On Spiritual Psychosis and "Oneness"
DISCLAIMER
Before I preface this and people bring out the torches and pitchforks, I want to say that the belief that we are all one consciousness, one soul, etc. is not inherently indicative that someone has spiraled into spiritual psychosis- it is part of a lot of religions!
This is mostly talking about a very specific brand of "oneness" that I have seen repeatedly arise from people who take spirituality and "enlightenment" way too seriously to the point where they actually went and drove themselves mad.
The TL;DR is that this belief, when brought on from going too far down the rabbit hole, is common not because it is the natural path of enlightenment, but because psychotic episodes tend to amplify certain lines of thinking and observations that will inevitably lead to this conclusion. There are also multiple facets to this that can lead a person to this conclusion, and while not all of them are necessarily present at the same time, you may find yourself reading a few of these points and going, "Ah, so that explains why that guy got so weird after he converted to Buddhism and took a ton of shrooms".
I hope to explain this in a way that is easy for people to understand, since I get asked this question a lot. And, please note that this analysis is targeted toward western perspectives, though there are some points that can be found anywhere.
Religion & Appropriation, and the Fetishization of being "Natural"
Alright, I'm just going to rip off the bandaid and get this part out of the way first- there is a non-zero amount of people who started having this delusion after they consumed a watered-down westernized version of Buddhism or Hinduism. (Sometimes Daoism, too.)
These religions tend to have a focus on the idea that we are all part of a whole. The interpretations of these can range from a pointed, "we are all literally one soul" to "we are all cogs in the same machine and equally important, but not literally the same person".
The validity of these interpretations is not what is important here. The important thing is that people who get stuck in this mindset tend to focus on the first one, and not the second one.
While there can be varying reasons for focusing on the idea of literally being the same entity, I have observed some common ones that pop up a lot:
- The person is lonely, and the idea of being part of a greater being brings them comfort
- The person is looking for answers, and this is one of the first things that a different "guru" told them
- It is something that has never occurred to them before, and the novelty of this idea is what makes it seem "right", as they have been dissatisfied with all other answers before them. (It should also be noted that western cultures tend to have hyper-individualistic elements to them, and this can be suffocating for some people. Going 180 in the opposite direction is likely their first line of defense and a newfound freedom.)
- This is something that they learned from an Eastern religion, and they therefore think that it holds more merit and is more "mystical" for that sole reason (common with today's "love and light" white ex-christians)
- It is the simple answer, and therefore feels more "natural" (A misuse of Occam's Razor)
- It allows them to rationalize abusive behavior by lessening the blow (e.g. "I hurt them, but we're all one, so it's not really hurting anyone", or "we're all meant to learn what it's like to be hurt, so this all happened for a reason.")
In conjunction with the above points, there is often the misconception that religions like Buddhism are inherently "more spiritual" or some form of "better" spiritual just because the newbie does not have any trauma associated with those religions. They are new, exotic, and conjure images of modern-day monks in foreign mountains and temples, surrounded by incense and the simplicity of nature. (The truth of the matter is that every religion has skeletons in the closet- cults, murders done in their name, and these religions have been used to abuse people as well- whether it be on an individual basis or a systematic level.)
There persists the belief that leaning into these new spiritual identities will allow them to become closer to nature- both the literal trees we see and the cosmic essence of the universe as a whole. However, they often do not stop to think about why these religions make us more in-tune with the world.
Speaking as someone who is loosely Daoist, when I was taught about meditation and things to help me feel more connected to the Dao, it was more focused on feeling the energy that we all have. It was like being shown that we are all made of the same atoms, and this is why we are one. Not in the sense that we are all the same consciousness, but that we are all made of the same stuff, and we shouldn't be mean to each other, because we're all in this together. This is supposed to give us a form of oneness that inspires accountability and an urge to improve your environment and the lives of others, regardless of if they are your friend, or someone you don't know. When I meditate, I become no-one. My form of ego dissolving is turning to nothingness, because the Dao is "nothing" as it is everything. I cease to exist for a temporary amount of time
If this were the end game of the "oneness" I was talking about earlier with the spiritual psychosis, then it wouldn't be that bad. However. The fact that I am typing this probably leads you to have a vague idea of the topics for the rest of this document.
