This episode we discuss Susan's transformative journey with 5MEO-DMT, starting from her initial curiosity influenced by a friend's experience, to multiple intense sessions with profound realizations.

Throughout, Susan confronts her beliefs, grapples with existential fears, and seeks deeper understanding of life and death. Her experiences include confronting the fear of death spurred by an aneurysm diagnosis and the loss of her mother, which led to an existential exploration and a sense of peace and interconnectedness after subsequent 5MEO-DMT sessions.

We touch on the need for curiosity, questioning long-held beliefs, and the importance of reconnecting with loved ones. Susan finds profound spiritual insights and an ineffable sense of knowing through her DMT experiences, which ultimately bring her peace and clarity in life.

In this episode we finally start discussing how to develop through the stages of vertical ego development, emphasizing that progression requires navigating through each stage without skipping.

Advancement often arises from disorientation and trauma, which force individuals to re-evaluate their approach to life.

The importance of feedback and self-examination is highlighted, along with practices for developing self-awareness, handling blind spots, and differentiating between confidence and humility.

We also emphasize the significance of practicing presence under pressure and suggest a journaling process to analyze and improve reactions and interactions.

We outline the steps necessary for moving from one stage of ego development to the next, emphasizing the need for emotional awareness, collaborative skills, and balancing self-expression with group transformation.

The final stages involve practicing presence as leadership and embracing contradictions with compassion and courage, ultimately leading to transcendence.

We continue a detailed discussion on ego development.

Part two starts by recapping the first four stages—

Self-Centered,

Group-Centered,

Skill-Based, and

Self-Determined.

We then cover the fifth stage,

Self-Questioning,

which involves valuing authenticity over success and being open to differing opinions without needing to be right.

The sixth stage is

Self-Actualization,

where individuals integrate their whole self and lead from presence, experiencing flow states and systemic thinking.

Finally, the seventh stage,

Transcendence,

is described as a state of expansive awareness and unity, detached from personal identity and outcomes.

Each stage builds on the previous one and that development often involves periods of confusion and disorientation.