# Depersonalization is a Spiritual Awakening



## Guest (Jun 3, 2010)

​
*Is DP/DR a Spiritual Awakening*

Strongly Agree721.21%Agree515.15%Neutral 1236.36%Disagree39.09%Strongly Disagree618.18%


----------



## Guest (Jun 3, 2010)

I just want to open up this debate. The question is...is DP/DR some kind of Spiritual Awakening/Ego Death? I am torn as to what to believe. I do know however, that having DP/DR has opened me up to the Spiritual side of life. I was an Atheist right up until the night I became Depersonalized. Now some Spiritual people will insist that DP/DR is a premature awakening or ego death. I know they say enlightenment is suppose to be blissful, so I can't believe DP/DR is Enlightenment, because we know it is pure hell to experience. What do you think?


----------



## Hoopesy (Dec 8, 2009)

ThoughtOnFire said:


> I just want to open up this debate. The question is...is DP/DR some kind of Spiritual Awakening/Ego Death? I am torn as to what to believe. I do know however, that having DP/DR has opened me up to the Spiritual side of life. I was an Atheist right up until the night I became Depersonalized. Now some Spiritual people will insist that DP/DR is a premature awakening or ego death. I know they say enlightenment is suppose to be blissful, so I can't believe DP/DR is Enlightenment, because we know it is pure hell to experience. What do you think?


I don't think DP is enlightenment in the Buddhist sense of the word but a spiritual enlightenment? If you choose to take that path then yes. I used to be pretty agnostic myself before but DP changed all of that. It forced me to think about possibilities I would cast aside and not think about. But I opened myself up to so many different philosophers and religious figures that helped me learn about the true nature of the self and consciousness. I now have beliefs that i would have never adopted hadn't it been for DP, so in a way I'm kind of thankful for this experience. But Id like it to go away now lol.


----------



## Guest (Jun 3, 2010)

Hoopesy said:


> I don't think DP is enlightenment in the Buddhist sense of the word but a spiritual enlightenment? If you choose to take that path then yes. I used to be pretty agnostic myself before but DP changed all of that. It forced me to think about possibilities I would cast aside and not think about. But I opened myself up to so many different philosophers and religious figures that helped me learn about the true nature of the self and consciousness. I now have beliefs that i would have never adopted hadn't it been for DP, so in a way I'm kind of thankful for this experience. But Id like it to go away now lol.


Oh yeah! I'm totally with you their buddy! I am in many ways thankful for the opportunity to have a truly open mind to things off limits before.


----------



## ZachT (Sep 8, 2008)

There are actually a lot of religions that believe that DP is a spiritual awakening.


----------



## 2deepathinker (Aug 17, 2009)

I am not sure what to believe either. I had DP before I practiced Kundalini Yoga due to anxiety. I, too have heard it is a spiritual awakening, but I am not convinced that we want to get rid of our egos because on some level we need them. I like the security of knowing who I am.


----------



## ZachT (Sep 8, 2008)

2deepathinker said:


> I am not sure what to believe either. I had DP before I practiced Kundalini Yoga due to anxiety. I, too have heard it is a spiritual awakening, but I am not convinced that we want to get rid of our egos because on some level we need them. I like the security of knowing who I am.


Have you read the book "Feeling Unreal"??
There is a passage about a woman feeling DP after yoga or something like that. It was very interesting.


----------



## Guest (Jun 3, 2010)

Hmm, this is interesting! I thought there would be way more disagreeing. But so far there is only as far as neutral & agreeing.


----------



## flipwilson (Aug 19, 2006)

Nature ain't perfect, but nature rarely makes mistakes. We have egos and we need egos. They serve to help in judgment, planning, defense, synthesis of information, intellectual functioning and memory. Can any horrible or tragic moment in life teach us life lessons? sure. I'm sure we are all better people, or would be better people because of this experience. Maybe that is a spiritual awakening of sorts, but not how most would want to define it. I believe that anything that insists the ego is 'evil' or 'holding us back' is dead wrong. Depersonalization to me is more like falling asleep then being awake, it makes you an observer rather than a participant and to me that is not a step above from where every day life is lived.


