What is ego backlash?

[Annoynymous]

I want to know about what ego backlash is, how does it work and is it a normal thing or harmful?

Thank you in advance

 

[SoonHei]

@Annoynymous habits/activities which you were trying to change/avoid returning... and returning with a vengeance - that's what I believe it is.

 

Now, the important thing to note is that if/when it happens... know that there is nothing wrong with it. Just be aware that it is occurring... what else can YOU  do anyways. YOU do not control your actions/thoughts... only watch them. So, watch this play which is just another step on the path.

It's all part of the natural spontaneous unfolding of life - out of anyone's control. Find peace in that.

[cetus]

@Annoynymous Ego backlash happens when there is resistance to what is true.

[Annoynymous]

@SoonHei I do not choose thoughts/action. But i have to be responsible for the consequence of my thought/action. How would you define that?  

5 minutes ago, SoonHei said:

@Annoynymous habits/activities which you were trying to change/avoid returning... and returning with a vengeance - that's what I believe it is.

 

Now, the important thing to note is that if/when it happens... know that there is nothing wrong with it. Just be aware that it is occurring... what else can YOU  do anyways. YOU do not control your actions/thoughts... only watch them. So, watch this play which is just another step on the path.

It's all part of the natural spontaneous unfolding of life - out of anyone's control. Find peace in that.

 

[Adam M]

@Annoynymous

An example of ego backlash would be going on a long meditation retreat with lots of deep insight and then coming back home only to binge on watching netflix and porn.

 

It's almost as if you are trying to sabotage your own growth.

The body and the idea of self (ego) is a complex system. Systems dont like to be changed because they want to maintain equilibrium. This is called homeostasis.

This is why you resist change...even if it is positive change. 

Check out Leo's video "how to stop backsliding" and also read the book "Mastery" by George Leonard. 

Personal development must be done in slow and strategic steps...integrating one habit at a time, otherwise, if you are trying to make too great of a change to the structure of your life all at once - the system that is you are will resist it with self-sabotaging actions.

 

Furthermore, enlightenment work will stir up the most "ego backlash" because the result of successful enlightenment work is the complete annihilation of the self. This is the exact opposite of what "you" want. Therefore, you will do anything and everything in your power to resist your imminent destruction. The purpose of ego backlash is to orient your attention outwards. This is so that you do not discover the Truth...that you are a fiction.

Edited December 7, 2018 by Adam M

[Annoynymous]

4 minutes ago, cetus56 said:

@Annoynymous Ego backlash happens when there is resistance to what is true.

Which truth are you talking about? Relative or absolute?

[Annoynymous]

@Adam M 

Thank you for your insight.

I have another question. Suppose if you try to make another person to accept the validity of ur point of view, and they at first seems to accept it with confusion but later reacts negatively and blames you and continue with their own Point of view, can it also be ego backlash?   

Edited December 7, 2018 by Annoynymous

[cetus]

9 minutes ago, Annoynymous said:

Which truth are you talking about? Relative or absolute?

@Annoynymous Relative truth is exactly that. Always relative to something else that is relative to something else. That's not truth. It means nothing.

Ego backlash happens when someone resists real truth. Absolute truth. For instance if they suddenly realized for themself they have been playing a game of naiveism to avoid absolute truth. That realization could cause an ego backlash.

[Adam M]

17 hours ago, Annoynymous said:

Suppose if you try to make another person to accept the validity of ur point of view, and they at first seems to accept it with confusion but later reacts negatively and blames you and continue with their own Point of view, can it also be ego backlash?   

Yes. Almost all people identify with their beliefs about the world. This literally means that if someone believes that God exists, and you disagree with them, they will get defensive as if their life is being threatened. This is because this belief has been merged with their self identity. Therefore, by attacking/disagreeing with someone else's point of view, you are literally attacking their very identity which results in defensiveness and can lead to lashing out in anger/fear.

This is why it is so difficult for a self-actualising teen to share some of these ideas with their parents for example. Many of these counter-intuitive principles that Leo and other teachers teach are in direct conflict with the traditional beliefs of your parents. 

See: The Mechanics of Belief, and How Ideology Works for a more in depth discussion about this.

[peanutspathtotruth]

17 hours ago, Adam M said:

Furthermore, enlightenment work will stir up the most "ego backlash" because the result of successful enlightenment work is the complete annihilation of the self. This is the exact opposite of what "you" want. Therefore, you will do anything and everything in your power to resist your imminent destruction. The purpose of ego backlash is to orient your attention outwards. This is so that you do not discover the Truth...that you are a fiction.

I can confirm this  After longer periods of healthy habits, when having a climax of insights or a mystical experience (with psychedelics for example), the next day I sometimes find myself sliding back into old destructive habits. It's so sneaky and tricky.

[TheAvatarState]

@Annoynymous the answer to your question will become clear when you understand the ego better. I HIGHLY suggest watching Leo's Self-Deception videos (parts 1-3). An ego backlash occurs when you do or think something that goes against the ego. Your accumulated body of habits and neuroses. When you study the ego, these will become very predictable. And these are very normal/OK. You can't force yourself to stop an ego backlash, you can only train yourself to observe them and not let them steer you into negative thought patterns. 

[Annoynymous]

@TheAvatarState so my work is to observe and nothing else? What about the consequences that i face because of ego backlash?  Can't it be solved with some method? 

[TheAvatarState]

@Annoynymous patience. You can't jump to solving them until you understand the inner workings. There is no cut and dry "method" because each person is different, and these problems must be solved by the individual. They can be "band-aided" by external sources, but the person will unconsciouslly fall back into those patterns without doing the inner work. 

Let me make another thing clear. You can't "solve" the ego. Think of it as a constantly evolving Maze that constantly seeks to delude you. "The tunnels are changing." Now this Maze sets new traps in predictable ways and patterns, but only to someone that completely understands how it works and what its motives are. This is not a small task, for you are trying to work through this Maze while still trapped inside. Consciousness is the key. 

Notice how your worry about the consequences of ego backlash is itself an egoic delusion. Where does worry come from? Fear of the future. Fear is illusion. The future only lives within the mind. In fact, the paradox is that worrying about this shit and trying to "solve" it will create the biggest backlash of all.

Your job at this stage is to study the ego intensely, but do not try to resist it. It cannot be changed. There's nothing to hate or fear about it, it is a perfect machine that consciousness created in order to have this experience. In short, raise your consciousness and your suffering will start to fade away.