----- Original Message -----
From: "Brett Mann" <bretmann@...>
To: <nick.sandberg@...>
Sent: 05 October 2000 22:03
Subject: [IBOGAINE] Re: [IBOGAINE] ego death


> Howard - I agree with your observation. Viewed from the perspective that
> both substances are teaching - vehicles for the spirit and consciousness,
> it appears to me that ibogaine is the province of more therapeutically
> oriented or more experienced consciousness explorers.
>
> LSD's capacity to demolish the ego can be tremendously liberating and
> healing, but the Sufis say (I've read) that we all have a false and a real
> ego.
>
> LSD appears to be able to dissolve rigid and narrow world views and
> self-boundaries by in essence, returning consciousness to a fertile,
> infantile like state. One can look at a telephone or other common object
> while peaking on LSD and wonder, "what's this? Something you eat?"
>
> But not all that we have learned, often painfully, needs to be unlearned,
> and spiritual development seems to me largely the process of integrating
> learned truths into our lives (egos). It is this evolving, authentic ego, I
> think, which is addressed by ibogaine. I'm sure this thought isn't original
> on this list, but I believe ibogaine does not disrupt normal ego function
> that much because an intact ego is required to assimilate the deeper
> knowledge ibogaine may offer.
>
> I don't know if this is the type of response you were looking for - from a
> neurological viewpoint, might ego function remain intact in the ibogaine
> experience because deeper brain structures (closer to critical life
> support areas) are more involved? My impression is that the subjective
> experience of LSD is based mainly in the neo-cortex.
>
> Brett Mann

I very much doubt that neurologists are going to have much success
locating the ego at a neuroanatomical level.

It would seem all truths are resolved into paradox at a mental level and
so the fundamental dualism of 'is the mind in the world or the world in
the mind?' will be as close as anyone can approach the question of
'location' here.

The concept of ego-death may be a bit of a misnomer with LSD
experiences, in my opinion. I think 'ego-loss' is a better term, as the
period of ego-less existence invariably lasts only while the drug is in
the system.

Also worth mentioning that for some users, the ego, in my opinion,
actually digs in a lot deeper in the long run with sustained usage of
psychedelics.

Nick

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