Most of us wear masks at some point during our lives... sometimes we know we are doing it and sometimes we don't, but the one common theme is that the mask helps us hide the darker side of ourselves -- the part that has been hurt, the part that carries shame, the part that harbors anger, the part that conceals guilt and trauma, the part that includes fear.
This dark side is also called the shadow self, and it's something we try very hard to push down deeply inside ourselves... to repress at all costs. Who wants to relive past traumas -- so we repress them -- and bury them so deeply that many are forgotten by the conscious mind. Everything negative and shameful becomes part of the shadow. Addictions, low self-esteem, and mental illness are often associated with a strong shadow self.
Dealing with the shadow self -- discovering the past traumas and learning how to deal with them -- can lead to a much happier, healthier, and more successful life. Talk therapy is one method of dealing with the shadow self, but increasingly, psychedelics are being seen as a more effective and efficient tool for unmasking and healing -- as long as those psychedelics are followed by intensive integration.
But we also need to be careful... psychedelic medicines can lead to great discoveries about ourselves and the healing of our shadow selves, but in some rare instances, psychedelics can actually lead to empowering our shadow selves and actually enhancing and boosting our egos and the negative side of ourselves.
My own anecdotal experience with ego death came with a high-dosage journey on psilocybin when I had an intention of surrendering to the experience and having the mushrooms show me what I needed to know... the effects were powerful; I felt physically lighter, as if gravity had been reduced; everything around me was distorted and seemed much larger than life -- while my 6' 4" frame felt tiny. I realized how small we all are in the grand scheme of things and how so little of these ego-gratifying things don't really matter. There was -- and is -- an overwhelming sense of peace.
Dr. Clancy Cavnar, writing on Chacruna.net (the Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines) states how psychedelics can increase ego: "the ego reinforced by witnessing its own glory, believing it has a dominant role to play in the unfolding drama, that can become full of certainty to the point of arrogance. The hungry ego, once fed, becomes ravenous and marvels at itself."
Psychedelic medicines are proving to be an amazing tool for helping people face their shadow selves and move beyond those traumas and negative feelings. Along the way, psychedelics can also help dissolve our egos -- and help us better understand ourselves and where and how we fit into the world. But, for some who are unwilling to face their shadow selves, psychedelics can actually enhance their egos.
It comes down to intention and integration. We have to have the intent to heal from our past and we have to have the commitment to do the work necessary to integrate our psychedelic experience into changing our lives for the better.
Dr. Randall S. Hansen is an educator, author, and advocate, as well as founder and CEO of
EmpoweringSites.com,
a network of empowering and transformative Websites, including EmpoweringAdvice.com.
Dr. Hansen's latest book, Triumph Over Trauma, is available in paperback and ebook versions.
Dr. Hansen has been helping empower people to achieving success his entire adult life.
He is also founder of EnhanceMyVocabulary.com,
MyCollegeSuccessStory.com, and
EmpoweringRetreat.com.
He is a published author, with several books, chapters in books, and hundreds
of articles. Dr. Hansen is also an educator, teaching business
and marketing at the college level for more than 25 years. Learn more by visiting his personal Website,
RandallSHansen.com. You can also check out
Dr. Randall Hansen on LinkedIn.
