Psychedelic Use and Ego Death

The death of the ego is a concept created by Buddhism and is equivalent to what is known in that philosophy as “enlightenment.” By tradition, It is a state of complete unity with the universe and is reached after a long training in transcendental meditation. However, a sector of the West took up this idea and turned it into a possible experience using psychedelics.

As is known, many psychedelics induce a chemical experience of dissociation, that is, separation between the self and the body or between mental and bodily consciousness. Some think that a state of this nature is equivalent to the death of the ego, regardless of whether it is accessed through psychotropics or whether it is not framed within a process of spiritual evolution.

Beyond any consideration, Experiencing ego death, supposed or real, through the use of psychedelics, involves several risks. Some of these substances must be used in a considerable proportion to achieve the desired purpose. Likewise, in certain cases they could have long-term, even irreversible, effects.

The death of the ego

For Buddhists, The ego is a set of inherited conditioning that manifests itself mainly through desires and fears. Reaching a state in which both elements disappear is equivalent to freeing oneself and creating a bond of unity with everything that exists. It would be, so to speak, the full realization of the being and the purest state of consciousness that can be achieved.

In the West, the ego has more to do with the combination of an individual’s idea of ​​themselves or self-image; the value you give to yourself or self-esteem and beliefs, tastes and ideology or self-identity. The consolidation of these three elements generally occurs after 5 years.

The DMN

The combination of self-image, self-esteem and identity gives rise to the formation of the Default Mode Network (DMN) of the brain. This is equivalent to the habitual patterns of thought and behavior and would be what we commonly call “ego.”

The authors of an article published in Neuroscience of Consciousness maintain that during the psychedelic experience The integration of information is interrupted, giving way to the phenomenology of the death of the ego.

For their part, those seeking this experience What they intend is to deactivate the DMN and allow other networks to emerge that are usually inactive in the brain. Some refer to this process as a “rewiring” or “resetting” of the brain.

In theory, ego death is an experience that helps renew thought patterns. and increases emotional openness and empathy. The most important thing is that it would allow us to see ourselves without the usual conditioning and, as in the case of Buddhists, experience unity with the cosmos and access a spiritual awakening. Is this achieved with the use of psychedelics? Let’s go see it.

The use of psychedelics and the death of the ego

Psychedelics are hallucinogenic drugs that cause changes in consciousness and the perception of time and space. There are some of natural origin, such as mescaline (which comes from cactus) or prepared in the laboratory, such as LSD.

These substances have been used since time immemorial and, although specific therapies have not yet been developed, there are several studies that support its use in mental health careas pointed out by the magazine Pharmacopsychiatry.

Using psychedelics and ego death seem to be related. Research published in Frontiers in human neuroscience shows that there is a positive correlation between the dose of the psychedelic drug, the intensity of the experience and the dissolution of the ego. That is, the higher the dose, the more likely the ego will die.

For its part, there are hundreds of testimonies indicating that using psychedelics generates the experience of ego death. There are also a significant number of statements indicating the opposite.

Some people indicate that after ingesting these substances and going through dissociation, they are unable to restructure themselves.. In other words, they have difficulty recognizing themselves, even physically.

Others, in the many forums on the Internet on the subject, They also report that they suffered a void of meaning after this experience. That is, they began to believe that their life has no value, since “it is very little” compared to that transcendent reality that they managed to perceive. A person can suffer a mental breakdown from the use of psychedelics. An overdose carries the risk of death.

Final considerations

Buddhists reach the death of the ego after arduous and deep training, he delimits a work of Cognitive Science. Accessing this experience through the use of psychedelics, from one day to the next, is not only not a good idea, but also involves dangers for physical and mental health. The use of any drug should always be supervised by a competent professional.

Therefore, it is important to exercise caution and be informed before taking psychedelics in pursuit of ego death. Furthermore, it is necessary to highlight that This type of experience does not guarantee a spiritual awakening.

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