Self-Transcendence: Definition, Stages, & Psychology

Learn about self-transcendence and how to navigate this life-changing process.

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We are constantly transcending earlier versions of ourselves, but the concept of self-transcendence seems to refer to something bigger and more meaningful than these small changes. It refers to the complete transcendence of the self to the point where one no longer considers themselves a separate self. This dissolving of self—or ego—is what we’ll focus on in this article. We’ll learn all about what it feels like and the exact path one follows to get there.

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What is Self-Transcendence? (A Definition)

The famous psychologist, Abraham Maslow, theorized that self-transcendence was the stage of growth after self-actualization. Self-transcendence (or just ‘transcendence’ for short), was thought to be the last step (or highest achievement) in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

In spiritual traditions, transcendence usually refers to moving beyond the ego. The steps that one takes to get to ego dissolution are often called “The Path” (Besant, 1918). Getting even more specific, Wikipedia describes self-transcendence as the expansion or elimination of self-boundaries (Wikipedia, n.d.). Full self-transcendence also appears to map onto the spiritual concept of 3rd initiation (Leadbeater, 2007), which involves letting go of attachments and aversions (Besant, 1918), which are aspects of the separate self.

Combined, all of these definitions help us better understand what self-transcendence means. Unfortunately, they still leave a lot of questions unanswered—specifically, what is self-transcendence actually like, what happens during self-transcendence, and where does it lead? So these are the topics we’ll focus on in this article.

What Happens During Self-Transcendence?

Throughout our lives, we are always growing. With each growth spurt, we transcend (or move beyond) the earlier version of ourselves. These small changes in our thoughts, emotions, and beliefs lead our conscious mind to expand, even if only slightly. As our consciousness expands, we gain greater awareness of all aspects of reality. Once we reach a certain stage of personal growth, we basically enter a series of self-transcendent experiences that ultimately lead to complete self-transcendence—that is, moving beyond the ego and self-boundaries.

Self-Transcendence & Consciousness
You might think of your conscious mind like a light bulb with a dimmer switch. Most of us start out with a dim light. Basically, we only notice things that are very clear or obvious. But when we hit a certain point in our conscious development, we enter the self-transcendence process (that I will describe below).

Some people may refer to this as spiritual awakening or kundalini awakening, but these labels aren’t quite right since one doesn’t have to be spiritual at all to walk this path (Besant, 1918)—it’s really more about personal evolution or self-growth. In fact, all of us (even atheists) are moving in this direction without knowing it. Those of us who are approaching the path of self-transcendence may not even realize it (Besant, 1918).

Entering The Self-Transcendence Path or Process
When we enter the self-transcendence path or process, it's like someone is quickly turning up the dimmer switch on our lives, the world is clearer, and we rapidly begin to see lots of new things—things that were always there but we never noticed before. This process of rapidly turning up of the light of consciousness is the self-transcendence path.

As the light of our consciousness expands, we gain greater awareness of the mental objects associated with the self; namely, the unconscious, subconscious, higher mind, ego, and collective unconscious. As we see our thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and habits in a clearer light, we begin to notice that these mental objects are really flimsy. And eventually, we see them for what they are—self-created illusions.

But I’m jumping ahead a bit now, so let's slow down and talk about the exact experiences that we go through as we walk the path to full self-transcendence.

Jonathan Haidt: Religion, evolution, and the ecstasy of self-transcendence

The Self-Transcendence Process

Because full self-transcendence is still relatively rare (but becoming less rare), this section is based on an integration of descriptions offered by those who have experienced self-transcendence. Given my compulsive need to understand what was happening to me during my own path to self-transcendence and my obsessive desire to track my progress and experiences, I also share some of my own experiences during the self-transcendence stages below.

Self-Transcendence Stages

Although self-transcendence may begin before these stages, the following section focuses on the time period when the light of our consciousness is being turned up rapidly. This description is also largely consistent with Ingram’s (2018) thoughtful analysis of the stages.

Self-Transcendence Stage 1: Self-Awareness

During this stage, the light of our consciousness begins to shine on our thoughts. We can now watch them flow through our minds, and as a result, we start to understand that thoughts just happen without us actively choosing them (Ingram, 2018).

Next, we begin to trace thoughts forward in time to emotions. We can now witness how our thoughts create our emotions. If we have a negative thought, we can see how the thought leads us to start to feel sad, angry, or fearful (or all of the above).

