How to Rediscover Motivation After Ego Death
Carl Jung on what to do when life feels worthless after spiritual awakening
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Words: 1898 | Normal Reading: 9 minutes | Slow Reading: 18 minutes
What Comes After Ego Death?
So you’ve just experienced what many refer to as an ego death. It may have happened during a spiritual awakening, a crisis, a breakup, a psychedelic trip, or after years of suffering, with the ego breaking open and the light of grace entering you.
However it happened, you felt it. Your old self, the identity you clung to for so long, collapsed. It’s gone. And for a moment, it was peaceful. Even freeing.
But now?
Now you’re stuck in the silence.
No goals. No drive.
No clear vision to strive for.
Just this internal spaciousness that your mind judges as emptiness.1
Carl Jung explains why you feel numb, lazy, and hopeless after a spiritual awakening
The Void After the Ego Collapse
This is where most people get lost. We think spiritual awakening means glowing forever in some cosmic bliss. However, reality is messy and disorienting. It can leave you lying on the dark, wet floor of your life, internally realizing why nothing matters anymore.
Before planning or pursuing anything, you know that even if you reach that goal, it won't bring you happiness.
Carl Jung, the Swiss psychologist who reshaped our understanding of the psyche, understood this state deeply. He called it the persona's death when the mask we wear for society falls away, and we see how much of our lives are scripted by fear, conditioning, and approval-seeking.
But Jung didn’t see this collapse as an end. He saw it as the beginning of something far more real than the persona ever was.
From Hollow to Whole: Operating from Being-Level Motivation
So, how do you move from this hollow, post-ego-death phase into meaningful action? How do you rebuild—without faking it again? How can you rise above the competition and external pressures of this world?
Trust me, as we will see, this isn’t about becoming a productivity machine. It’s about something much deeper: tapping into motivation from our inner Being, which isn’t tied to external validation or egoic identity but to truth.
That’s what we’re going to explore further in this article…
Carl Jung left us some powerful clues. Stay with me until the end, because we’re about to flip the script on how you think about motivation, purpose, and healing after ego death. And by the end, you’ll have a new framework for moving forward, not back to your old self, but toward the deeper version of you that was hiding underneath it all along.
Stuck in the Void: Why Nothing Feels Real
Here’s where most people end up: the void. Not depression, exactly. Not apathy. It’s more like... you are not interested in chasing anything that the world is chasing.
The things you used to chase—success, popularity, being “somebody”—don’t feel real anymore. Goals feel hollow. Affirmations feel fake. Vision boards gather dust.
You don’t lack motivation. You are devoid of a mind’s personality for which to be motivated.
Jung said this is where we either shrink back into an old identity, numb ourselves, or reattach to shallow goals...
Or
We begin what he called individuation.
(=> The word “individuation” feels egoistic, but it means realizing your True Self in Jung’s terminology)
The Path of Individuation
Individuation is the slow, often painful process of integrating the unconscious mind into the Inner Being. It is discovering the Self—with a capital S—and creating a life not from the ego but aligned with the Inner Being.
It's operating from the Inner Being and not from the mind.
Self = Inner Being = God = Universe = Kingdom of Heaven
He wrote,
“In each of us there is a deeper essence that our mind does not know. That essence speaks to us in dreams and shows us how differently it sees us from the way our mind makes us see ourselves.”
This is the beginning of your new direction. Not by force but by being one with your internal truth.
You're Not Lazy—You're Just Recalibrating
Let’s be real: this stage feels confusing as hell. You’re not lazy. You’re recalibrating. You’re becoming aware of how much of your life has been built on survival, not sovereignty.
If you’re in that space right now—where nothing feels urgent and old ambitions don’t light you up—don’t panic. You’re not lost. You’re transitioning.
The inner Being called God will not abandon you. It would send messages: symbols, dreams, synchronicities, quiet impulses... to guide you.
But you have to stay open.
Let-life-speak-through-you.
Your job is to listen to its whispers.
The new life can’t be forced—but it will emerge.
Stop Resisting: It’s the “Non-Surrendering” That’s Draining You
You feel trapped in an exhausting state, and you want to move forward, create, and build, but your mind, body, and speech don’t seem to be in sync.
What if the thing holding you in that state isn’t that state itself... but your resistance to it?
Every time you feel tired and beat yourself up for it, you’re not resting—you’re wrestling. You’re burning energy, trying not to feel how you actually feel. That fight is what’s exhausting you. Accept and Surrender to it.
Your surrender will transform non-peace into peace.
