Everything To Know About Ego Death — From What It Is To How It Happens

To understand ego death, you first have to understand the ego. According to psychotherapist Annette Nuñez, Ph.D., LMFT, the ego is a sense of self that you develop at a young age. And as Shannon Kaiser, spiritual author of the forthcoming book Return to You, adds, the ego relates to your feelings about your own importance and abilities.

"It's how you identify and what you identify with—like who you are as a person, whether it's gender identity, what your beliefs are, your morals," Nuñez explains.

She notes that famed psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud was the first to popularize the idea of ego in the modern world, and in psychoanalytic theory, it's defined as "the part of the mind that mediates between the conscious and the unconscious and is responsible for reality testing and a sense of personal identity."

Ego death is the (often instantaneous) realization that you are not truly the things you've identified with, and the "ego" or sense of self you've created in your mind is a fabrication. In some instances, it can offer a profound feeling of peace and connectedness with all that is, as the walls of separation the ego creates come crumbling down.

In other cases, and especially if your ego resists this "death," the experience can be very scary and result in a sense of detachment or disassociation, Kaiser says. "Often a complete loss of subjective self-identity occurs, causing depression, anxiety, and fear—but the more in touch one is with their spiritual core, the easier the awakening will be," she adds.

Ego deaths are different for everyone. With that said, Nuñez notes some common reasons or "triggers" for ego death include psychedelics, certain meditations, sound baths, as well as out-of-body experiences.

For some people, though, an ego death could happen somewhat spontaneously, not unlike the initial moment of a spiritual awakening, as you have that first realization that your soul is something different from your ego.

If you're looking to experience ego death for yourself, it's first important to look at what your objectives are, why you want to get rid of your ego, and how you plan to do it. Again, this is not a casual experience and should not be taken lightly.

With all that said, some ways to "induce" ego death involve spiritual practices that help you reach transcendental states, such as meditation or breathwork exercises, Nuñez explains. Certain retreats and workshops may offer specific practices tailored for this, she notes.

It is also worth noting that psychedelics are a popular avenue for ego death, with 2016 research1 finding a strong correlation with psychedelics and ego death. The study authors write, "Ego-dissolution is a key phenomenological feature of the psychedelic experience," adding that participants who reportedly had ego deaths often also reported feeling at one with the universe during a psychedelic experience.

And of course, there are other, less instantaneous ways to begin fostering a more enlightened way of being without suddenly shattering your ego, such as studying spiritual texts, learning from healers and spiritual thought leaders, and putting what you learn into practice.