What makes up the “I” in you? You may define yourself as many things: a mother, a father, a sibling, a friend, a lover, etc. You are not your identity. However, it helps to know how your identity was created.
Modern psychologists and ancient teachings align on this one. The Buddha described us as a collection of five changing processes: the processes of the physical body, of feelings, of perceptions, of responses, and of the flow of consciousness that experiences them all. [1] Psychologists say we come into this world with our genetics and unique temperament – but that there is a “true self” and an “anti-self” that distorts our view of who we are.
Our personality usually emerges as a result of small and large traumas we experience in our youth and our subsequent reactions to them. We develop psychological defenses that mirror circumstances in our environment. Over time these defenses then become solidified as a “self,” that influences how we engage with others, even after the initial trauma has passed – the very trauma that has helped to create this false self or fake identity. [2]
It follows that your identity then can always mutate, change, and evolve. When you engage in soul reprogramming you essentially clean the slate of the false “selves” and return, as close as possible, to statum pristinum or tabula rasa – the proverbial clean slate.
In ancient Eastern philosophies this is called “no self.” This is a bit of a misnomer though. It isn’t that there is no self, but the original “Self” defies definition. When a wandering mystic asked the Buddha if there was really a self, he remained silent, inferring that the question could not sufficiently be answered – because how do you define the Infinite? [3]
It is as though we all have a multiple personality disorder – because any personality is not a true personality, in that it does not reflect our truest essence, it is just the personality we are choosing based on past experience, in this present moment. If we can understand that our identities are distorted, we can begin to at least choose a more positive personality or identity that reflect our higher natures.
Though someone with an actual personality disorder usually develops this condition due to extreme physical, mental or sexual trauma, we all develop “alternate identities” based on some level of experienced trauma.
If you want to create a new identity, you need to let go of the old one(s). You need to replace non-useful programming (lack of family support, feeling disempowered by adults as you were growing up, a lack of clear expectation and the honoring of clear boundaries, etc.) with useful programming so that your identity is elevated. Your self-esteem and self-efficacy play a large role in creating a positive identity.
For effective ways to change your identity or personality, it is helpful to restructure the energetic imbalances that are left behind by negative emotional programming. The Soul Reprogramming Method, and the books of the Power of the Elevation of Consciousness can help you to unveil the clean slate of your Higher Self. You just need the right tools to do so.
[1] Kornfield, J. (2016, April 29). No Self or True Self ? Identity and Selflessness in Buddhism. Retrieved from https://tricycle.org/magazine/no-self-or-true-self/
[2] Creating a More Positive Identity. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/compassion-matters/201703/creating-more-positive-identity?destination=node/1100059
[3] Bhikkhu, T. (2014, March 1). “There is no self.”: The Concept of No-Self in Buddhism – Tricycle. Retrieved from https://tricycle.org/magazine/there-no-self/