Jung said,
“What you resist not only persists, but will grow in size.”
He wasn’t being poetic. He was describing how the shadow works—the part of us we judge and avoid. When we resist what’s inside us, we split from ourselves. We leak energy and exhaust ourselves, pretending to be okay.
The Power of Surrender
But what happens when you stop resisting?
What happens when you let yourself be tired—fully?
When, instead of shaming your lack of motivation, you sit with it, breathe with it, and listen to it?
Something shifts.
Not always instantly. But often, a small spark stirs: a curious thought, a gentle urge, a tiny impulse to move. That’s not forced motivation. That’s a God momentum. That’s the power of your inner Being.
Emotion is Just Energy
Here’s the deeper truth: emotions aren’t good or bad. From a higher state of consciousness, they’re just energy—waiting to move, be expressed, complete their cycle, and dissolve.
Sadness isn’t weakness.
Anger isn’t evil.
Fear isn’t a failure.
These are ancient signs of survival and self-expression.
Children know this. They cry, rage, release—and then they’re free.
We teach them otherwise.
“Don’t cry.”
“Calm down.”
“Be strong.”
And slowly, they begin to suppress.
Your Shadow (Dark Side) Holds Your Power
That suppression creates a shadow (dark qualities)
Your shadow holds every emotion, truth, and desire you’ve ever judged.
And it holds your real power.
Creativity. Passion. Boldness. Authenticity.
All of it is buried under layers of “should” and “shouldn’t.”
So if you're feeling unmotivated, moody, or uninspired—good. That’s your fuel.
You don’t need to fix it. You need to surrender and become one with it. Feel it and stay with it without any judgment. Don’t allow that feeling to turn into thoughts. Once you do this, it transforms into a blessing. Darkness transforms into light.
Use the Shadow—Dark Side. Make It Your Friend
Here's something powerful: play with the paradox.
What if your laziness is simply the life asking you to slow down and enter the Now?
What if your sadness became poetry?
What if your fear became a children’s story called The Brave Coward?
So when you feel off—don’t fight it. Just surrender to it.
Write, paint, dance, and speak by connecting to your inner Being and surrendering to the darkness.
Your shadow is your untapped artist.
Your shadow holds the paintbrush.
Operating From Your Inner Being
By now, you’ve probably realized something: the path forward isn’t about pushing harder. It’s about surrendering your mind inward and listening deeper.
Jung’s concept of the Self wasn’t your job title, your personality, or your Instagram bio. The Self is the totality of who you are—conscious mind, shadow, wounds, and potential. Your existence in the world is due to that. Its wholeness.
And it wants to guide you.
Listening to Life
The Self sends messages all the time:
Dreams that feel like clues.
Random urges to move or write.
Feelings that make no sense—but feel true.
But we miss them because we only trust logic and mind.
We only trust action and results.
Yet motivation from the Self doesn’t come from the mind’s thinking. It comes from the intuition of Being, even if it’s quiet and gentle.
And yes—it’s hard to trust that silent whispers.
You have responsibilities. People depend on you. So, of course, you armor yourself with logic, action, and routine.
That’s not failure. That’s survival.
But here’s the more profound truth: feeling your sadness, anger, and confusion won’t destroy your life. It will ground you in it and make you whole and divine.
Follow the Whisper
You’ve been sitting in the void.
Then, one afternoon, a whisper:
Rearrange the room.
Go for a walk.
Approach that person. Start that abandoned project.
Write a random sentence.
You almost dismiss it. But it feels light.
That’s the Self speaking. Follow it.
Jung called this the transcendent function—a connection to one's inner Being. When one hears that voice, a new direction emerges—not forced but revealed.
And yes, life still goes on. Bills need paying. Kids need parenting.
But here’s the truth most spiritual bypassing skips over:
You still have an ego—and that’s okay.
Jung never said to kill the ego. He said to integrate it. Surrender it to Being.
The ego is your interface. It helps you operate.
But it must be connected to the inner Being
So don’t choose between Being and the world.
Let your mind serve your Being.
A New Flavor of Motivation
This changes everything.
You’re no longer moving to prove.
You’re creating to express something real.
Let your routines emerge from Being.
Let yourself become one with your work.
Let your mornings be still.
Let's surrender to inner turmoil.
And ask gently, “What is this inner turmoil trying to tell me?” Make it your friend and not your enemy. Because now you know how to hear the answer.
The Gift of Ego Death
Ego death strips away what’s false—so what’s true can finally speak.
Sadness. Laziness. Fear.
They’re not blocks.
They’re messengers.
