Ego softening techniques

[stres]

My first post on this message board, I apologies if I have posted in the incorrect forum!

Moving along: I'm interested in attempting to somewhat 'Soften', my ego while at the baseline state of sobriety. During meditation or under the influence of a vast array of substances that induce an experience that in a way, soften the ego, I've had many profound ideas and senses that I would like to attempt to apply to my baseline state.

An example of which would be restructuring my sentences in general conversation to (when possible) avoid the words 'I, Me, My" and so forth. Has anybody else attempted something like this? I'm certainly in need of some fresh ideas!

TL/DR: Attempting to alter both my behavioral and thought patterns with the intent to, in a way, soften my ego.

I apologies if my terminology is a little skewed, I greatly appreciate any feedback in advance
:wink:

Love&Respect,
stres

 

[Brugmansia]

Be honest about yourself and with yourself. It's exactly that what our world has sold for the onset of role impersonation and it's harvest, which have been given 'values' through the implantation of beliefs and projection since one's birth.

The entheogenic journey shows one's identity what is real through the subjective eyes. From there on, honesty guarantees an everlasting trip, it's up to one's self.

 

[Forkbender]

Standing still for an hour works like a charm. I practice qi gong in which there are postures you just have to be in for a certain amount of time (1 minute up to hours), this teaches you a *lot* about yourself and your ego and how it manifests in your body. You need a proper teacher, though.

Everything can become practice, btw, just let your mind manifest loving kindness and YOU will be on the right track.

 

[restin]

I think and hope that there is no easy way to get a "proper" ego. I mean, it's not about getting rid of the "I", it is about building and creating it, and this is a permanent process. Not thinking about yourself is wrong, not thinking about your own interests is right. How can you do that? There's no "way" to do it, if your mind is willing to be so, your way of life will change. This is a lifelong process.

 

[IJesusChrist]

I attempted to get rid of "me and I" in my conversations - It made me only ask questions. I could never tell anything to anyone... having me and I in your conversation spreads information, wrong route to destroy an ego.

The attempt to get rid of an ego is in itself an ego-manifestation. What you really want to do is just understand it.

Meditate more, watch yourself, but don't judge anything you do as good or bad. Congratulations mon alfration I'd like to bring you along. Within this realm I can see aroun and I'd like to tell you my cause. I've come along way and my route is quite true to explain to you how to do. I'll tell you a story and you'll drink my ale and we'll all dive right into the blue.

 

[Bastiaan]

Find the little voice inside your head that thinks little things that build it up. Monitor it constantly, notice when it tries to build itself up, and counter it by catching yourself in the moment and correcting.

 

[random]

Why you want to soften your ego?

How big is your ego? I mean, what manifestations you observe on your behaviour that leads you to make a decision to soften the ego?

You can try that , but I guess you will give most of your attention forcing yourself not to use "I, Me" than the conversation itself.

 

[greenwizard]

In my own personal opinion, the key to dissolving the so called ego, is not to try an eliminate your self, but to try to eliminate th idea of an ego. Stop saying ego, don't spot saying I, accept who you are.

 

[Arcticpheonix]

I've been trying to do this myself, and I find what works best is music. Something to the effect of this. I find if I keep reminding my self of all the ego games we play, I seem to stop playing them so much.

 

[stres]

I appreciate all the feedback, it has been of great help!

Why you want to soften your ego?

The ego is something I am very unfamiliar with and to be honest, I'm utterly fascinated by it. I was hoping that if I could better grasp the concept, or construction of the ego via manipulation of sorts, I would gain a greater understanding of myself. Also, I am yet to experiment with any psychoactive substances aside from MDMA and THC, so I gathered that exercises such as those mentioned in this thread would grant me better preparation for chemically induced ego softening/loss on greater degrees then what I have already experienced.

I don't intend to permanently alter my ego, just rather experiment with the intent of self discovery.

Thanks guys!

 

[Amethyst_Moonlight]

Try something like the Chod. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chöd

That's definitely an interesting experience that basically was used (in the version I did) to sever the soul from the physical body. It was interesting. If you're gonna do the Chod in that way though I suggest that you get someone to watch over you and y'a know "wake" you up if needed. Oh and the person who helped me do mine read the Tibetan book of the dead for information. Apparently it was useful.

xx

 

[GOD]

Again i havent read the thread just the title so if i`m off topic please ignore me .

Theres only one way to soften your ego and thats examine everything you do and think and be ULTRA honest about it . Put thought betwen action and reaction and be very disiplined . Nothing is free you will have to watch and controle yoursel in every detail . One day that will become your you and it will come naturaly . If you look at the world you will see that VERY few people ever reach that goal but if you dedicate your life to it amd be honest you will achieve it .

