“I thought I was my CV—until the mushrooms showed me the void.”

There’s something oddly comforting about labels. They tell us who we are. They dress us in meaning. “Engineer.” “Daughter.” “Anxious overthinker.” The ego loves them—feeds on them like a starved actor clinging to their only role.

But what happens when the spotlight cuts out? When the mirror shatters and the character forgets the lines?

For many of us who’ve danced with psychedelics—LSD, psilocybin, ayahuasca—we’ve met that moment—the one where our name doesn’t feel like ours. Where identities melt, time stops, and the costume we called “self” begins to slip off.

And oddly enough… we survive it. Sometimes, we even laugh.

The Ego: Our Favorite Disguise

Psychologists have long defined the ego as the mediator between our inner world and external expectations. It helps us function. But in a world obsessed with branding—personal and otherwise—the ego often morphs into a tyrant. A gatekeeper whispering, “Only if you’re successful will you be lovable. Only if you’re unique will you be worthy.”

We mistake the suit for the soul.

In the words of Ram Das, “You have to be somebody before you can be nobody.” And psychedelics? They fast-forward that journey in the weirdest, wildest ways.

What Psychedelics Reveal

During a profound psilocybin experience, I felt like I was watching my personality float away in little bubbles. Each one carried a trait: “ambitious.” “Funny.” “Likes black coffee.” Gone. Popped. Dissolved into the void.

And what remained?

Just awareness. Just breathe. Just… being.

It wasn’t scary. It was liberating.

Because the self I clung to so tightly wasn’t gone—it had never been a solid thing to begin with. The ego was just a story, lovingly told and retold, written in the ink of approval and fear.

The Costume Isn’t Evil—but It’s Not Everything

Don’t get me wrong. The ego isn’t the villain of this tale. It’s more like a misunderstood method actor who forgot they’re playing a part.

We need it to navigate society, file taxes, and fall in love. But problems arise when we believe that’s all we are. Psychedelics remind us of the bigger picture—the soul behind the script.

How to Live Authentically (Even Without Tripping)

Okay, so you’ve glimpsed behind the mask. Now what? How do we live in the world without being consumed by it?

1. Question the Script

Next time you say, “I’m just not good at that,” ask yourself: Is that true, or just an old identity clinging on?

2. Let Silence Be Your Mirror

Psychedelics force us to sit in stillness. Try 10 minutes of meditation daily—not to “achieve” calm, but to notice what arises when the costumes fall off.

3. Seek Connection, Not Performance

We often curate ourselves to be accepted. Instead, show up messy. Let your vulnerability be the glue. Realness is magnetic.

4. Create Without an Audience

Make art, journal, and dance alone in your room. Reconnect to the “you” that exists beyond likes and validation.

5. Remember: You Are Not Your Thoughts

You’re the awareness beneath them. The sky, not the clouds.

A Soul Beyond the Stage

There’s a line I scribbled down during a particularly cosmic acid trip:
“Even the sun forgets it’s a star sometimes.”

We are not our LinkedIn bios. Not our traumas. Not even our healing. We’re something vaster—a consciousness dressed in flesh, trying on roles for the thrill of it.

And when do we remember that? We get to play again. To take off the costume when it itches. To wear it lightly. Laughingly. Lovingly.

Because underneath it all, you’re already whole. Already home.

Final Thought

If psychedelics teach us anything, it’s this:
The ego may be the character in your story, but you, my friend, are the author.

Now rewrite something beautiful.

Check my previous article-https://jnanasya.com/how-to-heal-your-mind-with-psychedelics-responsibly/

Check out this video by Joe Rogan-https://youtu.be/HCfIXvQ6fxE?si=IOKmKtRBdsj40HPJ