I think masks are sometimes really helpful, they probably even save our lives at times when we cant handle our own selves, but it doesn become a problem when they start to jump on all on their own. For the past couple of months I have been working out how not to jump into other personalities and egos (similar to multiple personalitiy disorder ) and they are almost like masks I suppose. the best advise i can give is to work out how you can show (very small portions and at a level you are comfortable with) little bits of your "true" self to other people, in very small doses, and you can eventually become comfortable with yourself little by little at a time. for example

I was terrified of anyone finding out that I had been raped and was paranoid of other people fining out, i thought that other  poeple knew and were trying to show me they knew, my mask came on then, the one that pretended i had nothing wrong, and was fine (infront of other people anyway) I knew that my two selves were much different and i worked out what my mask was trying to "do/ cover up" and i eventually got the courage to put my poetry (which had details about what had happened to me) up on a website, i slowly started doing this with things i was only semi comfortable with and the mask is slowly dissapearing.

I realize your situation is probably much different to mine, but i believe the same stategies probably apply.

i say this because the 'mask' is there for a reason, if you just try and rip it off, or try and live without it, i can see how it is bound to fail and or jump on when you dont ask it or don't want it to.

slowly does it.

hope all works out