EP405: The challenge of identity: The sense of self

In this episode, Dan and I go more deeply into how identity — taking yourself to be a limited, separate-from-the-rest-of-life entity — is the key factor behind the ability to explore love and and relationship in the way we’ve discussed in our episodes thus far. The sense of self demands a lot of attention, which means far less attention is freed up to be fully present with your partner and with life itself. A strong identity also serves as an interpretive filter, in a sense, funneling a lot of attention toward the protection and defense of the sense of “me”. Old conditioning is bolstered by identity; on the flip side, conditioning is dramatically weakened and can fail to arise in some cases when the sense of separate self is seen through. We begin to talk about how one can examine the sense of self and discuss an upcoming video series we’re creating for this purpose. 

I mention Dan’s book in this episode. You can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BPGKY8YL

Please email me at amy@dramyjohnson.com with your feedback and suggestions about this episode. We would love to hear what you think and what you’d like to hear more about as we record a new series of episodes for you.