Ego death is a temporary state of consciousness that allows you to discover your true self. This concept marks a turning point for many individuals, and the experience is usually blissful and insightful.
For people who are not aware of and enriched with spirituality, this encounter can be so overwhelming that it becomes terrifying. But what is ego death, and how do you experience this life-changing phenomenon? Does it mean actual death?
What is ego?
Before learning about ego death, you have to understand what ego means. The ego is a philosophical and psychological concept that involves self-perception and identity. The ego plays a crucial role when questioning an individual about their identity.
People often associate ego with arrogance, conceit, and high self-esteem, but a closer look at ego shows that it creates a balance between the superego and id. Sigmund Freud defines the superego as the collection of moralistic ideas we accumulate from childhood. He describes the id as the unconscious state responsible for desires.
The ego acts as a balance between the conscious (superego) and the unconscious (id). Every psychological definition of ego summarizes that it involves our self-identity and who we think we are in the presence of others.
What is ego death?
In simple terms, ego death is an identity loss. It is an instant event where your sense of self-identity dissolves, and you can see your true self and not the misconception you have conjured in your head the whole time.
This occurrence marks a turning point in the lives of many people, as they now realize who they are and their actions from this course of their life will change.
The experience of ego death can be a difficult phase for some people. This happens in cases where people who are not familiar with this concept try to resist the change accompanied by the process. For these kinds of people, the presence of this massive change may cause them to develop mental health problems like depression and anxiety.
Some people define this concept as a temporary state of identity amnesia. A situation where all sense of identity is lost, and you are just observing yourself from a brand-new point of view. All of these still lead to you discovering who you are and leaving behind the identity you have previously created for yourself.
Imagine being outside your body or state of consciousness and feeling an extreme thrill you cannot explain. This is the feeling of ego death in its complete form, and it is always intense, even for those who understand the concept.
The ideal description of the feeling of ego death is that you are unaware of anything. When experiencing ego death, you are unaware of yourself, the world, consciousness, and even space-time. The only feeling you have in this state is a feeling of complete freedom.
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Stages of ego death
For everyone, ego death is unpredictable. For some people, it happens impromptu and instantly, while others may engage in certain activities to trigger it. Some activities that may trigger this feeling include detachment, meditation, or focusing on other spiritual activities.
The occurrence and experience of ego death are different for everyone, but here are some familiar patterns that this concept may follow.
Spiritual awakening
Spiritual awakening may occur when you start questioning your life’s purpose or want to see the bigger picture beyond where you are going. This usually happens after something is a life-altering event. You could experience this after recovery from a severe health condition, the loss of a loved one, or because of an existential crisis.
If you feel like a vital part of you is missing, and the reason for going on daily is weak, you are in a period of spiritual awakening.
The night of the soul
This stage deals with unlearning some of the things you have learned as you grow up. Your newfound discovery of spiritual awakening will lead you to question everything you’ve learned and every action you’ve taken. Experts call it the night of the soul because you will feel lost and confused.
The experience may be overwhelming, and it may seem impossible to get out of this stage. At this stage, you have finally accepted the reality that your previous identity was a fabrication. Along with this realization, the thought of starting to find yourself out of nowhere will consume you.
Exploration and curiosity
With the notion that you are a new person, you will begin to search for your purpose to fill the void in your life. However, your curiosity only gravitates toward things that may serve this purpose. You may take on several spiritual activities at this stage, and you can detach from several things and people.
Your curiosity is a big step toward discovering your true identity. You will start to live more and appreciate the meaningful things around your life.
Soul enlightenment
Soul enlightenment is an intense stage where you get a glimpse of complete ego death and your true nature. For everyone experiencing ego death, this brief revelation marks a turning point.
The old soul
This part of your journey opens you up to spiritual discernment, the ability to tell right and wrong in the spiritual world. At this stage, you learn about the spiritual activities that open you up to negative feelings and those that bring positive impact and peace in your life. These activities nurture your soul into spiritual maturity and teach more about patience, discipline, and focus.
Dissolution
In this stage, your ego completely dissolves, and you are no longer attached to the person you were, but you are embracing your new life ahead. Courage, humility, and detachment play essential roles in this stage.
End of the search
At this stage, the search is over, and you have embraced your true identity. You have let go of any illusion you once had about your happiness, joy, and peace, and the search for purpose and meaning is over.
How to experience ego death
To experience ego death, you need to identify your reasons for wanting this experience. Your reasons should be genuine and deep because this notion is not an unmindful process. Before starting your journey towards ego death, you should ask yourself the reason for doing so.
People who pursue ego death for the mystical feeling may not be spiritually prepared for the intensity of this process. It can be terrifying for these people as ego death is a disorienting occurrence.
You can engage in spiritual activities like meditation, altering your state of consciousness with uncanny movements or training, and consuming psychedelics. Psychedelics are hallucinogenic substances that cause an abnormal state of consciousness when ingested. Consuming this substance can lead to extraordinary psychological change, one of which is the experience of this mystic feeling.
Conclusion
Ego death is an intense process of self-identity that opens individuals up to a new level of living. This blog post summarizes all you need to know about ego death and the crucial stages of this process. You also learn how spirituality plays a role, and how you can experience this uncanny feeling.
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