My ego

[zenmaster]

I have trouble in my life controlling my ego. It seems like when I get threatened my alter-ego comes out to protect my sensitive side. I have been working on this, just wondering if anyone has any helpful advice to get the Hulk out of me and to get me to go back to being bruce banner again? lol

[ArrJay]

I'm not sure what you mean - is your ego the part of you that tries to tell the world what a fantastic person you are, and you act and talk in such a way as to try and convince the world you are so, so wonderful etc etc? if this is the case it's probably an immaturity thing that you will correct over time. Is your "alter ego" the same thing? It's not really clear what you're getting at ie words are very, very important and we all need to take a deep breath or two before we go to our keyboards because what may be entirely clear in one's mind turns to meaningless mush when we start keying in. I'm no exception to all of this either! Best wishes with your self-exploration.

[Unseeking Seeker]

Ah! The enigma!

A view on this may be, why attempt to control? Control implies use of force, meaning thereby a doer, who applies the force, who, depending upon the outcome, may be either triumphant or despondent ... the trap is evident

Two domains -

The external ephemeral, where we usually engage in self-serving indulgence

&

The internal eternal, where by shifting our attention inwards, we entwine with the divine

Egoistic promptings ... engage by all means but know always that it is an experience, nothing else. Unclinging, detached yet exuberant, in the now-continuum, unexpectant but ready, poised & aware, in childlike wonder, free flowing & unfettered ... whoops! Getting carried away by the flow!

Do as you wish fellow traveller but do not let the tail wag the dog!

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by zenmaster

I have trouble in my life controlling my ego. It seems like when I get
threatened my alter-ego comes out to protect my sensitive side. I have been working on this,
just wondering if anyone has any helpful advice to get the Hulk out of me and
to get me to go back to being bruce banner again? lol

Oh my...25 words or less? lol Lemme tellya, I feel like I am an expert on ego...I mean
recognizing it and all it's tricky tricks.
It doesn't always act like the Hulk, easy to see...it's so sneaky!!!

If you are really interested in the subject of ego...I have learned something...
it must be 'undone'...not like controlling it...but, 'undoing' it!
I learned this in A Course in Miracles....that is the method....I've been around a long time...so far this is the 'Bomb"...

One book, a self-study course...no one else involved....unless you want to join a study group. But there's no need...there's so
much help and discourses online.
Ask me anything if you get started.
But, it is generally recommended now as an introduction....read "The Disappearance of the Universe" by Gary Renard, first.
Odd, name until you get what it means....it's all about undoing the ego's thought system....for the Holy Spirit's Thought System.

My quick insight for now would be what I have learned also:
If a thought is not kind, compassionate or forgiving ...it is from the egoic mind...or thought system.
Anything that is loving , kind, and forgiving is from a godly thought system, your Higher Self...the Holy Spirit's Thought System.



PS I am a big meditator....45 years...often 3-6 hours a sitting, so I'm not steering you to some other 'religion' or anything!

[Astro]

Originally Posted by zenmaster

I have trouble in my life controlling my ego. It seems like when I get threatened my alter-ego comes out to protect my sensitive side. I have been working on this, just wondering if anyone has any helpful advice to get the Hulk out of me and to get me to go back to being bruce banner again? lol

Contemplating the threat, & your weaknesses & insecurities that relate to it can help you to understand & change your behaviour accordingly.

Your ego will always respond to threats, that's what it does, it's a survival instinct.

[Lucky]

Recognizing when it's your ego reacting to the given situation is half the battle, so good job there.

The ego is your teacher, so don't think of it as such a horrible thing. When we are aware of the moments our ego is taking over, it is an opportunity to explore what triggered it. From here, you can ask yourself questions such as what emotion came up in that moment, was it tied to a past event/trauma, what would happen if you were to be your authentic self in that moment and show your vulnerable side? It's like peeling away the layers of an onion and it takes time so be gentle with yourself...it's not going to happen overnight.

[iamthat]

Originally Posted by zenmaster

I have trouble in my life controlling my ego. It seems like when I get threatened my alter-ego comes out to protect my sensitive side. I have been working on this, just wondering if anyone has any helpful advice to get the Hulk out of me and to get me to go back to being bruce banner again? lol

Perhaps the challenge is to be comfortable when feeling vulnerable, because nothing can hurt what we are.

And at the end of the day, ego is just consciousness identifying with personality. And when consciousness can rest in itself then we realise that neither Bruce Banner nor the Hulk have any identity, they are just patterns of behaviour.

Peace.

[sentient]

Whatever your mental-freak-out … emotional-melt-down (i.e. survival reaction) Action Hero is, heh …….
Give it your understanding, give it your love and compassion, it did the best it could to serve/protect you, so thank it.
But now with an open heart – *hold space* for it and watch/witness it change.

Since I am a Yoga Nidra evangelist:
https://www.irest.org/Newsletter92014YogaWarrior

In long-term trauma, and even short term, the brain changes. The amygdala grows and the hippocampus shrinks, making people more emotionally reactive, keeping them always in the moment of the trauma. They can't place it in a normal context. With yoga and meditation, the inverse occurs. Meditation triggers the relaxation response — the amygdala shrinks and the hippocampus grows. When people talk about leaving a yoga class and they feel so fully in the present moment, they've moved from the sympathetic nervous symptom (fight or flight mode) to the parasympathetic nervous system where they can really feel that sense of peace. And in terms of the brain with long-term [yoga and meditation] practitioners, the hippocampus has grown. That's why they're able to experience the present moment instead of being drawn into the past or being worried about the future.

[anthony c]

Originally Posted by zenmaster

I have trouble in my life controlling my ego. It seems like when I get threatened my alter-ego comes out to protect my sensitive side. I have been working on this, just wondering if anyone has any helpful advice to get the Hulk out of me and to get me to go back to being bruce banner again? lol

It's not about controlling your ego is letting it go little by little. To do that you have to identify what the ego is and try to dissolve the patterns of ego. That is actually what a ego really is false patterns of who you think you are and by dissolving these patterns you become the real you, when everything that is false is gone what is left is the real you.

I do a meditation were i let the mind, monkey mind as they call it, do what it wants to and i don't control nothing. If any thoughts, feeling or emotions come up i do noting and let them do there own thing. I am just aware of everything especially the mind and let it go and let the mind think what it wants too. Very important not to control the mind. If you want to control something let the thought of control go. Also, don't get caught up in the story of the thoughts, let the thought think what it wants to and be with the thought but don't stop or try to let it go, just let it be!!

If you can get it right not to control anything an let it be, the mind will become still all by itself. The ego is a control freak and want's to be in control and be the center of attention so you want to ignore it without resistance why no controlling is very important.

Imo we are bliss and unconditional love and not the ego.
Good luck