Synchronicities and Coincidences
"Synchronicity"... That's a term that comes up a lot in modern spiritual discussions. It refers to the experience of two or more events that seem to be meaningfully related, yet have no apparent causal connection when observed factually. People often interpret these occurrences as signs or messages from the universe, reinforcing their belief in a greater interconnectedness.
There is a reason why I say "twice is coincidence, three is a pattern." Though in practice it is more like "twice is a coincidence, five times is a pattern". Go on literally any channel focused on things like tarot reading, astrology, or other modern spirituality topics, and you will likely see people encouraging you to be on the lookout for "signs" and "symbols". Repeating numbers mean you're gonna win the lottery. Seeing a ladybug means your new job offer is coming in next week... You get the idea.
It starts out small. And, to be fair- I do believe that sometimes you do get signs from the spirits when you ask for them. However, one must be careful to not go overboard. We, as a species, are prone to pattern recognition and meaning-making, which can lead to seeing connections where none exist. It is how we survive, how we learn, and how we create.
But this is also where we fail.
When someone is in a vulnerable state, they are more likely to latch onto these coincidences and interpret them as signs of a deeper truth. This can create a feedback loop where they start to see more and more connections, reinforcing their belief in the "oneness" and leading them further down the rabbit hole. An uncomfortable truth about spirituality is that a good chunk of it is just the universe parroting back what you expect to hear, and this makes it extremely hard (or even functionally impossible) to discern what is "truth" or fiction when it comes to what actually occurs on the other side.
Even outside of psychological matters, there is the side that it is entirely possible for beginner mages to magically manifest signs without the results associated with those signs. For example, if you say "show me three peacocks in my yard if it's my turn to win the lottery", you might manifest those three peacocks... Without the lotto win. And while that is a strange event, it's not what you really wanted. (I have some theories onto why this is, but it might be due to the fact that we are excited by the idea of something magical happening, and therefore our magic goes all into presenting us with something magical, even if it's not fully realized.)
Destruction of the Ego
The ego is what separates us from the rest of the universe, and destroying it is a key aspect of achieving enlightenment... But is that really true?
First we should define what we mean by "ego". An ego is the sense of self. The part of us that identifies with our thoughts, feelings, and experiences. It is the voice in our head that tells us who we are and how we relate to others. This in itself is not inherently a bad thing, however when we say the word "ego", we typically conjure images of someone who is full of themself and rude to others.
But that is not always the case. The ego is simply the part of your consciousness that makes your active decisions to balance your instincts with what you want. Now, this can lead to people being defensive whenever their sense of identity is questioned- this is usually what people refer to when they talk about how good "killing the ego" is.
Why then, do we do all of this meditation to kill the ego? Simply, it's because we need to learn how to stop over-thinking things and forming our sense of self based on superficial desires and other people's opinions. The "Way of the Dao" is all about going with the flow. Learn to stop taking things personally, and you will find a sense of peace.
The true dissolution of the ego leads to nothing. As in, it literally leads to the void. If you ever experience being in a situation of full ego death, it's kind of like being fully awake, but still somehow not having any thoughts at all, as if you're asleep without dreaming. You don't even react to stimuli. At least, that's been my experience with it.
As you can imagine, this is a temporary state, and it is not possible to maintain it indefinitely.
Ego splitting, or ego death, is a common symptom of psychotic episodes.
Despite the phrasing being the same as with spiritual ego death, I would argue that they are different concepts, and that people conflate these two forms of ego death because they are in the same ballpark of being a loss of identity.
