It’s described by people who have experienced it as a feeling of losing one’s self.
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.
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The ego is “the I” or “me” of yourself-identity.
It is determined by how you view yourself and your degree of self-esteem.
Young children are naturally egocentric and everything is filtered from within their own perspective.
Instead of being distinct from the world, you are one with the universe or one with God.
In any case, you arrive at ground zero and life begins to take on new meaning.
In more recent decades it has also come to be associated with psychedelic use.
LSD and Its Therapeutic Effects
Human beings have dabbled in psychedelic use for over a thousand years.
While government restrictions slowed research into the drug, the curiosity of the medical and scientific community never waned.
These daysadministering psychedelic therapyfor conditions such as depression and anxiety isn’t uncommon.
The potential for psychedelics to improve the psychological well-being of the average person is also being studied.
Early studies recognize that psychedelics have the potential to benefit the average individual therapeutically.
The extent and mechanism of these effects are not entirely understood, however.
In the book, Leary describes how ego death may occur while using LSD.
He mentions that the experience may be terrifying or enlightening depending on how prepared you are for the occasion.
Both are thought to be closely related.
Signs of Ego Death
Ego death is a highly personal experience.
In a 2020 study into the link between glutamate use and ego death.
Other life-altering experiences like near-death experiences and childbirth have also been linked to experiences akin to ego death.
Doing so is strongly frowned upon by many healthcare providers and some religious groups.
This is especially true across several mental health conditions, includingdepression,anxiety, andsubstance use disorder.
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.
People react uniquely to psychedelics.
It’s possible to have negative reactions to psychedelic use.
Final Thoughts
Ego death is undoubtedly a dynamic experience.
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National Institute on Drug Abuse.Psychedelic and dissociative drugs.