Finally, we begin to trace thoughts backward in time to our beliefs. We can now witness our beliefs, and we begin to understand how they generate our thoughts.

As we exit this stage, we now understand the belief > thought > emotion process, and as a result, we start to question our entire mental system.

Stage 1 Self-Transcendence Example
For me, this stage involved using a meditation practice (which helped me witness my thoughts) combined with parts work (a technique from Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy) to help me identify the beliefs that give rise to thoughts. In parts work, you basically get to know the different parts of yourself (e.g., your inner children) and have conversations with them to better understand “their” beliefs.

In working with these parts, I eventually discovered that there are actually layers of beliefs. For example, I witnessed my belief that “I’m not good enough.” With some additional self-reflection, I found the root of the belief, which is usually some type of fear. For me, the root here is ‘fear of shame’. I could see that if I could stop being afraid of shame, then I would feel that ‘I am enough’, and the following negative thoughts and emotions would no longer emerge. This type of self-awareness is extremely helpful, but all the fear doesn’t drop away just yet. This is work for later stages.

Stage 1 Self-Transcendence (approx. 25% consciousness of mind)
Note. The timeline for each stage appears to be different for everyone and can range from second to years.

For me, this stage took about 2 months.

Self-Transcendence Stage 2: Illumination

During this stage, we begin to become increasingly aware that our life is not what we thought. We may experience bliss, joy, love, and oneness unlike anything we've ever experienced. Commonly, people will also experience a Deep Insight Event, which is some experience that changes the way we see the world forever (Ingram, 2018). These events are often spiritual in nature and are usually what people are talking about when they say they’ve had a spiritual awakening. Some say that the ecstasy-like feelings in this stage are a glimpse of full self-transcendence and help motivate you to push through the subsequent stages, which are more difficult.

Stage 2 Self-Transcendence Example
At this stage, a good chunk of my fear had fallen away, simply by becoming aware of it! Then things got really weird. It was like being on psychedelics while completely sober—sort of like living in a virtual reality video game.

I developed clairaudience and began to experience the bliss and joy that this stage is known for. It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced in my life. This was when I first realized something special was happening to me and discovered the terms ‘awakening’ and ‘ascension’. As an atheist scientist with no spiritual or religious background, it was extremely surprising to me that any of this was real. But once I experienced this stage, I could no longer deny that awakening is indeed a real phenomenon.

Stage 2 Self-Transcendence (approx. 30% consciousness of mind)
For me, this stage took about 2.5 months.

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Note. I may not have the timeline exactly right for what happened to me in which stage, but this can still be really useful for understanding the types of things you may experience.

Self-Transcendence Stage 3: Dissolution

Dissolution begins an experience that some call ‘the dark night of the soul’ (Ingram, 2018), which is basically just a “parade of horribles”. The light of our consciousness now begins to shine on the remaining shadows of our minds. As a result, we begin to see what we’ve been avoiding for our entire lives.

Beginning the ‘dark night of the soul’, dissolution is the falling away of the previous stage. Given the previous stage feels joyful and magical, losing those feelings can be depressing, especially if we grow attached to feeling ecstatic states. But this stage doesn’t have to be bad if we practice acceptance and self-care.

Stage 3 Self-Transcendence Example
At this stage, my energy began to fade, my clairaudience went away, and my blissed-out moments became few and far between. I slept a lot and experienced a lot of unconscious material and repressed trauma bubbled up through my dreams. For example, I dreamt a lot about my childhood trauma, failed relationships, and people I hadn't thought about in decades. Personally, I didn't feel depressed yet, just tired.

Stage 3 Self-Transcendence (approx. 50% consciousness of mind)
I think this was about 2 months.

Note. During the ‘dark night of the soul stages’—the dissolution stage to the review stage—each of the stages seems to build on the previous one. That is, I began to experience all of the negative emotions and experiences from this current stage as well as the experiences from the previous stage simultaneously. This makes sense because the light of consciousness is now shining brighter.

Self-Transcendence Stage 4: Fear

This stage may be characterized by terror, unease, paranoia, or dread (Ingram, 2018). Just like the other stages, the extent of the fear will vary depending on the person and their own unique shadows.

