i often hear people talk about the destruction of the ego when on high doses of psychedelic drugs, what is that? and why do people seek for it? is it just being so out of reality that you forget who you are, that you lose your personal identity while still consciously existing. why is this desired? i find it much more fun and meaningful to contemplate my own existence and other issues, although it may be meaningful to reflect on a completely dissociative trip later. i hear that terence mckenna suggests taking mushrooms and sitting in a completely dark silent room, i bet allot can be learned about yourself and the universe through this but it sounds terribly selfish, why not take those mushrooms and do something productive? last time i ate mushrooms i cleaned my house to music and it was awesome.

i often hear people talk about the destruction of the ego when on high doses of psychedelic drugs, what is that?

You are not who "you" think you are. You are awareness, consciousness, the 'I' deep within you ... that is the true self. The "you" who you think you are is the ego, is your 'personality', is the "time line of your life" which you appear to have lived.

When a person goes through ego loss ... they lose their ego. They no longer know anything about the life they were just living, no identification, no idea what the fuck is going on ... just something which is aware of things happening.

and why do people seek for it?

It has the potential to teach you about reality.

it sounds terribly selfish, why not take those mushrooms and do something productive?

What?

Its really hard to describe, at least for me it is.

Its the kind of thing you have to experience for yourself.

like drawing, painting, sculpting, playing music, philosophizing, writing, creating... all these are forms of language and tickle the fancy of the true "i" identity of others, do what "you" want while tripping even if its sitting in a chair for 6 hours not wanting/needing to move, feeling 1000%, but it still is not an addition to reality, we are filters of reality, we filter food-matter into poop and filter others ideas and language into something new, new realities. granted, there is a super-conscious sub conscious but there is still "you", "you" still exist.

Again, what?

is it what happens when you smoke 80x salvia extract?

Again, what?

im saying those things are productive because their viewed as such by society, society is the manifestation of this subconscious and even though society sucks allot there is still parts of that subconscious that doesn't like itself, just like there are members of a society that don't like the society itself, create, work for change.

Whatever you say, I just don't understand why you have said it.

What do any of those things have to do with learning about the separation of the ego from the true self?

How is experiencing ego loss selfish? How does it have anything to do with "feeling 1000%"?

How can mushrooms not be just as useful, when used as entheogens?

WTF are you talking about? Its like you just went off on a tangent.

im asking why when some people trip they just sit down and do nothing, and learn things. then another person trips and they go for a walk in the woods or, read a book, and they learn too but they are "doing something". both activities tap into the subconscious and lets you contemplate reality but one is sitting and doing nothing and one is actually producing and experiencing the "reality". im saying id rather be in complete control and everything is manageable as opposed to being completely out of control of my mind, even if im just sitting in a chair starring blankly at a wall, though it is awesome and thoughtful, im just saying, try doing something other then the usual tripping activities and you can learn allot more.

loss of ego?

GOD FUCKING DAMN!

*slaps knee*

I would give anything to think like that again.

is it what happens when you smoke 80x salvia extract?

cant say, never broke through on salvia.

...because sometimes they feel like being completely out of control of their minds, other times, people feel like walking around in the woods.
just like sometimes you want cake, and other times you want pie.

and walking around and talking and listening to music while tripping, all that gets in the way of your introspection and contemplation, sure you can do it, but its not going to be anywhere near what you would get if you sat in a dark room alone, with no external stimulation of the senses.

maybe you should just try it instead of being another Erowid Experience fag

yeah.

yeah.

yeah. No. Yes

IMO the human mind attempts to maintain an equilibrium and in order to keep fluctuations to a minimum, it erects defenses to maintain its current equilibrium. These defenses will resist any change, whether positive or negative, in an attempt to keep equilibrium. Okay that's the really really really condensed version of my beliefs on the human mind.