They carry the key to your next poem, your next idea, your next evolution.
And when you let that truth shape your life—not through force, but through surrender—you become an instrument of the divine.
You stop performing. You start expressing.
You stop pushing. You start aligning.
You stop chasing life. You start living it.
Fully. Wildly. Softly. In all its beautiful contradictions.
Who am I?
After discovering Ramana Maharshi's teaching, Self-Inquiry: Who Am I?, I realized that the most significant spiritual practice is to turn your mind inward to your inner Being while being active in the world. Once understood, no other practice, scripture, book, or Guru is needed. In resting in Being, you are One with God..
This article's content is derived from the YouTube video How To Find Motivation After Ego Death—From Awakening To Action | Carl Jung by Fractal Wisdom.
I took the liberty to edit the content of this video for greater clarity for the readers. A reader emailed me this video reference after reading my last post, "Waiting in the Dark Phase of Your Life."
You can read the related article here: Why You Lost Motivation After Spiritual Awakening? (Carl Jung explains why you feel numb, lazy, and hopeless after a spiritual awakening)
I personally loved the video, and it truly confirmed my post-awakening experience. This article includes Carl Jung's teachings and terminology, which may confuse you if you try to understand it using the vocabulary of other spiritual teachers like Eckhart Tolle, Ramana Maharshi, and Krishnamurti. Therefore, please read it with an open mind.
What's funny is I watched that video yesterday, right before coming across your article.
After accounting for complex adult motivations, “support” is how anyone votes to keep one another around.
The following is the "support" our family once needed, and I would like to make it available.
There is something good and alive to April 2025’s book “The Beauty Molecule” by Dr. Nicholas Perricone, which will have you study acetylcholine as the beauty molecule, hydrogen-rich water to detox and raise NAD-NADH levels, daily meditation to heal, an anti-inflammatory diet, and having-come-of-age supplements including berberine and quercetin.
This anti-inflammatory theory of aging is consistent with everything below.
I publish openly — I spam — the “support” necessary in so many situations.
Recently, we had an extended family member with neuropathy break down in tears that she was off her pain medication after installing $100 grounded sheets.
On the same, I wake up feeling so refreshed. These are two examples I infer from seriously. It is science from the book “Earthing” (2014).
Now, does everyone “pull it all together” and “do their job” of “VITAMIN D HOOYA!”? Not always, and we do know better.
2020s dietetics are uniquely ketosis, micronutrients, “The Immune Mind" (2024), and “Super Gut” (2023) Insider Recipe PS128 and oxytocin yogurt.
In micronutrients, we could take for granted that Huel and BulkSupplements are engineered nutrition and affordable.
The recent book “The Immune Mind” (2024) teaches that digestive inflammation cascades to the brain to produce sickness behaviors and symptoms. Inflammatory burden is tested simply with hs-CRP. My hs-CRP was confirmed 0.7 about eight months ago. I understand it to keep going down.
This should run less than $4.
Huel 3.0 Coffee Caramel
-2 tbsp. parsley
-1 tbsp. inulin, Hawthorn berry, Lion’s Mane
-2 tsp. beet
-1 tsp. rutin, hespiridin, berberine, grape seed extract, quercetin dihydrate
-¼ tsp. NAC, ALCAR, pine bark extract, fisetin
-⅛ tsp. AlphaGPC
The primary SNAFU in our state’s developmentalism was the necessity of a grass-fed beef kitchen for stable meal planning. We can solve this one issue together as Huel.
Next, my father was a chiropractor, my mother a dietician. Permit me to pop your back in five and then ten places.
Intervention or Adjustment #1: Go up to 6 grams per day of iodized salt. I drink water from my Mason jar, and I add up to 2 tsp. iodized salt for up to 4.6 grams sodium.
This is excerpted from the book “The Salt Fix” (2020)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Aqwsk7CmWzLEKEdaLzHBRBlHq1PKVY0J/view?usp=drivesdk
“The Salt Fix” (2020) had to be written. The only issue is that we must do this to each nutrient, comprehensively.
Intervention or Adjustment #2: Three Huels per day is $190/month. For environmental and health reasons, to do things correctly, by which I mean standards equivalent to “Eat Fat, Get Thin” (2016) or “Blood Sugar Solution” (2014) by Dr. Mark Hyman, it needs to eat three Huels per day to lose weight successfully, substituted for more sugary food.
Huel 3.0 has a 16/100 glycemic index. The carbs never release an excess amount of insulin to trigger weight storage. If you read elsewhere, Huel lacks vanadium, P-5-P, and ALCAR for blood sugar control. You may also combine Huel with BulkSupplements berberine HCL, fenugreek extract, cinnamon, or sumac for superior blood sugar control, as well.
