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Tldr; it quite literally "killed my ego" for a short time and allowed for an unclouded view onto what was going on with me. And that way of reflecting my emotio

Tldr; it quite literally "killed my ego" for a short time and allowed for an unclouded view onto what was going on with me. And that way of reflecting my emotional state stayed with me ever since

9HZZRfNlpR 7y ago
A lot of the people using them mention killing the ego, I've never done anything like that and wonder what do you think under the word ego? I know the literal term obviously.
- magic_beans 7y ago
  The "ego" comprises of what makes you "you" — or more specifically, what you think makes you "you". Your personality, your likes and dislikes, your memories, your history, your judgements. All the things that create your "identity". The ego is your custom filter through which you experience consciousness. It's helpful to be able to experience the world without the influence of the ego, because then you are able to experience the world in a completely unfiltered way. You are able to get closer to an experience of objective truth. Many people who have used psychedelics or work deeply with meditation all come to similar conclusions: the ego is an illusion. All beings are one and the same. Your sense of "separateness" from every living thing on this planet is a function of your ego-filter — and your ego-filter is wrong.
- pshc 7y ago
  Way I see it, the ego manifests as a bunch of defense mechanisms that seek to preserve the status quo of one's existing personality, by distorting one's perception and generating sometimes-intrusive thoughts. The ego is also the thing that always wants more... more adulation, attention, money, etc. As an example: given that you have free will, at any moment you could say to yourself, "hey, there are X and Y habits/traits I have, let's not do those anymore and do Z instead." Maybe it's smoking, eating badly, you don't treat people the way they deserve, being a doormat, whatever. You could absolutely choose to become an entirely different person overnight. You might also change your career/lifestyle overnight (not everyone is so lucky though). Now the ego swoops in and says, "Hold on, let's not do anything crazy, it'll be scary and embarrassing if I suddenly act differently, what will my friends think? It's easier to keep on keeping on. These habits are just things that I would do. It's okay when I do these things because I'm me." and so on like this.
- mikelyons 7y ago
  Ego death feels and seems and looks, quite literally, like you are actually experiencing your physical death. But then you come out on the other side just fine, or if you don't resist but instead let go, perhaps "enlightened" for a while ... (there are degrees of enlightenment IME) It's strikingly similar to death experiences I've had slowly waking up as I die in morning dreams ...

Tldr; it quite literally "killed my ego" for a short time and allowed for an unclouded view onto what was going on with me. And that way of reflecting my emotional state stayed with me ever since

9HZZRfNlpR 7y ago

A lot of the people using them mention killing the ego, I've never done anything like that and wonder what do you think under the word ego? I know the literal term obviously.

magic_beans 7y ago
The "ego" comprises of what makes you "you" — or more specifically, what you think makes you "you". Your personality, your likes and dislikes, your memories, your history, your judgements. All the things that create your "identity". The ego is your custom filter through which you experience consciousness. It's helpful to be able to experience the world without the influence of the ego, because then you are able to experience the world in a completely unfiltered way. You are able to get closer to an experience of objective truth. Many people who have used psychedelics or work deeply with meditation all come to similar conclusions: the ego is an illusion. All beings are one and the same. Your sense of "separateness" from every living thing on this planet is a function of your ego-filter — and your ego-filter is wrong.
pshc 7y ago
Way I see it, the ego manifests as a bunch of defense mechanisms that seek to preserve the status quo of one's existing personality, by distorting one's perception and generating sometimes-intrusive thoughts. The ego is also the thing that always wants more... more adulation, attention, money, etc. As an example: given that you have free will, at any moment you could say to yourself, "hey, there are X and Y habits/traits I have, let's not do those anymore and do Z instead." Maybe it's smoking, eating badly, you don't treat people the way they deserve, being a doormat, whatever. You could absolutely choose to become an entirely different person overnight. You might also change your career/lifestyle overnight (not everyone is so lucky though). Now the ego swoops in and says, "Hold on, let's not do anything crazy, it'll be scary and embarrassing if I suddenly act differently, what will my friends think? It's easier to keep on keeping on. These habits are just things that I would do. It's okay when I do these things because I'm me." and so on like this.
mikelyons 7y ago
Ego death feels and seems and looks, quite literally, like you are actually experiencing your physical death. But then you come out on the other side just fine, or if you don't resist but instead let go, perhaps "enlightened" for a while ... (there are degrees of enlightenment IME) It's strikingly similar to death experiences I've had slowly waking up as I die in morning dreams ...