove these restrictions. Where ego death is triggered by psychedelic use, there appears to be a dulling in the activity in your DMN, which is thought to possibly trigger ego death.
While ego death can be a potentially blissful experience, it can also be a terrifying experience. People react uniquely to psychedelics. Factors such as a history of drug use, gender, age, and other environmental factors all come into play in determining your psychedelic experience.
It's possible to have negative reactions to psychedelic use. For instance, you might experience the following:
•Nausea
•Sleep problems
•Dry mouth
•Sweating
Ego death is undoubtedly a dynamic experience. However, whether this is good or harmful to you has long been a topic of conversation amongst psychedelic experts and enthusiasts. It's crucial to note that the recreational use of substances such as psychedelics can be accompanied by many unpleasant and potentially fatal side effects.
7 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
1.Kałużna A, Schlosser M, Gulliksen Craste E, Stroud J, Cooke J. Being no one, being One: The role of ego-dissolution and connectedness in the therapeutic effects of psychedelic experience. JPS. 2022;6(2):111-136.
2.Harvard Library. Timothy Leary’s legacy and the rebirth of psychedelic research
3.Mason NL, Kuypers KPC, Müller F, et al. Me, myself, bye: regional alterations in glutamate and the experience of ego dissolution with psilocybin. Neuropsychopharmacol. 2020;45(12):2003-2011.
Feb 16, 2023 · Plenty of people through the ages claim to have undergone experiences in which they totally lost their sense of self-identity. Some who’ve experienced ego death describe it as positive and life-changing, while others have insisted it was terrifying and destabilizing. Learn more about what ego death is.
Apr 13, 2024 · An “ego death” or ego dissolution refers to a profound, intense and transformational experience where a person’s sense of self or personal identity dissolves or is temporarily lost.
Feb 13, 2024 · Throughout history, many people have talked about times when they felt like they completely lost who they were. Some say it changed their lives for the better, while others say it was scary and made them feel lost. Let’s explore what ego death means. Ego death is when you feel like you’ve lost your sense of self.
Nov 16, 2023 · Ego death (or psychological death) is a term that has been used to describe a process of dissolving the ego. It is a concept found in philosophy, mysticism, and psychology, which suggests that our normal sense of self can be transcended, allowing us to reach a higher level of consciousness.
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Dec 10, 2023 · In recent years, the concept of “Ego Death” has gained significant traction among psychologists, spiritual seekers, and even the general public. It represents a profound shift in self-perception and consciousness, often described as the loss or transcendence of the sense of personal identity.
