Ego Death e Psichodelics

40 maps bulletin • volume xx number 1
Ego Death & Psychedelics

By John Harrison, Psy.D. (cand)
“You are not an encapsulated bag of skin dragging around

a dreary little ego. You are an evolutionary wonder, a trillion
cells singing together in a vast chorale, an organism –
environment, a symbiosis of cell and soul.”
–Jean Houston
M Most of us involved in consciousness research

and exploration have had both personal and/
or professional episodes that resemble or emu-
late a temporary ego death (loss of the sepa-
rate self ) or, in the affirmative, have experi-
enced a deep and profound merging with the
transcendent other. These experiences, though
longer aware of themselves as an experiencing
agency; instead, one experiences unity with
the environment, and/or other people.”
Medicinal chemist and cofounder of the
Heffter Institute David Nichols, Ph.D. added,
“When the “I” that is inside can talk no more,
is gone and cannot form thoughts, but simply
often unique in their specific content, often is a part of all that is, and is no longer sepa-
share a universality both psychologically and rate.”
spiritually, with those of our fellow psycho- Psychedelic researcher and clinical psychol-
nauts and consciousness-explorers. However, ogy doctoral candidate Alicia Danforth shared
what is clear from the breadth and scope of an elegant description of ego death, “The
the innumerable writings on ego death is that analogy that works for me is a jar of marbles.
there is no one, clear definition or explanation Ego death can be like dumping the marbles
either for the concept or the experience. out onto a tabletop. Anxiety, even panic arises
What is ego death? The definitions are as the jar tips. The quality of the experience
many-sided and affected by context, culture depends on how many marbles there were to
and religious background, age, education, and begin with, how far they scatter, or if they
informed by prior experiences with altered drop off the edge of the table, and how many
states of consciousness. In the process of writ- the experiencer is able to gather and put back
ing this piece I sought out several respected into the jar. I consider interrupting or stop-
colleagues and mentors who have traversed ping a difficult session as akin to prevent-
these challenging paths to self-discovery. ing the journeyer from collecting all of the
When I asked consciousness explorer and marbles. Maybe the jar gets bigger, so a few
dream-work facilitator, James Stewart, to de- new marbles can fit inside. Maybe the shapes
fine ego death, his response was, “Simply put, and colors become more satisfying in their
it is the dying of the sense of self, of individu- new configuration. For the lucky individuals
ality, or of that which I conceive myself to be who have the experience in a supportive set
as perhaps different than what I am. [It is] and setting, ego death can be like dumping out
...the dying of the conceptualized sense of self. dull, dusty (or scratched) marbles and replac-
In many ways ego death at its optimum is the ing them with dazzling new ones!”
ﬂuid ﬂexibility of adjustment to the ongoing Lovely. I am certain that many of us have
expansion into the mystery of consciousness, lost our marbles at one time or another, and
and at its most challenging, the horrifying one way for us to re-collect them has been to
experience of attachment and rigidity.” find a method or a conduit for all that energy.
Recently I queried parapsychologist Stan- Alan Watts said that the intense psychedelic
ley Krippner, Ph. D. about the nature of ego experience can be like “too much current for
death and he responded, “It is a suspension of the wire.” So we meditate, or practice yoga,
one’s ordinary reflective awareness… Dur- as a means to handle, or to be in the present
ing these periods of time an individual is no with, all of this energy.
maps bulletin • volume xx number 1 41
There are many similarities between the so-called spiritual path to enlightenment
and the psychedelic experience of ego death.
There are many methods and tools to To paraphrase ethnobotanist and psyche-
realize this mystical state of mind which, in delic leprechaun/raconteur Terence McKenna,
Zen Buddhist terms is described as a state “You’ve got to eat the whole enchilada.” In
of no-mind. The mind inherently objectifies other words halfway measures won’t cut it
thereby creating separation from the one or in the quest for the holy grail of transcen-
the Tao. The venerable Rinzai Zen teacher dence. Terence would question those who
Joshu Sasaki Roshi has stated that, “The would try and realize this state “on the natch”
greatest sin is the objectification of God” (without psychedelics) and drew a qualita-
and is really separation from the self. tive line between chanting mantras and long
There are many similarities between deep periods of meditation compared with
the so-called spiritual path to enlighten- the occasionally dangerous dancing with the
ment and the psychedelic experience of ego psychedelic cosmic serpent. In a similar vein,
death. In his book History of LSD Therapy, McKenna would arch an incredulous eye-
eminent psychiatrist and pioneering psychedel- John Harrison, Psy.D. (cand), brow at recreational or low- dose ingestion of
ic researcher Stanislav Grof describes ego death psychedelic medicines with the riposte that,
in the context of psychedelic use, ”The main [email protected] “if you haven’t experienced some terror you
objective of psychedelic therapy is to create op- haven’t taken enough!“
timal conditions for the subject to experience the ego death and As a researcher into the efficacy of the root-bark of the
the subsequent transcendence into the so-called psychedelic Iboga plant in the treatment of addiction, and an occasional
peak experience. It is an ecstatic state, characterized by the explorer into the realms of the unknown–be it through zazen
loss of boundaries between the subject and the objective world, (sitting meditation), high-altitude mountaineering (literal
with ensuing feelings of unity with other people, nature, the peak-experiences), or through the intentional use of psyche-
entire universe and God...in most instances this experience is delic medicines–I have come to realize that the sine qua non
accompanied by visions of brilliant white or golden light, rain- of ego death or transcendence is the journey itself. One cannot
bow spectra or elaborate designs resembling peacock feathers. drink the word water! The need for objective, comprehensive,
LSD subjects give various descriptions of this condition ...They and (well-funded) rigorous science has never been more im-
speak about cosmic unity, unio mystica, mysterium tremendum, portant, but as psychologist and former director of the Esalen
cosmic consciousness, union with God, Atman-Brahman union, Institute, the late Julian Silverman would say, “GOOD RE-
Samadhi, satori, moksha, or the harmony of the spheres.” search is ME-search.” This journey is an unfolding. It is the act
At the core of this discussion is the debate between a spiri- of losing oneself in the process of finding oneself. In my own
tual path or practice vs. the psychedelic option. “Why do you experience this magical merging with the moment has not only
need the drug or medicine?” is a common exhortation from the been parenthetical and relatively rare, but oh so sweet!
spiritual camp. “Because it works” comes the response from the There is so much we do not understand about the ephem-
psychedelic side! Psychedelic pioneer and spiritual teacher Ram eral process of ego death. So, we have asked more questions
Dass said, “Psychedelics can’t give you a permanent spiritual than we have answered! We have only scratched the surface in
immersion, but they can give faith about the existence of these these few paragraphs, analogous to stuffing an elephant into
other planes and you need faith as a foundation for spiritual my Toyota! Wishing you all Happy Trails and may your search
practice…so psychedelics can open doors, and if later you want reveal the crystalline mysteries within! •
to revisit these spiritual planes, having had such experiences
will make it easier.”

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40 maps bulletin • volume xx number 1

Ego Death & Psychedelics

“You are not an encapsulated bag of skin dragging around

M Most of us involved in consciousness research

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