----------



## Guest (Jun 3, 2010)

flipwilson said:


> Nature ain't perfect, but nature rarely makes mistakes. We have egos and we need egos. They serve to help in judgment, planning, defense, synthesis of information, intellectual functioning and memory. Can any horrible or tragic moment in life teach us life lessons? sure. I'm sure we are all better people, or would be better people because of this experience. Maybe that is a spiritual awakening of sorts, but not how most would want to define it. I believe that anything that insists the ego is 'evil' or 'holding us back' is dead wrong. Depersonalization to me is more like falling asleep then being awake, it makes you an observer rather than a participant and to me that is not a step above from where every day life is lived.


I agree with this! Our Egos are a part of us just like anything else. And it should be embraced not scorned, welcomed not killed.


----------



## ZachT (Sep 8, 2008)

ThoughtOnFire said:


> Hmm, this is interesting! I thought there would be way more disagreeing. But so far there is only as far as neutral & agreeing.


Ain't it crazy how a lot of people think the same on the forum??


----------



## PositiveThinking! (Mar 5, 2010)

Well, I won't agree because I'm not really into spiritual stuff, and I won't disagree because life is a big mistery, no one knows anything for sure, everything is possible, so choosing disagree would be quite a big dumbness


----------



## 2deepathinker (Aug 17, 2009)

I just listened to a CD on tape by Caroline Myss called: Spiritual Madness. It is very interesting. I recommend it to anyone interesting in this topic.

This is the product description taken off of amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Spiritual-Madness-Necessity-Meeting-Darkness/dp/1564559025/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275701642&sr=1-1

Product Description
Now on CD, this classic session with Caroline Myss describes a contemporary path open to all who seek direct mystical experience. Modern mystics are faced with conflicts no medieval monk ever faced, Myss says, leading to a "dark night" unique to our age, and a deep and rich "madness" that is an inescapable part of the mystical journey today. Join the bestselling author of Sacred Contracts as she uncovers the roots of mystical experience, both ancient and modern, and reveals: The true reason we invite God into our lives, why spiritual intimacy can lead to chaos, how mystical experience translates into everyday life in our time, a way to end spiritual confusion with a simple, honest prayer , and plus many self-teaching exercises and practices.


----------



## DiscoStick (Dec 13, 2009)

I disagree with the idea due to my severe agnosticism in all philosophical, political, theological etc. areas. Surely awakening would make me feel more certain of spiritual truths?
But it is a comforting thought.


----------



## Hoopesy (Dec 8, 2009)

ThoughtOnFire said:


> I agree with this! Our Egos are a part of us just like anything else. And it should be embraced not scorned, welcomed not killed.


The ego is something that I am very interested in. One of the main doctrines of Buddhism teaches that there is no self, only all. That the ego is only a construct of the mind trying to keep its grasp on the material world. And to an extent I would agree with this, but I also believe in a soul. A popular interpretation of ego that I can agree with correlates with the hindu version of god. They hold the belief that god is both within us as the "atman" or what we would call a soul and the all prevailing supreme spirit "brahman" or what we call god. To simplify it, think about a cell on your body. In of itself is a distinct and original thing, but really it is a small and ever so meaningful part of the larger human body. So the ego exists to an extent but ultimately we are all a part of the same being. All as one, and one as all.

Sorry for the new agey rant but i love talking about this stuff


----------



## Guest (Jun 8, 2010)

You all may find this interesting..

http://illumen8.com/ego-and-your-higher-self.html

I feel we need the ego in this dimension.. as we experience separation (duality.. good/evil). As we progress spiritually when we understand ourselves as one with all... ego changes or in better words.. remembers who he/she is and in turn becomes whole again.

Course the ego should be embraced as the tool it has been for learning and experiencing.. understanding limits and limitlessness....but when the ego drives without understanding oneness... the world is divided.. as it has been divided through races (people claiming one superior over the other), countries, borders, religions ... resulting in wars and suffering. Also, ego driven humans reflects a corrupt government.

And when we remember who we are... we realize (ego realizes) that we don't loose anything (I)... in fact we gain ourselves back... ( the I AM.... the ALL).

and i feel that dp can serve as a reminder that we are something more.

oh and this is a great video on the ego .. 




after watching this.. you will see how dp ties in to realizing ego-you and the ulimate-you.


