Is the Self an Illusion?

Are you interested in the foundational texts and topics that have shaped psychedelic use and research today? Join hosts Alex Criddle and Ava for a monthly series on these fundamental ideas and texts that have shaped psychedelia.

One of the most common topics surrounding psychedelics is ego dissolution: the notion that your ego dissolves and you become one with everything. This leads many psychedelic users to believe that the self does not exist and is an illusion. Much of the framework for this discussion of ego dissolution arose out of early psychonauts’ interest in Eastern thinking.

Is the “Self” real? If so, what is it? If not, what are the implications of your having no self? Why do psychedelics seemingly give the impression of the ego dissolving and the illusion of the individualized self? Is there a scientific basis to believing the ego does not exist, or is it something that is imposed by the psychedelic tradition of ego dissolution?

Questions and topics we will explore:

• Does the self exist? If the self isn’t real, what are the scientific and philosophical implications?
• Why do psychedelics promote ego dissolution? Can that experience be veridical?
• What does “non-dualism” really mean?

Recommended Readings

• Self Unbound: Ego Dissolution in Psychedelic Experience by Chris Letheby and Philip Gerrans
• Psychedelics, Meditation, and Self-Consciousness by Raphael Milliere et al.
• Self and Other by Alan Watts

Optional:

• The Ego Tunnel by Thomas Metzinger
• Variations in Ego Feeling Induced by d-Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD-25) by Charles Savage

***

🗓 ii Calendar

📋 Code of Conduct

📚 Become a member, get a free ticket every month (FAQ), access our forums, members-only events, and more!