 

[st.bot.32]

there's no real 'right' answer either. two people can analyze themselves carefully and end up at very different conclusions. i've come to the conclusion that you really have to develop the ability to think about thinking. know thyself. know where your thoughts and ideas are coming from. know where your beliefs come from, who put them into you, was it you or was it society or your parents, and why. think about what it is you really believe and learn to separate the knee-jerk crap you've been programmed to accept from the good stuff. make no justifications to yourself, don't hide from yourself, then you can see yourself from all angles and make honest decisions.

and yeah drugs certainly aren't essential, IMO misusing them can make your problems even worse.. especially if you use them to feed your personal delusions or self-destructive tendencies. in their proper place they will probably give you some fascinating insights along your journey that you might not get by any other means. when you figure out how to use them, they can allow you a glimpse inward at an incredible level of detail. THC alone is a powerful substance that can let you step back and see yourself from a completely different angle. Psychedelics are a whole different order of magnitude, and if you're serious, you'll probably find after you've used them they will enhance what you get out of THC, never mind your sober mindset.

 

[st.bot.32]

avoid the words 'I, Me, My" and so forth. Has anybody else attempted something like this

Was thinking about that quote this evening... that can be a fun exercise. A long time ago I spent several years intensively studying Asian languages, some languages like Japanese tend to avoid pronouns in general except in colloquial conversation..

In the end though I'm back to using them. I think the danger with this practice is that you need to acknowledge that your personal truths are yours, and not universal truths. Sometimes you need to say.. "I think" or "My opinion is". Rather than implying "This is the way it is."

 

[stres]

I greatly appreciate everybody's efforts in posting in this thread, the knowledge I have gained is invaluable. I will certainly explore everything suggested in great depth


Oh and to st.bot.32; Robert Anton Wilson spoke about something very similar to this Here


Thanks guys!

 

[st.bot.32]

I heart robert anton wilson.

 

[ararat]

what exactly is meant by ego? sorry for asking, but I never really grasped that concept, and if I did I lost it again.

 

[Caduceus Mercurius]

Everyone seems to have a slightly different definition of 'ego'.

When people (usually in spiritual or psychedelic circles) use the word to criticize someone else or certain behaviors, it usually means pride, arrogance, false self-esteem, or other undesirable traits like vanity, envy, covetousness etc.

Ego may also refer to the basic mental mechanism that allows us to function in the material world, doing our daily chores etc. This is a neutral definition, that's somewhat similar to what we refer to as the 'mind' rather than the 'soul'. It's the 'ego' that dissolves or softens after ingesting a psychedelic compound and reassembles when the peak is over: after the trip we can tie our shoelaces again!

Psychologists may refer to the 'ego' as the lense through which we perceive the world, a lense that has been shaped by the various emotional and physical traumas we had to endure (including the birth process) and thus distorts our perception.

Psychedelic psychologists may refer to ego-death as the moment when in a holotropic state of mind the birth process is consciously relived and integrated, and the emotional charge that's associated with the above-mentioned traumas is released, bringing one closer to one's true self, free from fear, depression, agression, jealousy, sexual perversions and so forth.

So lots of ways to interpret the word. It's usually clear from the context which meaning is intended, but on message boards it's sometimes necessary to determine what 'ego' we're talking about.

I think in the context of this thread, the first definition of ego is intended: all the stuff we don't like in ourselves and others.

 

[BrainEater]

i understood the term in a way that it has to do with attachment... mental attachment to some sort of identity.... in other words: how you define yourself... not how you are... but a mental projection or something like that ....

however you gotta watch out: the ego can take hold of you and it will become you at least thats what i observed in some people.... i hope u get what i'm trying to say...

so it doesn't actually exist until the point when you create it with your mind, this image or idea of how you are or should be, but really aren't in your essence... it comes when you are unaware of your thoughts and of what you are doing and most often it is negative, so it might hinder you in what you really wanna do, and also it might make you forget what that was....

i think it's hard to explain and i think the explanation by caduceus is quite good!

it's some sort of aspect of yourself, but it's not you.. it may have become part of you, but given that you might not wanna live with this part any more, then there's this cool thing called ego-death.... as reported you don't die, when your ego dies so everything will be fine!!! :mrgreen:

i don't know whether you should make some introspection and get familiar with something like a ego that you might wanna let die, before you actually do it, so probably this thread is a good start!

peace :weedman:

 

[Caduceus Mercurius]

i understood the term in a way that it has to do with attachment... mental attachment to some sort of identity.... in other words: how you define yourself... not how you are... but a mental projection or something like that ..

Yes, that's another interpretation of 'ego', somewhat akin to the persona, or the mask one wears and has come to identify oneself with. "I am this body", "I am a man", "I am a PhD", "I am very smart", "I am caucasian", "I am rich", "I am 27 years old", "I am a Libra", etc.

This "I am" idea is the ahamkara ("I-making") of Vedic philosophy, often translated as "the false ego".