Stage 4 Self-Transcendence Example
At this stage, I gained increased awareness of a few actions that create more anxiety in me—namely, TV and Internet use. I also noticed the occasional disappearance of my "self" (my identification with my body). It was like I would lose myself momentarily and forget where I was. A strong pang of fear would bring me back, reminding me that my body/mind was doing something and needed to pay attention. (Note that this source says this is Dissolution Stage).

Stage 4 Self-Transcendence (approx. 60% consciousness of mind)
For me, this stage took about 2 weeks.

Self-Transcendence Stage 5: Misery

This stage may be characterized by sadness, grief, or loss (Ingram, 2018). We often begin to realize that our beliefs (and the fears underneath them) are not really us. We just adopted these beliefs from our parents, communities, culture, and world. We now understand that we are not the self that we thought we were. The self that we thought we were is simply a collection of beliefs, thoughts, and emotions that we didn't choose and that we don’t control.

It can be difficult to come to terms with the realization that the mental objects that make up the self only lead to suffering, they are constantly changing without our control, and that there is no solid self to be found. As we begin to understand that the self is nothing (in a sense), we begin to grieve the loss of self.

Stage 5 Self-Transcendence Example
This stage kicked off for me with the death of my beloved cat, bringing up more grief than I’d ever experienced before. Shortly afterward, my body began vibrating, my ears ringing, and my muscles twitching. Thinking too much began giving me headaches so painful that I couldn't function and sleep was the only thing that resolved them.

Stage 5 Self-Transcendence (approx. 65% consciousness of mind)
For me, this stage took about 2 months but extended into the next stage.

Self-Transcendence Stage 6: Disgust

At this stage, we’re just completely disgusted with life as we know it. We can feel tormented by our thoughts, which we are now very aware of. Our minds keep chattering on, and we’re desperate for internal silence.

We may also feel increasingly uncomfortable with our evaporating sense of self (Ingram, 2018). Our ego (or the I-thought) may continue to try to cling onto things—definitions of who we are. But it’s as if these mental objects are slippery and we can no longer hold onto them.

Stage 6 Self-Transcendence Example
At this stage, I started to realize that everything is an illusion because everything we know is just beliefs, thoughts, and emotions. For example, even spiritual concepts like the soul, higher self, and spirit guides are just ideas—that means they can't be the ultimate reality. Although I had become somewhat attached to a few spiritual ideas, I knew I needed to let them all go. As a result, I experienced a roller coaster of disillusionment and grief as I continued to let go of more and more of my sense of control.

My identity was being eroded away. It felt kind of like being plunged underwater and desperately grasping for something to pull myself back up. My mind would continually create new identities for me to grasp onto—e.g., a guide, a role model, or a light worker. But I could no longer ignore the finding that the self is nothing—that I am nothing. I eventually stopped adding new identities, wants, or ideas to my individual self. I then actively tried to stop doing, wanting, or identifying with anything.

Stage 6 Self-Transcendence (approx. 80% consciousness of mind)
For me, this stage took about 1 month but extended into the next stage.

Self-Transcendence Stage 7: Desire for Escape

At this stage, we are beyond disgusted with life and just want to be done with this whole self-transcendence process. Having realized that everything we are attached to and repelled by are causes of suffering, we now desire to be nothing—to be rid of the self. We may become angry, annoyed, or just ‘done’ with all of it.

We may also want to run away, quit our jobs, leave relationships, or abandon other aspects of our lives (Ingram, 2018). Given this is just a stage, it’s likely better not to blow up our lives until we’ve completely the self-transcendence path and can make wiser decisions.

Stage 7 Self-Transcendence Example
As I continued to let go of attachments and ‘wanting’, I began to experience social interactions as manipulative exchanges—just people trying to satisfy their wants (e.g., love, resources, service, etc…) using other people.

For example, people might give me a compliment to get me to do something for them. They might put themselves down to get me to build them back up. Or they might brag to get me to admire them. The light of my consciousness highlighted how the self tries to perpetuate itself. I could now see how I was simply being used as a mirror to reflect people’s identity back to them, and they did the same for me. I developed a deep frustration, and I so badly wanted to just run away from everything and everyone.

By this point, I was so tired, completely unmotivated to pursue any external pursuits, and very lonely. When I sought out anything—relationships, activities, attachments, wants, or even spiritual guidance—it was deeply unsatisfying. I could now see how life was trying to break my will—’will’ being just another aspect of the self.

Stage 7 Self-Transcendence (approx. 90% consciousness of mind)
For me, this stage took about 1.5 months but extended into the next stage.