----------



## Space Addict (Dec 5, 2006)

Why does everyone always assume that enlightenment, spirituality, god, etc are always going to be blissful experiences? youve forgotten to take into account how badly your ego is holding onto your false conditioning, programming, attachments, and selfish wants and needs. when you break through the ego and transcend, this can be the most painful and difficult time in ones life but is the only way to reach true freedom and peace within. this pain is blessing in disguise, its pushing you out of your muck so that you can see yourself as you truly are, not what your ego wants you to be. the ego wants it all to be easy and avoids anything that challenges it. it wants control and it doesnt want to change. dp/dr is a direct nail into the heart of the ego. it will take it all from you and you will scream like a baby. thats all that is happening right now. instead of fighting the pain and saying damn this sucks, it cant possibly be good or spiritual, embrace it and know that you are on a wave thats gonna take you to your dreams, just hold out and learn from the experience.


----------



## Space Addict (Dec 5, 2006)

2deepathinker said:


> I am not sure what to believe either. I had DP before I practiced Kundalini Yoga due to anxiety. I, too have heard it is a spiritual awakening, but I am not convinced that we want to get rid of our egos because on some level we need them. I like the security of knowing who I am.


you will never know who you are or understand who you are with the mind. if you try, the ego will step in and create a false image/identity to suit its wants and needs. you will get lost in the ego if you take that path. we are all being orchestrated by something far beyond mind or ego or any limited view of ourselves. true freedom exists outside this false self and in the moment where everything becomes available to you and you have no limitation. that is conscious living.


----------



## Pablo (Sep 1, 2005)

DP is not a spiritual awakening as such imo but it is a symptom that you are not living true or have beliefs about yourself that are not true to who you really are, like the majority of mental and physical problems in my opinion show you that the way you are doing things is not really true to yourself . For example someone who only ever does what his parents say and devotes their life to pleasing them or trying to get something from them could end with dp because they are living their life by who their parents are rather than who they really are, so DP is a helpful stop to give them a crisis to re-evaluate their lives into a more healthy way.

DP in itself cant be some sort of ultimate realisation as its based upon pure logic whereas human beings are not pure logical beings, they have an emotional centre and and your whole left side (right brain) is non logical which is just as important as logic, even the most DP'd person intuitively realises that DP isn't some sort of ultimate truth I think.


----------



## Guest (Aug 13, 2010)

Space Addict said:


> Why does everyone always assume that enlightenment, spirituality, god, etc are always going to be blissful experiences? youve forgotten to take into account how badly your ego is holding onto your false conditioning, programming, attachments, and selfish wants and needs. when you break through the ego and transcend, this can be the most painful and difficult time in ones life but is the only way to reach true freedom and peace within. this pain is blessing in disguise, its pushing you out of your muck so that you can see yourself as you truly are, not what your ego wants you to be. the ego wants it all to be easy and avoids anything that challenges it. it wants control and it doesnt want to change. dp/dr is a direct nail into the heart of the ego. it will take it all from you and you will scream like a baby. thats all that is happening right now. instead of fighting the pain and saying damn this sucks, it cant possibly be good or spiritual, embrace it and know that you are on a wave thats gonna take you to your dreams, just hold out and learn from the experience.


I just want to add that this process/phase has a term: *The Dark Night of the Soul*


----------



## Zee Deveel (Aug 3, 2009)

Space Addict said:


> Why does everyone always assume that enlightenment, spirituality, god, etc are always going to be blissful experiences? youve forgotten to take into account how badly your ego is holding onto your false conditioning, programming, attachments, and selfish wants and needs. when you break through the ego and transcend, this can be the most painful and difficult time in ones life but is the only way to reach true freedom and peace within. this pain is blessing in disguise, its pushing you out of your muck so that you can see yourself as you truly are, not what your ego wants you to be. the ego wants it all to be easy and avoids anything that challenges it. it wants control and it doesnt want to change. dp/dr is a direct nail into the heart of the ego. it will take it all from you and you will scream like a baby. thats all that is happening right now. instead of fighting the pain and saying damn this sucks, it cant possibly be good or spiritual, embrace it and know that you are on a wave thats gonna take you to your dreams, just hold out and learn from the experience.


This is an awesome post, but I disagree about DP being "a nail into the heart of the ego", I think for most people it enhances their ego. They build an identity out of being a victim and it is able to perpetuate by keeping them in a constant state of unhappiness.