Psychadelic drugs destroy these barriers, so your mind can explore itself without any limitations.

walking around and talking and listening to music while tripping, all that gets in the way of your introspection and contemplation

This.

these posts explain it well, but i bet it still doesnt make all that much sense to you even still. i always wondered what the fuck people were talking about, and would read threads and talk about it and be told this same stuff. then i took a lot of mescaline one day and when it was all over i was like "ohhhhh!" :)

experience it for yourself!

You smoke DMT, you get elves, it's what every human gets.

A state of ego loss is simply a term to describe, simply, when the inhibitions culture puts on you are dropped and you are placed back into your total, clear, subconscious mind.

The best way to contemplate your own existence is to contemplate without ego, as you are viewing yourself from beside yourself. You are in a state of remembrance of everything that you knew prior to the ego loss, and you have, quite literally, a third person view of everything going on inside and outside of yourself.

Yes, this can inspire beautiful artwork, inspire beautiful conversations, and inspire inspiration in even the most apathetic of people. However if you focus on your mentality when you are in a state of ego loss, you can learn the lessons to analyze and change possible harmful and maladaptive characteristics that you have gained from society forming you into the little worker bee that you are.

You smoke DMT, you get elves, it's what every human gets.

I'm terribly sorry, but you're full of shit. I've smoked DMT multiple times, "broken through" and I have never seen elves, little people or aliens.

I've seen flaming hieroglyphic chariot wheels though, and to my understanding they were explaining to me the secrets of the Universe. I've also been taken to a temple of worship for the God Ganesh, the Hindu God of Luck.

I get religious experiences, not elves...and I'm not even religious. Maybe they're trying to explain something?

Do something productive? like build a fucking birdhouse or something?

ego loss is one of the productive results of tripping

when you read about DMT on erowid, inspired to see the same elves as in some dude's experience you then go and smoke DMT, and whatdayaknow you see elves, gasp. No it doesn't mean elves are behind the universe, DMT does not link us to them, you are an idiot. capish?

the truth is your mind just isnt very imaginative or creative and forms experiences based on those that youve read of other people. assuming you've smoked DMT... if not then youre just a fag perpetuating a cycle of bullshit into the minds of idiots alike

why not take those mushrooms and do something productive? last time i ate mushrooms i cleaned my house to music and it was awesome.

Well, holmes... I've got a news flash. Your toilet's lug nuts did not get any less shit-stained tripping then they would have sober - in essense, you wasted a trip.

Getting smacked upside the head by the mysteries of the universe, otoh, is something which tends to be more effective when tripping (usually, "smacked involuntarily upside the head by...").

So, uhh... which one's the waste?

Idk if i really experienced it yet but Ive been past the point where I forgot that hey im living/conscious right now and it seems like im more of a spectator on my existance and things around me. Its like you put aside all of the things that make you human and your just out on your own so to speak. All the shit you think about everyday is put aside and your more open to nature, the whys and hows of processes. Or maybe your just chilling in awe of seeing everything from your "new" perspective.

Some people like being kicked in the nuts and losing all sense with things around them, sometimes its a wakeup call to let you know what powers you have and what you can actually control/realize with your own mind, along with or without the help of substances assisting in that logic.

Well, holmes... I've got a news flash. Your toilet's lug nuts did not get any less shit-stained tripping then they would have sober - in essense, you wasted a trip.

Getting smacked upside the head by the mysteries of the universe, otoh, is something which tends to be more effective when tripping (usually, "smacked involuntarily upside the head by...").

So, uhh... which one's the waste?

I think you guys are looking at this the wrong way, Its not a waste if you enjoy yourself, and people enjoy different things while high. To each his own I guess.

Speed is something you clean your house on.
Shrooms make it fun(?) and you waste the shrooms on something as pointless as cleaning your house, which can be done sober.
And sometimes, in order to find oneself, he (or she) must lose himself first, which is the point of ego loss.



on a side note, in personal experience, what is the best/ most effective drug to experience complete ego loss aside from DMT (i haven't been able to find any)