Ego Death vs. Physical Death

[Spiritual Warfare]

How can psychedelic experiences lead to ego death? People who have physically died have never returned to their human form, so why do some consider ego death to be a ‘real’ form of death?

 

[What Am I]

Do you have any experience with psychedelics? If not, it'd be very difficult to communicate the experience without a frame of reference. We're talking about something that transcends the conceptual. When it happens to you, it WILL feel like the end of all things in reality, and death would be a somewhat appropriate description. Though it's actually even more hardcore than that, because it ends up being as if you never lived in the first place.

[Spiritual Warfare]

2 minutes ago, What Am I said:

Do you have any experience with psychedelics? If not, it'd be very difficult to communicate the experience without a frame of reference. We're talking about something that transcends the conceptual. When it happens to you, it WILL feel like the end of all things in reality, and death would be a somewhat appropriate description. Though it's actually even more hardcore than that, because it ends up being as if you never lived in the first place.

I’ve never tried it, and it’s also illegal where I live. But would you say that ego death is something that actually happens, or is it just a feeling? If it’s something you can’t explain without trying psychedelics yourself, I might consider giving it a try.

 

[What Am I]

7 minutes ago, Spiritual Warfare said:

I’ve never tried it, and it’s also illegal where I live. But would you say that ego death is something that actually happens, or is it just a feeling? If it’s something you can’t explain without trying psychedelics yourself, I might consider giving it a try.

Gotcha, yeah, psychedelics are worth it just to show you the potential depths of your own consciousness, in addition to all their other benefits. Be careful with your dosing though, because they're way more intense than anyone could ever imagine when first starting out.

In my opinion, a full psychedelic ego death from something like 5-MeO-DMT is semi-equivalent to the experience of physical death, without the body having to actually die, of course. I don't know how much you understand historical esoteric teachings in consciousness, but your signature leads me to believe you're at least a little familiar. Ego death is not an effect reserved by psychedelics alone. Anyone who has properly learned to focus their mind will eventually reach a very similar state. A psychedelic is just a brute-force method of achieving those same ends. Near-death experiences are another where you'll hear the same type of thing described over and over.

So yeah, I believe ego death and physical death are related, with both involving the vacating/expansion of consciousness into the unitive whole. Without experiencing it for yourself, it'd be tough to understand why I'm so sure. But if you ever see it for yourself, it'll make perfect sense why I'm convinced.

[Spiritual Warfare]

8 minutes ago, What Am I said:

Gotcha, yeah, psychedelics are worth it just to show you the potential depths of your own consciousness, in addition to all their other benefits. Be careful with your dosing though, because they're way more intense than anyone could ever imagine when first starting out.

In my opinion, a full psychedelic ego death from something like 5-MeO-DMT is semi-equivalent to the experience of physical death, without the body having to actually die, of course. I don't know how much you understand historical esoteric teachings in consciousness, but your signature leads me to believe you're at least a little familiar. Ego death is not an effect reserved by psychedelics alone. Anyone who has properly learned to focus their mind will eventually reach a very similar state. A psychedelic is just a brute-force method of achieving those same ends. Near-death experiences are another where you'll hear the same type of thing described over and over.

So yeah, I believe ego death and physical death are related, with both involving the vacating/expansion of consciousness into the unitive whole. Without experiencing it for yourself, it'd be tough to understand why I'm so sure. But if you ever see it for yourself, it'll make perfect sense why I'm convinced.

Thank you so much for your explanations. They’ve definitely made me even more excited to give it a try. I’ll definitely take your advice on dosing seriously.

 

 

[What Am I]

17 minutes ago, Spiritual Warfare said:

Thank you so much for your explanations. They’ve definitely made me even more excited to give it a try. I’ll definitely take your advice on dosing seriously.

Sure thing. Here's someone describing it who's way more eloquent than myself.

 

[Schizophonia]

Physical death also suppress perceptions so it would be closer to a k hole, i guess.

Edited November 16, 2024 by Schizophonia

[Javfly33]

Is momentary ego death. 

Permanent ego death would be Enlightment, or the Liberation of yourself.

[James123]

On 11/15/2024 at 11:53 PM, Spiritual Warfare said:

How can psychedelic experiences lead to ego death? People who have physically died have never returned to their human form, so why do some consider ego death to be a ‘real’ form of death?

 

Because, actually and literally there is no body and nobody is here. Therefore, psychedelics reveal this to you. However, ego death is just a beggining. There is enlightenment end of the path, that can not be attained with psychedelics or sober, be experienced and felt. Only can be recognized or realized. 

Edited November 19, 2024 by James123

[puporing]

On 11/15/2024 at 1:53 PM, Spiritual Warfare said:

People who have physically died have never returned to their human form, so why do some consider ego death to be a ‘real’ form of death?

Most people return to being a human after their "apparent death". You do not have a choice in that if you have not awakened very much in your lifetime.

Ego death means you no longer identify as "a body" or "human", but with spirit. But there's degrees of this as well and exactly "what kind" of spirit can vary greatly. You can very much be a demonic spirit or the opposite of that. Though I consider "demonic spirits" as "forms of egos".

Edited November 20, 2024 by puporing

[M A J I]

On 11/16/2024 at 7:53 AM, Spiritual Warfare said:

How can psychedelic experiences lead to ego death? People who have physically died have never returned to their human form, so why do some consider ego death to be a ‘real’ form of death?

 

I have physically died 3 - 4 times and came back. NDE's are almost identical to a high end psychedelic experience, especially DMT.

[MaDoubt]

On 12/22/2024 at 10:22 AM, M A J I said:

I have physically died 3 - 4 times and came back. NDE's are almost identical to a high end psychedelic experience, especially DMT.

Please tell us more, very interesting

[Davino]

On 15/11/2024 at 9:53 PM, Spiritual Warfare said:

How can psychedelic experiences lead to ego death?

By deconstructing the sense of self, story, memory, narratives, the whole psychic structure can tremble by a powerful enough dose and a ripe ego.

On 15/11/2024 at 9:53 PM, Spiritual Warfare said:

People who have physically died have never returned to their human form

How do you know that?

I'm not claiming yes or no, I'm just asking for the epistemology backing up that claim

On 15/11/2024 at 9:53 PM, Spiritual Warfare said:

so why do some consider ego death to be a ‘real’ form of death?

What is death?

What does it mean to die in a conventional sense?

What is the I that dies or lives?

Could death just be the shapeshifting of Reality? Or impermanence as buddhist like to coin it

Can one therefore trascend form and formlessness in psychedelics? Reaching higher consciousness than life or death? It is indeed posible but if you never do them, you will never know. So you will have just more stories to fatten ego with this discussion.

You gotta aim towards the mystical Awakening, the rest never satisfies and you come back again with these intellectual questions. I can see you're not doing much serious spiritual work, then no conscious competence is built nor one realizes beyond doubt the answer to existential questions. So you find yourself in a cognitive disonance, where you want to know but you aren't involved in any serious disciplined action for that question to bear fruit.

Edited December 28, 2024 by Davino

[M A J I]

46 minutes ago, MaDoubt said:

Please tell us more, very interesting

its a very long story, I will save it for another day. In a nutshell I realized that even though I wanted to leave, on a higher level I chose to be here. Other times were wake up calls that I was eating and living the wrong way from my highest truth and mission, more or less.

[MaDoubt]

Thanks, waiting for more

[OBEler]

On 15.11.2024 at 11:15 PM, What Am I said:

Sure thing. Here's someone describing it who's way more eloquent than myself.

 

Wow thanks for sharing, although I never went so far I can at least follow a bit to this white fog like mental space. And he describes very well what happens.