When Healing Becomes an Ego Trap – 10 Pitfalls to Avoid on Your Spiritual Journey
- Brainz Magazine
- Aug 14
- 5 min read
Vicci Collins is a trauma-informed hypnotherapist and emotional wellness mentor who helps highly sensitive women heal from survival patterns, reconnect with their intuition, and create a grounded, empowered life through subconscious reprogramming and spiritual healing.
When most people think of the “ego,” they imagine arrogance, self-importance, or vanity. But in reality, ego is none of those things at its core. The ego is a psychological safety mechanism, a collection of identities, roles, and patterns we develop to feel safe in the world.
It’s the mask we learn to wear in different situations, the protector that helps us adapt to our environment, and the role we adopt to fit into family dynamics, friendships, workplaces, and communities. Without it, we wouldn’t have a stable sense of self or know where “we” end and others begin.
In that sense, the ego is not bad; it’s essential. It’s an integral part of the human psyche and experience.
As Carl Jung noted, “The ego stands to the self as the moved to the mover.” It’s not the enemy; it’s simply not the whole picture of who we are. But here’s the catch: the ego is clever. When we embark on a healing or spiritual journey, it doesn’t disappear; it simply takes on a new form. It can slip in through the back door, wearing a robe and mala beads, convincing us that we’ve transcended it. This is when we fall into what’s often called the spiritual ego, where our sense of identity and self-worth becomes tied to how “awakened” we believe we are.
The Buddhist teacher Chögyam Trungpa coined the phrase “spiritual materialism” to describe this, where spiritual practice becomes another way for the ego to strengthen itself, rather than dissolve its grip.
The truth is, none of us is immune. These ego traps are subtle, and most of us have fallen into them at some point. The key isn’t to feel ashamed but to stay aware. Awareness is what helps us stay grounded, compassionate, and open-hearted, no matter how far we travel along the path.
10 common ego traps to watch out for as you heal and grow spiritually
1. “I’m more evolved than others”
When we begin seeing life through a higher perspective, it’s easy to feel like we’ve “outgrown” certain people or mindsets. We might start looking down on those who are still spiritually “asleep.”
The truth: Spiritual growth is not a race, and it’s certainly not a hierarchy. Every soul’s timing is different, and no one is “above” anyone else.
2. Making healing your whole identity
It’s natural to want to talk about your healing journey; it’s exciting and life-changing. But when healing becomes your entire identity, you can start to feel lost without it.
The truth: You are a whole, complex human beyond your healing work. Rest, joy, and play are equally vital parts of your growth.
3. Constantly looking for something to fix
Once you’ve experienced deep breakthroughs, you might feel like you need to keep digging forever. You search for new wounds, new shadows, new patterns to work on.
The truth: Healing is not meant to be an endless excavation. Sometimes the most healing thing you can do is live, without dissecting every moment.
4. Believing intuition is always superior
Intuition is a beautiful gift, but it’s not infallible. If we place it above logic or others’ experiences, we risk dismissing valuable perspectives.
The truth: Intuition and logic can be powerful allies. One doesn’t cancel out the other.
5. Equating healing with constant positivity
Many people believe that being “healed” means never feeling anger, sadness, or anxiety again. But this isn’t realistic.
The truth: Emotions are messengers, not mistakes. Feeling deeply is part of being human, and healing doesn’t erase that.
6. Slipping into teacher mode with everyone
When we’ve learned tools and insights that changed our lives, it’s tempting to want to share them with everyone. But sometimes, that turns into trying to “fix” others who never asked for our guidance.
The truth: Respecting someone’s readiness and autonomy is one of the highest forms of compassion.
7. Measuring spiritual worth with possessions or titles
There’s nothing wrong with enjoying spiritual tools, crystals, cards, sacred objects, or certificates. But they can become a way to “prove” how spiritual we are.
The truth: Your wisdom isn’t validated by what you own or how many courses you’ve taken.
8. Thinking your path is the path
When something works powerfully for you, it’s natural to want others to experience it too. But insisting it’s the only valid way can be alienating.
The truth: There are infinite doorways into healing and growth, and each person’s path is unique.
9. Using spirituality to avoid difficult emotions
This is sometimes called “spiritual bypassing,” using love-and-light thinking to sidestep the messy parts of life. Psychologist John Welwood, who coined the term, described it as “using spiritual ideas and practices to sidestep personal, emotional ‘unfinished business.’”
The truth: True healing requires walking through the discomfort, not skipping over it with affirmations.
10. Treating healing like an achievement
If we believe healing has a finish line, a point where we’ll be “done,” we can become impatient with the process.
The truth: Growth is cyclical. You’ll revisit certain lessons from deeper perspectives as you evolve.
Staying grounded on the journey
Awareness is everything. Here are a few ways to keep ego in check without making it the enemy:
Ask yourself regularly: “Am I doing this for connection, or validation?”
Surround yourself with grounding influences, friends, mentors, and communities who keep you honest.
Stay curious, there’s always something to learn, even from those you think have “less” experience.
Celebrate being human; this is not a path to escape life, but to live it more fully.
Meet yourself with compassion when you notice an ego trap; awareness itself is a sign of growth.
Closing thoughts
The ego will always be part of you. You can’t outgrow it, outrun it, or meditate it away, and you don’t need to. It’s here to help you navigate life. The goal isn’t to dissolve it, but to form a healthier relationship with it.
Spirituality and healing are not about becoming “better” than others; they’re about deepening your connection to yourself, to humanity, and to life itself.
The higher you rise in awareness, the deeper your roots must grow in humility.
If you’ve recognized some of these ego traps in your journey and want support in moving through them with compassion and awareness, I’d love to hear from you. You can connect with me through my website or social channels. Let’s walk this path consciously, together.
Read more from Vicci Collins
Vicci Collins, Emotional Wellness Hypnotherapist
Vicci Collins is a trauma-informed hypnotherapist and emotional wellness mentor who helps highly sensitive women heal trauma patterns, regulate their nervous system, and reconnect with their intuition. With a background in psychology and over 10 years of experience in meditation, shadow work, and energy healing, she blends science and spirituality to support deep self-awareness and empowerment. She is the creator of the Chakra Archetype system and founder of the Conscious Connection Membership.
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