----------



## Space Addict (Dec 5, 2006)

Zee Deveel said:


> This is an awesome post, but I disagree about DP being "a nail into the heart of the ego", I think for most people it enhances their ego. They build an identity out of being a victim and it is able to perpetuate by keeping them in a constant state of unhappiness.


well some peoples egos win the fight when challenged by dp/dr by assuming victim mentality which the ego often does. many are still very attached to this world but they are being given a chance to change that if they wish.


----------



## Zee Deveel (Aug 3, 2009)

I dunno man, I think this forum is a monument to how many people are being battered by their egos. You can just feel the misery and pity seeping into you by hanging around here. But internet forums attract that type of person, so this is to be expected I suppose.

A lot of people get DP/DR and just don't bother to research it or go on the internet and mope about and it just leaves of it's own accord... I reckon!

By the way, about this Dark Night of the Soul. I'm reading an amazing book at the moment called The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand that was written in the 40s. It's a novel about architecture, but the woman who wrote it has a profound insight into how the mind really works and the motives behind people. I read this passage today which I thought was pretty potent and would like to share:



> "No. You must stop wanting anything. You must forget how important Miss Catherine Halsey is. Because, you see, she isn't. Men are important only in relation to other men, in their usefulness, in the service they render, Unless you understand that completely, you can expect nothiing but one form of misery or another. Why make such cosmic tragedy out of the fact that you've found youself feeling cruel toward people? So what? It's just growing pains. One can't jump from a state of animal brutality into a state of spiritual living without certain transitions. And some of them may seem evil. A beautiful women is usually a gawky adolescent first. All growth demands destruction. You can't make an omelet without breaking eggs. You must be willing to suffer, to be cruel, to be dishonest, to be unclean--anything, my dear, anything to kill the most stubborn of roots, the ego. And only when it is dead, when you care no longer, when you have lost your identity and forgotten the name of your soul--only then will you know the kind of happiness I spoke about, and the gates of spiritual granduer will fall open before you."


----------



## Pablo (Sep 1, 2005)

Depends what you mean by ego but im not sure completely letting go of the ego permanently is possible or desirable thing to do, even the greatest spiritual practitioners I think only have moments when they loose their sense of self during meditations etc but they come back to a sense of self eventually as it is a practical functional thing you need to operate in the world, what I think can be dropped though are aspects of your ego like self importance, vanity and self delusion so you live closer to your essence. My belief is that people have an essential essence which they are born with which you can see in small children in the predilictions, the way their energy is aligned and likes dislikes etc but then you are conditioned and forced to develop a personality which covers up your essence, so unlearning all the crap that has been forced upon you so you live more in tune with your natural essence is a more realistic goal than completely permanently transcending your ego in my opinion.


----------



## Zee Deveel (Aug 3, 2009)

Sure it's a more realistic goal, but shit, aim for the moon and if you miss you'll still land amongst the stars, right?

I agree that it's a process of unlearning though.


----------



## Guest (Aug 16, 2010)

Space Addict said:


> Why does everyone always assume that enlightenment, spirituality, god, etc are always going to be blissful experiences? youve forgotten to take into account how badly your ego is holding onto your false conditioning, programming, attachments, and selfish wants and needs. when you break through the ego and transcend, this can be the most painful and difficult time in ones life but is the only way to reach true freedom and peace within. this pain is blessing in disguise, its pushing you out of your muck so that you can see yourself as you truly are, not what your ego wants you to be. the ego wants it all to be easy and avoids anything that challenges it. it wants control and it doesnt want to change. dp/dr is a direct nail into the heart of the ego. it will take it all from you and you will scream like a baby. thats all that is happening right now. instead of fighting the pain and saying damn this sucks, it cant possibly be good or spiritual, embrace it and know that you are on a wave thats gonna take you to your dreams, just hold out and learn from the experience.


Big Hugz


----------



## EverDream (Dec 15, 2006)

I think that in most cases DP isn't a spiritual awakening but it can progress with time into some sort of it.


