Patanjali Yoga Sutra 2.6

Asmita is as if the power of seeing and the power of what is seen were oneself.

दृग्दर्शनशक्त्योरेकात्मतेवास्मिता ॥

drg-darsana-saktyor ekatmata ivasmita ||

Asmita is as if the power of seeing and the power of what is seen were oneself.

A smita (ego or "I-making") occurs when the seer collapses into the seen. It is the illusion that the pure power of awareness is identical to the temporary objects, emotions, or thoughts it is observing. Psychologists call this "fusion". A person stops saying, "I am experiencing anger," and instead deeply believes, "I am this anger." You become completely fused with your temporary job title, your clinical illness, or your social media like-count. When the ahamkara (the ego-maker) hardens in this way, it creates profound suffering, because any threat to those temporary things feels like a literal threat to your existence. The goal of mindful therapy is not to shame the person, but to gently loosen this fusion, restoring the healthy, safe distance between the one who sees and the temporary conditions being seen.