Intervention or Adjustment #3 - Vitamin D is free, grounded sheets $100, a sauna blanket $200, and cold showers free.
We need to improve everyone’s cortisol levels with $100 grounded sheets and full spectrum sunlight radiation. Dr. Mercola’s “Cellular Health” is a life-and-death sophistication book, published in October 2024. You do have to go outside for vitamin D and grounding. Grounding is now a book, “Earthing” (2014). It is the practice of laying both bare feet on the earth or swimming in salt water to form a complete circuit. Grounded sheets form the same circuit and cost $100. The Dminder App is paid by advertisements. I recommend supplementing with 5,000 IU and getting 2,000 to 3,600 IU from exposure to full spectrum sunlight.
After D and grounding, there is temperature variability. Amazon.com now sells infrared sauna blankets for under $200, which raise exposure to 176 degrees Fahrenheit, to be maintained between 15 and 60 minutes. After sauna, a three minute cold shower will cool down your core temperature, activating brown fat to warm itself, a net healthy response. Both sauna and cold showers expose us to environmental variability conducive to health. Both are covered best in Siim Land’s “The Longevity Leap” (2024).
Intervention or Adjustment #4: Bring down inflammation with pomegranate oil for $20.
According to CoPilot, all of the following support mitochondria:
15 minutes full spectrum sunlight vitamin D3, NMN or NR, ubiquinol, MitoQ, CoQ10, L-glycine/NAC or L-cysteine HCL, magnesium, acetyl l-carnitine or, upstream, L-lysine, vitamin B12, apigenin or parsley extract, NOW iron complex, vitamin B6 (P-5-P), vitamin B1 (sulbutiamine, bentofamine, allithiamine, or thiamine diphosphate/cocarboxylase), shilajit, zinc, fresh garlic, berberine, jiagoulan, C15:0 from grass-fed butter at Fatty15.com, lion’s mane mushroom including L-ergothionine, cardamom, ashwagandha, amla or Indian gooseberry, triphala, phosphatidylserine, krill oil (please worry about the environment), organic sunflower lecithin, nobiletin, arginine alpha-ketoglutarate (AAKG), L-arginine, L-arginine L-pyroglutamate, L-citrulline, L-citrulline malate 1:1 and 2:1, beet including tri-methyl-glycine, cordyceps mushroom, hawthorn berry including vitexin and isovitexin, ginseng, Siberian ginseng, reishi mushroom, wheatgrass powder, ginkgo biloba including dihydromyricetin, uridine monophosphate, guarana incl theobromine, American ginseng, black maca, maca, green tea including caffeine, theacrine, l-theanine, oroxylin A, punicic acid (omega-5) from pomegranate seed oil, brown seaweed including fucoxanthin … and DHA/EPA.
Intervention or Adjustment #5: SelfDecode your genetics for $400.
In order to distribute the best SelfDecode content for you, I will give you mine. I would recommend your SelfDecode like yesterday, at this point.
Let’s discuss the SelfDecode flu report, which is prevention in orientation:
https://selfdecode.com/app/download-file/9d4a6583-d27b-4806-a5c7-4e3010680c18/
Passwd: eAqkJaoePkMA
Everything after SelfDecode I think of as “support in family structure,” “VITAMIN D HOOYA,” or SelfDecode In a Nutshell:
1) Dminder app, red light therapy, grounding, sauna, and cold shower and cryotherapy
2) 1.2 g/kg protein - Huel 3.0 costs $190/month
3) 30 g fiber - psyllium, inulin
4) vitamins and minerals - “The Salt Fix.” Dr. Tennant’s Raw Materials
5) CoQ10, NMN, L-glycine/NAC
6) flavonoids - tea, kanna, saffron, turmeric, cardamom, jiagoulan & apigenin
7) cholesterol - cocoa, garlic and tuna
8. cortisol - grounded sheets, apigenin, longjack, ashwagandha, phosphatidylserine, magnesium, prebiotic fiber, rhodiola and L-ornithine
9) CRP - pomegranate oil, cardamom, MSM, amla or Indian gooseberry, turmeric and resveratrol
10) blood sugar, insulin and ketosis - Stop eating sugar. Stop eating at 6 pm to keto fast the next morning by 10 am. Continue to fast for up to 60 hours or more to burn the fat tank directly. Berberine. Ginger. Fenugreek. Cinnamon. Sumac.