#45: The Greatest Illusion: Thinking You Can Escape Yourself
How Disillusionment, Shadow Work, and Integration Unlock Real Change
We’re told to reinvent ourselves, to shift identities, to “be delusional.” But here’s the truth: real transformation doesn’t begin with bypassing… it begins with disillusionment.
In this episode, Veronica explores why identity shifting often fails, why “being delusional” isn’t enough, and how shadow work and soul work open the doorway to authentic change. You’ll learn why trying to escape yourself only leads to repetition, and how meeting your wounds, patterns, and programming is the sacred first step to freedom.
Through insights from psychology, spirituality, and direct experience, this conversation invites you to stop running, face yourself fully, and discover how delusion — when rooted in disillusionment — can become a true vision.
A Note on “Delusion”
In psychology, a delusion is defined as a false, fixed belief that doesn’t change even when clear evidence shows otherwise. It’s often linked to pathological states or psychotic disorders.
But on an everyday level, we all experience something similar when we cling tightly to beliefs, identities, or patterns that no longer serve us.
This is where disillusionment becomes sacred: it helps us meet those distortions, what Eastern philosophy calls avidya (ignorance or misperception). When we face them directly, delusion shifts from being avoidance into becoming vision: a way of imagining possibility with integration, not bypass.
If you’ve ever felt like identity-shifting, affirmations, or “new self” practices weren’t sticking, this episode will show you why.
Timestamps
00:00 Intro: The Greatest Illusion
01:06 Why Identity Shifting Feels So Tempting (and Why It Often Fails)
05:12 The Truth About “Being Delusional” in Self-Help
08:01 Disillusionment: Why Awakening Starts with Clarity
10:17 Meeting the Shadow
13:34 The Turning Point
17:03 Integrating Mind, Body, & Spirit
19:03 Returning to Self
Share your reflections in the comments:
Where in your life are you still trying to escape yourself?
Let’s connect
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The greatest delusion isn’t pretending to be someone else. It’s believing you can escape yourself.
