But what both deep meditation and psychedelic experiences teach us is the ability to see how much of that self—that ego—is constructed. Mark could suddenly see that his social anxiety had been a way of protecting himself—but he didn’t need it any more. My friend Rachel could see that her envy was a way of protecting herself from sadness—and meditation enabled her to see she didn’t have to be that way: she could protect herself with positivity and love instead.
