“Healing ultimately comes from within—its source is transcendent and Divine. Trauma can consume a vast portion of our soul, but it can never completely obscure our integral connection to the Spirit that is our primordial nature.” (Sotillos, 2024, p. 55)
In his paper, The Metaphysics of Trauma (2022), psychologist Samuel Bendeck Sotillos argues that the modern world’s unprecedented focus on trauma cannot be separated from the deeper loss of a sacred psychology. Although contemporary therapies, from cognitive-behavioral approaches to somatic modalities, can indeed help people process and manage trauma, Sotillos contends that true healing requires us to look “vertically,” that is, toward a transcendent reality. Methods confined to a purely “horizontal,” secular framework cannot fully address the root of human suffering. It is in reconnecting to a sacred dimension that individuals can truly unravel their trauma.
The Essence of Trauma
Sotillos defines trauma not merely as a series of painful experiences but as the inability to integrate suffering into one’s life. He explains that the wounds of trauma arise from “our identification with a self that is cut off from the Divine” (Sotillos, 2022, p. 18). Put differently, suffering is magnified by identification with an egoic self that feels cut off from what various spiritual traditions call the sacred essence, God, Spirit, or the Absolute.
How the Ego Self Develops: Stepping in as Protector
Dr. Gabor Maté explains that painful experiences, such as childhood neglect, trigger the ego-self to protect us. One child may learn that speaking up invites punishment and become submissive, while another might become hypervigilant or aggressive to secure attention. Though these responses differ, both arise from the ego’s survival mechanism. The stronger these defenses, the further one disconnects from their sacred essence, intensifying trauma symptoms.
The Neuroscience of Ego Self and Personality Development
Survival patterns formed in response to trauma are stored in the brain’s default mode network (DMN). Whether a child becomes aggressive or passive, the DMN encodes these protective scripts, shaping personality long after the threat has passed.
Root of Healing: Quieting the Ego Self
From a purely horizontal (secular) perspective, quieting the DMN through techniques like meditation or entheogenic (psychedelic) therapies can help weaken entrenched survival beliefs. Researchers Carhart-Harris et al. (2019) have dubbed this phenomenon “REBUS” (“Relaxed Beliefs Under Psychedelics”), noting that psychedelics can quiet self-referential thought patterns.
However, The Metaphysics of Trauma (2022) reminds us of a deeper truth: Relief arises not just from a neurological shift but from reconnecting with our sacred essence. In transcendent states, whether reached through meditation or psychedelic experiences, the incessant clinging to an isolated “I” relaxes. This allows us to rediscover our sacred essence, which persists unscathed beneath the layers of egoic defenses.
The Cure Is Transcendent: The Root of Somatic Experiencing and Talk Therapies
Trauma is the flood; you can scoop it out bucket by bucket (talk or somatic therapy), or you can break the dam (ego death) and unleash the river (transcendence).
At its core, genuine relief from trauma arises the moment the ego surrenders. This letting go is the essential mechanism behind all sorts of interventions, whether focusing on “the story” (talk therapy), “the physiology” (somatic experiencing), or the DMN quieting down. While it may look like these modalities work by processing narratives or releasing the tension, their deeper impact originates from letting go of hardwired maladaptive defense mechanisms, i.e., letting go of the ego’s hold and reconnecting with the universal sacred essence. As Osho writes:
“When you know yourself the whole existence recognizes you, celebrates. And it should be so, because you are part of existence. God looks at you from every flower, every leaf, every rock—you don’t feel you are alone.” (Osho, 1974)
Navigating Ego Death: Catapulting Into Transcendence
“Once a patient has healed, he feels an immediate, dramatic relief. He does not come in a week later saying he feels generally better; the moment it happens his face relaxes; his whole mind seems suddenly to unfold in ebullient joy.” (Caldwell, 1969, as cited in Sotillos, 2024, p. 55)
Entheogens (psychedelics) often expedite this dissolution of ego by catapulting individuals into a transcendent state. Yet, without a sacred framework, the sudden loss of identity can leave individuals feeling disoriented and rootless. Historically, spiritual traditions have guided seekers through ego death, offering an anchor in a reality that prevents confusion or delusions of grandeur. This highlights the urgency of integrating sacred psychology into modern approaches.
Prevention
“The wound is where the light enters you.” — Rumi
Pain can soften the heart if we allow it. Secular psychology and pop psychology speak of the importance of fully experiencing our emotions, suggesting that experiencing the depth of our pain can heighten our capacity for joy.
Adding to this discussion, the goal is not merely to feel the emotion but also to inquire into the purpose of the pain: Are there lessons to be learned? Growth to be endured? During a moment of suffering, we have a choice to numb it using various ego-driven defense mechanisms or to feel it in healthy ways. Numbing may offer short-term pleasure, yet as Aristotle notes, “happiness is a function of the soul.”
Summary
We accumulate and process trauma every day, often without fully realizing how it shapes our identity. Over time, unacknowledged pain obscures our connection to the universal sacred essence and intensifies identification with the ego self, which is housed in the default mode network (DMN). As these protective beliefs and behaviors persist, they limit our capacity for joy. We can continually release the ego self’s patterns by entering transcendent states through various practices. In loosening our ties to the ego self and reconnecting with our transcendent nature, we may gradually awaken to deeper joy.