We need a spiritual recovery program for those addicted to the separate self. It is theoretically possible that one can overcome the addiction without any program, but the power of the addiction is easily underestimated, and often denied. Overcoming the addiction can be like trying to scale a high wall. One's best efforts can be frustrated unless one has a ladder of the right height with all its rungs in place.
— Kabir Helminski, The Knowing Heart