Ego Death – Death And Rebirth Of The Self
Updated: Apr 11, 2024
Alexis Lynch specializes in neurodiversity and encourages the community to incorporate a "difference, not a deficit" mindset. Lynch is neurodivergent herself and feels this assists in the therapeutic process and client relationship.
Ego death has many names – psychic death, loss of subjective identity, ego dissolution, “demise of the sense of self,” and I am sure the list goes on. When you hear ego death, you may first think of Timothy Leary and his research on psychedelics published in his book “The Psychedelic Experience.” Using psilocybin, LSD, or ketamine can spark existential thoughts as the person detaches from reality. Luckily, this is not the only way to reach this state. Religions such as Zen Buddhism and Muslim Sufism have states which provide similar effects. Zen Buddhism’s state of reaching this detachment is called enlightenment, as the individual reaches unity with Buddha and is reached through the practice of meditation. Muslim Sufism practices reach a state of Fana, where individuals clear the sense of self to prepare for union with God.
Even if you are not religious or don’t partake in existential-provoking substances, stepping back from your ego and gaining perspective of what serves you will help provide a path to authenticity. Carl Jung, psychiatrist and founder of Analytical Psychology and Psychic Death, believed the destruction of the self provides the potential to realign yourself to the most natural self. Carl Jung once studied with the father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, who created the theory of our psyche containing three parts: the ego, superego, and id. According to Freud, the ego mediates between the superego and the id, as it is the conscious part of our brains we use for decision-making. Social constructs influence the superego and provide the ethical components of our personality. The id is primitive and impulsive based on our desires. In a nutshell, the superego is our consciousness, and the id is our subconscious/unconscious mind—the two combined form our sense of self, the ego.
In Latin, the word ego means “I.” The self and how we form our perspectives based on primitive thoughts, impulses, ethics, and social constructs can become cluttered with the influx of information we are provided today. Some lose themselves in social media or titles that represent social status. Others create dissonance within themselves due to internalizing how they want to feel about themselves and the world, but they are then met with contrast from the external world. This produces discomfort and uneasiness when you shed your entire personality and sense of self.
You may wonder why someone would want to go through such a crumbling tower moment. In the examples of psychedelics, religion, and psychic death in psychoanalysis, each has an emotional rollercoaster full of life lessons, emotions, and self-discovery. Sometimes, individuals are not seeking this process but are met with a force of ego change due to threatening events, illness, and significant life changes. In any case, those experiencing ego death (or whichever term you prefer) will be met with their shadow self, highlighting the darker sides of our personality that are holding onto moral problems that challenge the ego and sense of self. Jung termed “the shadow self” as accumulating repressed aspects of our identity. For instance, it is commendable to harness self-love, but it isn’t as fruitful without acknowledging the parts of yourself that you reject. People may be impatient in many situations and not realize they have patience issues. Without this awareness, growth is stunted, and it continues the cycle of shadow behaviors such as projection, the judgment of others, quick temper, victimizing self, and lack of awareness of biases.
A therapeutic orientation of mine is through existential therapy. This orientation assists in processing psychic death by focusing on free will and searching for meaning in the individual’s life without necessarily a heavy focus on the symptoms they are experiencing. Existentialists such as Friedrich Nietzsche and Soren Kierkegaard proposed the human experience as a philosophical problem. At the same time, Otto Rank utilized his philosophy as a means of the healing process of therapy. Existential therapy helps identify concerns that inhibit making authentic, meaningful, and self-reflective choices. It also assists in determining the individual’s capacity for rationality, self-awareness, strength in their sense of self outside of the social constructs, and flexibility to evolve as the meaning of life changes.
Would you sacrifice your ego in the name of growth? Would you let the tower fall in confidence that you can rebuild? It is a profound question that can change the direction of your life if you allow it to. The map you choose, whether it be through your spiritual beliefs, psychedelics, or personally seeking expansion, will determine the path for your journey and how you want to experience it.
Alexis Lynch, Licensed Mental Health Counselor
Alexis Lynch is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the State of Florida. She specializes in neurodiversity and encourages the community to incorporate a "difference, not a deficit" mindset. Lynch is neurodivergent herself and feels this assists in the therapeutic process and client relationship. Lynch empowers her clients to utilize their strengths to work toward self-discovery and find comfort in feeling uncomfortable to gain confidence when met with challenges. The client can feel more present in their lives and reduce their anxiety by gaining this confidence and a newfound sense of self.
