Death of the old self is a good thing, although it is very scary to experience.
Usually our evolution of new ideas, thoughts, patters begin to question our foundation where we came from. Our tribe's (family) ideals, ways and traditions might flood our thoughts, causing us extreme anxiety/depression.
The thing is we grow into new things, new experiences, and ways of thinking if we are open to it. I had to really ask myself what I wanted to become and how I would get there.
Family is truly important to me, and I would not be where I'm at now in my life if not for the great teachings I learned from my family.
When you are experiencing the death (or the events leading up to it) of the old self you feel extremely lost, confused, and most likely frustrated to the point of aggression. The ego loves got us to hold onto old habits, traditions, and doesn't want us to evolve into Love for ourselves and others. It tries to hold us back, keep us safe, and most people stay there (more about that in the "Stuck in the Bottom 3" post).
If you are enjoying new ways of thought, new philosophies and new ways of being, here is the advice I was given. If their aim, approach, and process is Love, then go for it. Even though our foundational tribe (family) might try to have us stay in our old self it is within our power to either keep serving where we came from entirely, or choosing to use the foundation as the foundation and look towards building into our true self, growing and leaning to how best we can serve our world.