The Experience of No Self

During several years of therapy my ego defenses lessened. As pieces fell away, my perception of myself had less firm ground. Even the world around me changed as projection stopped. My mind was intrigued by this loss of definition. Openness to not knowing increased, although it took time to acclimate. 

In the openness there seemed to be little of me while at the same time the rest of the world seemed to become me. This is when I came upon the literature of "no self." The most detailed account of this was penned by a former nun, Bernadette Roberts who wrote "The Experience of No Self." 

I did not read that book as, "Oh this is a nice or interesting concept." No, it gave me comfort in that someone else described it and gave it incredible detail. My point is that the experience is real. The concepts and writing about it are simply description. 

When you look at the experience of "no self" it comes to the same conclusion as the Eastern statements that "You are not the doer." One is an intellectual statement. The other is the experience.