In spiritual ego death, you are still aware that you exist, but you are not attached to your identity. In psychotic ego death, you lose the ability to recognize yourself as a cohesive whole. The inability to distinguish between internal thoughts and external reality creates a sense of being "one" with the universe... In the form of thinking that other people's thoughts are your own, and that you breathing has the ability to change the weather. Those people who just got out of the car? They're actually coming to get you. That bird singing? It's singing for you. Etc.
Ironically enough, it's not that people don't have any ego at all in this case- it's that their ego has grown so big, they think they are the whole universe. Their sense of self, instead of going to nowhere, has now gone to everywhere. Now that they have been overwhelmed by their environment, the self dissolves to a state that refuses to filter incoming information. To an outsider who has not had experience with both forms of ego death, it's easy to see why one gets mistaken for the other. But- and I cannot believe I am saying this- as someone who has experienced both sides of this coin through different episodes of drug usage, I can firmly state that I believe they are not the same thing, other people just think that they are.
Through this, similar to other points on this list, it is a very common self-fueling cycle of trying to perform ego death because you know it's the "right" thing to do, but you do it incorrectly and get worse, because you don't have any other frame of reference to compare it to. The fact that there is a moral highground associated with the concept of ego death does not help.
Feelings of Significance
When you start to feel like you're one with the universe, it's easy to start feeling like you are the most important person in the world. After all, if you are one with everything, then you are everything, right?
This can lead to a dangerous sense of entitlement and superiority. You might start to think that you are above the rules of society, or that you are exempt from consequences. This can lead to reckless behavior and even harm to yourself and others.
And yet, the sense that you are (literally) part of a greater whole is such a tempting delusion.
As stated earlier, there is an isolating sense of loneliness that is prevalent in our modern world, especially with the rise of social media replacing third spaces, and growing disillusionment with religious institutions. People don't just want to exist, they want to know that their life has meaning. That they can do something that matters. That something happening to them has any significance at all, instead of us all just being a bunch of apes screaming on a big blue rock surrounded by miles of nothingness.
Of course, these feelings are not particularly unique, but they have been amplified in recent years, and even if someone else has gone through the same thing a million times over, that doesn't change the soul-crushing weight of how it feels to you, right now.
It's understandable that anyone would lean into whatever made them feel good about it. Anything that tells that pit in the back of your mind to shut the hell up is a welcome experience.
I will take a second to break here and say that it really doesn't have to be like this. If you feel like you're having senses of loneliness that seem like they can only be assuaged by obliterating yourself and melding with God or the Universe or Source or whatever, I genuinely encourage you to seek out healthier ways to cope with those feelings. Even if it's something simple like talking to a friend or engaging in a hobby you enjoy. There's tons of forums for all sorts of activities. Delving into theurgy to the point where you literally think you are god is just another form of spiritual bypassing.
Feedback Loop and the Profit Margin
Do you know how much money people make off of telling everyone else that they just need to connect with their inner divine spark in a different way? While I do think it's fair to be compensated for your services, please always be skeptical when you see people with big influencer Instagram and YouTube channels trying to talk to you about the galactic council and how God Has A Plan For You. They're literally the exact same as people who want to sell crystals that heal your bipolar disorder, and the same as people who go door-to-door with pamphlets about how demons are in mirrors.
Yes, I know that I am also a spirit shop, but I don't take it personally if someone doesn't believe in demon magic. It's just not their thing, and I can respect that- I will not EVER tell you that you Need to participate in a spiritual practice that you genuinely do not want to do, just for some nebulous sense of "spiritual truth". If anyone ever acts like "no thanks" is a slight on their entire bloodline and an invitation to sell you more info on Totally Not Jesus, then stay away from them.
TL;DR Everything above is encouraged behavior because people are constantly trying to sell you something and everyone wants to circlejerk about their morally superior community.
Your Christ Consciousness ™ has been activated.
Last edited: Mar 19th, 2026