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Self-Transcendence Stage 8: Re-Observation

“When the outer world stops responding, stop seeking and turn within.” - Kari Hohne

This stage is like a brick wall—it’s like the final review (or re-observation) of all of the ‘dark night of the soul’ stages—that is, the dissolution stage through the despair stage—all at once (Ingram, 2018). We now can see all aspects of our minds—the unconscious, subconscious, higher mind, ego, and collective unconscious—it’s now up to us to look at everything. As a result, we might feel an edgy, restless, irritating quality to our lives at this time (Ingram, 2018).

According to Leadbeater (2007), this marks a transition period that might be described by the Sanskrit word, Avīci, which can be likened to hell. We are processing massive amounts of new information and it can almost feel as if we are being torn apart (Ingram, 2018). If we refuse to look at everything that our consciousness now lights up, we can get stuck here, in hell.

We may also have intense visual and auditory experiences. For example, the world may start to look like an IMAX movie and we may increasingly hear noises, tones, and vibrations (Ingram, 2018). According to Ingram (2018), this stage is all about realizing that everything comes and goes on its own and there is no doer—that is, there is no self.

Stage 8 Self-Transcendence Example
At the beginning of the stage, I slept 11-12 hours per night and woke up exhausted. During my waking hours, the world felt like a dizzying video game, sometimes buzzing, flickering, or spinning. The weird restless quality of this stage is aggravating—it's like feeling 'wired but tired'.

On a psychological level, it felt like all of my old pains bubbled to the surface at once, but this time, there was no earthy way of numbing myself with things like alcohol, drugs, relationships, media, work, or food. All earthly pleasures, external activities, and even friendships felt like nothing. Even spiritual guidance was completely absent, forcing me to just marinate in the suffering of the individual self, albeit still unable to fully transcend the self.

"I have all the spiritual tools; none of them is going to work. None of them. That's called The Dark Night of The Soul... you have no tool left. Sit with it. Experience it fully." Jac O'Keeffe

It's hard to describe how annoyed I can be at nothing at all while at the same time being more accepting and less reactive to challenges. For example, a series of buses, flights, and cars got delayed on a recent trip, and I wasn’t worried about what would happen. I think I'm beginning to adapt to the perspective of nothingness.

I’m also having these weird moments when my “self” is offline. Like, I randomly fell down (my feet seemed to forget how to walk), I momentarily forgot right from left, and sometimes when I looked at my hands, it didn't feel like they were “mine”. All very strange feelings.

Stage 8 Self-Transcendence (approx. 100% consciousness of mind)
I know it’s odd that this marks 100% when we’re still in turmoil. If I understand correctly, 100% means that the light of our consciousness is shining on 100% of our personality (or lower self). This would explain why 100% feels so terrible—we have achieved a major milestone but we still have to much to review.

I think this is also the milestone for moving into love—e.g., the ‘Love Stage’ (or 500) on David Hawkins’ Map of Levels of Consciousness (Hawkins, 2014), or 4th density according to The Law of One (Rueckert & McCarty, 2021).

Re-Observation Continues...

Eventually, I went from sleeping 12 hours per night to having my energy back—although it's kind of a restless energy. I still felt emotional pain and aggravation.

What's different is that it feels like things are just happening to me rather than me being the "doing" agent. I might randomly fall into a bought of sobbing, uncontrollable laughter, or an episode of bliss. These intense experiences wash over me and I experience them fully before they eventually wash away.

I also started to pursue actions that never occurred to me before. The weird thing was that it wasn't really like I wanted to act—and I wasn't attached to the outcomes—but rather like my actions were just happening.

But, my ego is still thrashing (it doesn't understand why it's not guiding me anymore and it's complaining a lot) and my inner monolog is even more intense than usual.

And... Re-Observation Continues

Over the next few months, the search for happiness or enlightenment or whatever seemed completely pointless. "I am not a seeker". The "I" doesn't even exist." Having understood non-self—that I am not the doer—I stopped trying to do anything, even meditate. I simply allowed my consciousness to witness whatever, and I became aware of more and more subtle experiences—e.g., the slight and constant contraction from the fear of death, the quiet brooding of my ego, the feeling of anticipation that arises immediately before others begin speaking—small stuff.

