Ego Awakening Techniques
Ego identification is considered by many wisdom traditions as the root cause of all ailments and suffering. The various ego awakening techniques are all designed to peel off the layers of conditioning that lead to the false belief of being an autonomous independent self. Which one works best, depends on your cultural conditioning and your learning style.
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Sub types of Ego Awakening Techniques
Click the subtype you find most appealing to read more details about this technique and comparisons with other subtypes.​
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Self-Inquiry
Self-Inquiry is a contemplative practice aimed at uncovering the true self beyond the ego. Popularized by the teachings of Ramana Maharshi, this method involves persistent questioning, such as "Who am I?". The question is not supposed to lead to an answer, but ultimately guides one's attention into a direct where it starts to become recursive, like when a snake would eat it's own tail. When this happens, awakening or even enlightenment might befall on the person.
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Diamond Approach
The Diamond Approach, developed by A. H. Almaas, integrates modern psychology with ego awakening. This approach emphasizes the exploration of one's inner landscape – emotions, thoughts, and spiritual experiences, to achieve personal growth and eventually ego awakening. By addressing both psychological and spiritual dimensions, the Diamond Approach helps individuals understand and transcend egoic patterns. Techniques include dialogue, experiential exercises, and mindfulness practices to facilitate deep self-awareness and transformation.
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Method Acting
This technique involves utilizing principles from method acting, a technique actors use to embody a type of character. By deeply immersing oneself in the mindset of an awakened individual, practitioners learn more and more nuances of how life is perceived through such eyes and why it is so. The end result is that the practitioner starts to perceive life in the same way, with the same premise of the ego essentially being a fidget of the mind. It's fundamental mindset change technique applied to ego awakening.
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Autolysis
Autolysis, in the context of ego awakening, refers to the process of self-dissolution where an individual systematically deconstructs their ego constructs to uncover deeper layers of the self. It was introduced by an author with the pen name Jed McKenna. This introspective practice involves examining "everything you think is true". The process then gradually leads to insights in the assumptions on which many truths were based. When less and less such beliefs exist, the belief in even the reality of the ego becomes hard to defend. Once ready, the practitioner wakes up from the egoic illusion – the dreamstate it was in.
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