----------



## Space Addict (Dec 5, 2006)

Pablo said:


> Depends what you mean by ego but im not sure completely letting go of the ego permanently is possible or desirable thing to do, even the greatest spiritual practitioners I think only have moments when they loose their sense of self during meditations etc but they come back to a sense of self eventually as it is a practical functional thing you need to operate in the world, what I think can be dropped though are aspects of your ego like self importance, vanity and self delusion so you live closer to your essence. My belief is that people have an essential essence which they are born with which you can see in small children in the predilictions, the way their energy is aligned and likes dislikes etc but then you are conditioned and forced to develop a personality which covers up your essence, so unlearning all the crap that has been forced upon you so you live more in tune with your natural essence is a more realistic goal than completely permanently transcending your ego in my opinion.


definitely, we cant get rid of the ego completely even if we tried. but we can disassociate from our egos constant attempt at control over us and listen with our hearts and this is always a place of responsibility/creative power over ego/victim mentality. being able to step outside the "mind made self/ego" is quite helpful for everyone in this life, specifically those experiencing dp/dr. everything then becomes a win win situation


----------



## jd99034 (Dec 2, 2008)

Good topic. For me, DP was an awakening, not only into my spiritual nature, but the real nature and state of the world. The only way you will find truth is if you look for answers. They don't just fall into your lap. The only way you will look for answers about the nature of reality is if you for some reason start to question it.

I can't believe how much this forum has grown since I was last here, and I'm glad people are looking and talking about these topics. Obviously the answer to this doesn't lie in psycho-pharmacology.

I believe it's not just our egos that try to control us, but also the people who run the world. I know this isn't a conspiracy debate but I thought I'd throw in the point that there is a war for our minds being waged on numerous levels. DP could be a result of this invisible war, (being constantly bombarded with toxic chemicals like fluoride, heavy metals from aerial spraying, Electromagnetic pollution not only from our regular devices but also from weather control devices such as haarp. Of course it's also possible that maybe they want us all to be DP'd and zombified, so we seek out help from the medical field who will only make it worse... but maybe it will backfire and we will end up discovering our true selves in the process. Just a thought.


----------



## Guest (Oct 15, 2010)

Here is someone's experince with getting depersonalization from Zen Meditation..toward the end of this articel . http://www.depersonalization.info/expert3.html
The process of awakening and self realization is def not an easy walk along the flowery rode..lol Its tough but a necessary process in order to see the bigger picture... or better said BE the bigger picture..lol









here is more info on Buddhism and DP..http://www.marijuana.com/medicinal-marijuana/23275-depersonalization.html

also..
in another article on buddhist info.. under the box VALUE OF CALMNESS.. it states

*The aim of Buddhism is to transform the personality in this way. This transformation is also a process of growth. This is why Buddhism is also a growth technique. The growth takes place in four stages: devotion (saddha), discipline (sila), detachment (caga), and depersonalization (panna). When we speak of the practice of Buddhism, it is necessary to speak about these stages of growth. Each individual practices at his or her own level.*

check out the very end of the artcile on the bottom.. it says..

*'The final stage in the development of the path of Buddhism is depersonalization. This is when we are able to give up what has been personalized by seeing that there is nothing that we can call our own. When we see that all things are unstable (anicca), anxiety-producing (dukkha), and impersonal (anatta), we are free of all suffering. This is because there are no possessions or "self" to worry about. This depersonalization is what makes an individual completely selfless. When this happens one can even face death without anxiety. This complete freedom from anxiety is the aim of Buddhism.' *

http://www.dhammawiki.com/index.php?title=Becoming_a_Buddhist_by_Madawela_Punnaji


----------



## resinoptes (Jan 15, 2011)

I think dp can result from an ego death gone wrong, one that is fought, but that it is a separate thing. The night I became dpd there certainly was the option of it turning out differently than it did, but the human understanding has to break and be humbled for this to happen. In my case the trauma was made much more severe because I have spent my life accumulating knowledge in an effort to 'understand' everything, I will admit that 'i' was/am incredibly resentful at being shown in such a brutal way that this is ultimately futile. I think that trying to process emotion with reason increases the liklihood of dp occuring though. Anyone read chapter 11 of the Bhagavad Gita? 'I am the mighty world destroying time, here made manifest for the purpose of infolding the world'. Actually seeing space and time, subject and object, collapse into one another is not easy to come back from unburnt. We are so limited and know so little


----------