I began to see suffering on everything. Suffering is grasping, clinging, wanting, etc... At first it was depressing, and eventually it became boring. My biggest challenge was boredom at this point, which was still experienced as a negative emotion.

I found myself attaching to negative thoughts, just to give my mind something to do—it seems to prefer negativity to boredom.

As an example, I might have a problem at work. My mind creates negative thoughts, which immediately turn into negative emotions. I quickly feel annoyed at myself for having this reaction. Then, almost like unhooking a fishhook from the thoughts, I let them go. I would say 90% of my positive and negative reactions now last for less than a minute.

In addition, I began to witness subtle aspects of reality, like the knowing that arises before the thoughts claim it. I witnessed more projections—for example, how I see other people as unhelpful when I won't help myself. This was not enjoyable, but also not distressing. I almost feel like a teenager rolling her eyes at existence itself.

Another example: Something might pop into my mind, like, "Don't forget to buy a toothbrush." And immediately the thought is gone. I used to cling onto thoughts like these, and now they come and go so quickly that I can't act on them. On the positive side, my actions are much less driven by insane thoughts.

Self-Transcendence Stage 9: Equanimity towards Objects

At this stage, we begin to surrender to the truth of impermanence, suffering, and no-self. Although we may still be processing the realizations and insights that came up during the previous stages, we are less bothered by things. As long as we learn to accept life exactly as it is—ephemeral, happening on its own, and as a part of all that is (versus duality), we can maintain the awakened perceptions and experiences that emerge in this stage (Ingram, 2018).

Ingram (2018) notes that “the standard pattern” involves learning many deep and essential lessons in Re-observation, getting to Equanimity, but then falling back to Re-observation several times until the lessons are fully integrated and finally Equanimity becomes more stable.

"At this point one’s mind does not delight in any object, however pleasant it may be, even if one deliberately tries to enjoy it. One is uninterested in relishing or enjoying anything" (Sayadaw, 2016). This lack of joy is paired with a lack of fear. "One’s mind is unable to wander off for long periods" (Sayadaw, 2016). This makes is much harder to ruminate on negative thoughts or worry about the future.

Stage 9 Self-Transcendence Example
I think I may have entered this stage momentarily. If that's true, I am highly unstable here and kept falling back into Re-observation. According to Sayadaw (2016), there can be a lot of fluctuation at this time.

Indeed, most of my life is spent in neutrality or indifference (where neither negative or positive affected me), but I still get drawn into attachment to negative thoughts and moments of bliss. But, some of my attachments are gone, and other attachments last for a very short time.

Self-Transcendence Stage 10: Path Knowledge

At this stage, there is “no time, no space, no reference point, no experience, no mind, no consciousness, no awareness, no background, no foreground, no nothingness, no somethingness, no body, no this, no that, no unity, no duality, and no anything else” (Ingram, 2018). We have officially transcended the self.

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Final Thoughts on Self-Transcendence

As you have now discovered, the path to transcendence isn’t necessarily an easy one. However, for those of us who are on this path, we are compelled to keep moving forward. Somewhere inside of us, we know that inner peace lies ahead. I hope that this explanation of self-transcendence helps you follow the path to reach inner peace yourself.

Spiritual Disclaimer

Although meaningful knowledge can be found through spiritual insight, we humans filter this knowledge through our own mental frameworks. Even the best, most advanced spiritual teachers have access only to reflections of Truth, which still maintain some distortions. My truth may not equal your truth which may not equal another person’s truth. So, always check in with your Self or intuition to verify whether the spiritual information you receive resonates with your Truth.

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References

Besant, A. (1918). Initiation, the Perfecting of Man. Theosophical Publishing Society.
Hawkins, D. R. (2014). Power vs. force. Hay House, Inc.
Hohne, Kari. (n.d.) I-Ching: Ken (Keeping Still). Retrieved 5/16/24 from https://www.cafeausoul.com/oracles/iching/ken-keeping-still
Ingram, Daniel. (2018). Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha: An Unusually Hardcore Dharma Book - Revised and Expanded Edition. Aeon Books.
Leadbeater, C. W. (2007). The masters and the path. Cosimo, Inc.
Rueckert, C. & McCarty, J. (2021). The Ra Material: An Ancient Astronaut Speaks (Law of One). Whitford Press.
Sayadaw, M. (2016). Manual of insight. Simon and Schuster.
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Self-Transcendence. Retrieved 5/7/2024 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-transcendence

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