The Power of Healing Through Compassion
EP. 18
In this episode of The Mae B Mindful Podcast, we explore the essential early steps in the recovery journey, focusing on how to break free from old patterns and build a new life rooted in health and freedom. We'll discuss the importance of creating a supportive environment, connecting with a community that understands your path, and overcoming the attachments that keep us stuck. Discover the courage required to face these challenges and the transformative power of radical change.
Listen to the full episode:
Stay connected! Follow and subscribe on your favorite platform by clicking any of the icons below.
Episode Transcript:
Hello, this is the Mae B Mindful Podcast, and I’m your host, Hannah Mae. I’m a mother of six, a conscious birth instructor and educator, a spiritual growth facilitator, and a certified hypnotist. This podcast is about inspiring hope, expanding awareness and consciousness to revolutionize the way we live and experience our lives. You can expect thought-provoking episodes each week, spanning a range of topics, drawing from both my own journey of transformation and healing, as well as working with others. I hope you find this podcast to be informative, refreshing, illuminating, and instrumental in your own soul’s evolution and growth. Let’s jump right in.
Hey everybody, welcome back to the Mae B Mindful Podcast. I’m your host, Hannah Mae, and this week’s episode is on compassion. Why is it the hardest thing in the world, yet the most beautiful and profoundly transformative thing? It’s probably because it’s so worth doing. So today, I want to talk about that—about compassion. I like to dig into the difficult stuff, unravel it, and find a way through it while recognizing its importance.
We’re going to touch on a few different things today. Compassion is one of the characteristics that align with the true self, the higher self. It’s what bridges the gap, allows us to move out of victimization, and helps us heal. It’s the thing that reconnects us with others and puts us back in touch with humanity when that connection is severed. Compassion transforms, and it’s deeply connected with anger, sadness, and joy because it’s what allows us to make our way through those emotions to resolve them. It’s not the prize, but it’s the action that gets us there.
You can have an ideal, a philosophy, or a belief that says, “I’m supposed to be compassionate, so I forgive.” But what if you don’t feel like forgiving? What if your anger is too great to just bypass it? The beautiful thing about compassion and the journey there is that we have to pass through and experience our anger, grieve, or let go in order to get to that compassion. Compassion becomes the mechanism that allows that release. It’s what makes us feel safe, seen, and connected.
Richard Schwartz came up with a model back in the 80s called Internal Family Systems (IFS). He refers to the "Eight C’s of Being" in the true self—eight characteristics that define the true self. The first one is compassion, and I’ll read you the others just because why not? Compassion, confidence, courage, creativity, connectedness, calmness, clarity, and curiosity. Compassion is the first because it’s about being kind to yourself, and once you do that, you can extend it to others. Confidence is about staying present, and courage allows us to face difficult situations. David Hawkins, in his "Map of Consciousness," explains that when we step into the vibration of courage, we gain momentum and elevate our energy. Creativity helps us use our imagination to access new experiences and feelings, and connectedness is about feeling at one with the mind, body, and heart.
But let’s get back to compassion, because it’s the key that bridges the gap within ourselves and brings us back into alignment. It allows us to hold, nurture, and hear ourselves on a deep core level, and when we can extend that to others, we help them heal too. Everyone has the innate ability to heal, but sometimes we need space held for us, and when no one is there, we have to hold it for ourselves. Once we learn to do that, we can offer that space to others, which is powerful.
Forgiveness is often seen as a Christian value—“forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”—but it’s easier said than done. Why is it so hard? Because it often requires us to come out of the victim role, which can feel easier to stay in. You don’t have to forgive, but you can ask yourself: do you want to stay in bondage to your anger, or do you want freedom? Anger and resentment block you from relationships with others, with yourself, and with your spiritual connection, whatever you perceive that to be.
Think about a child who becomes disconnected. They become disregulated, start acting irrationally, throwing tantrums, losing their joy and energy. It’s no different for us as adults when we’re disconnected. Compassion reconnects us because we are made for connection and community. The greatest teachers in life are often the most infuriating people, but they offer the most profound lessons in compassion.
In our families, when we’re not in compassion, we’re not in our true self. When we’re affected by others’ behavior, we narrow our focus on the negative, and we stop seeing people in their true light. But compassion doesn’t mean letting harmful people into your life. It means seeing them for who they truly are beneath their behavior while maintaining boundaries for your own well-being. You can sever connections without hate, and that’s true freedom.
Compassion allows us to see through others' pain, even if their behavior seems unbearable. It doesn’t mean you excuse it, but it allows you to view them with understanding and maybe let them go with love, rather than anger. I had a powerful experience using a self-hypnosis practice I teach called Seventh Path. Through this practice, I was able to see a toxic person in my life as a child, which helped me understand and forgive them. I didn’t have to change the other person; the change within me was enough to transform our interactions.
When we change, the energy around us shifts. We can’t control others, but our shift can change the dynamic. Compassion gives us the ability to live with more ease, knowing we can handle challenges with grace. This work isn’t easy, but it’s worth it for the peace and freedom that comes with it.
Thank you for tuning in to the Mae B Mindful Podcast. If you enjoyed today’s episode, don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a review. Your feedback helps us grow. For more information, resources, and exclusive content, visit our website at maebmindful.com.