Exiled & Rising: Trauma Recovery & Somatic Healing
This is not a podcast for the mainstream. This is for the silenced, the cast out, and those whose stories never made the headlines. A Groundbreaking Trauma Justice Podcast from a Genocide Survivor and Somatic Therapist. Deeply embodied, politically urgent, and spiritually grounded space led by a therapist who survived war and genocide herself. Ana Mael is not just talking about trauma—she has lived it, survived it, and now guides others through it with radical clarity and compassion. This podcast is a revolution in trauma conversations: it moves beyond mindset tips and breathwork into trauma justice, relational repair, and systemic truth-telling. Each episode invites listeners to stop healing in isolation—and to begin naming, reclaiming, and rising from what hurt them. Exiled and Rising is for survivors of war, systemic injustice, and complex trauma—especially those living in exile from land, identity, or community. With raw truth and radical tenderness, Ana Mael offers unfiltered guidance on how to heal when you’ve been cut off—literally or metaphorically—from your home, safety, or sense of self and how to raise up and call for justice. “This podcast is not about surface-level healing. We are not fluffing the feathers or shaking the crystals here.” No glamour edits. No AI voices. Just real voice, lived experience, and trauma-focused truth. Social and Cultural Relevance: Ana’s work is a mirror for our time. In a global climate of rising authoritarianism, censorship, and the silencing of marginalized voices, this podcast becomes both a somatic protest and a innate act of resistance. “If you have been silenced… Welcome.” Ana gives voice to the body in a time when speech itself is policed. This is especially potent for: Activists and whistleblowers Immigrants and undocumented individuals Survivors of trauma who were never given words for what they endured A deep-dive podcast blending somatic healing expertise, micro-teachings, and lived survivor experience. Each episode distills trauma recovery, nervous system insights, and political consciousness into guidance that helps you reclaim power, safety, and self. This Podcast Is a Home For: Overfunctioning Immigrants, Exiled & Displaced – Those who overwork to prove worth Survivors of War, Genocide, & Systemic Oppression – Healing from identity loss and rebuilding life Refugees, Stateless, Undocumented People – Navigating erasure and exile Children of Exiled or Immigrant Parents – Carrying generational wounds Those Ostracized from Family or Church – For who they are, what they believe, or how they love Those Seeking Somatic Recovery – Learning to regulate and reconnect with the body Anyone Ready to Resist Spiritual Bypassing – And choose embodied, justice-based healing What It Offers: Real Stories of Survival & Healing – From Ana’s own war journals to survivor interviews Expert Somatic & Trauma Recovery Insights – Practical tools for regulation and healing Space for the Cast Out – Centering those excluded from mainstream healing narratives Healing as Activism – Moving from survival to embodiment, from harm to advocacy Radical Human Truth – With no scripts, no glamour edits, no “fixing”—only truth Premium Membership – What You Get in the Private Community Take your healing deeper with exclusive, high-value content: Extended, Deep-Dive Episodes – Personal stories and expert somatic breakdowns Therapy-Based Takeaways – Direct applications for therapy, journaling, and integration Keynotes & Summaries – Distilled insights to anchor your healing Full Transcripts – For reflection, accessibility, and in-depth study Bite-Sized Somatic Lessons – Micro-practices for nervous system healing Science of Trauma – Research-backed techniques to help reset your body’s stress response Listener Q&A + Expert Sessions – Ask Ana your questions and receive trauma-informed answers Ad-Free Listening – No filler, no distractions, just healing and clarity Meet Your Host: Ana Mael Ana Mael is a genocide and war survivor, somatic therapist, and founder of the Somatic Trauma Recovery Center. She has dedicated her life’s work to helping survivors of war, forced displacement, systemic oppression, and complex trauma reclaim their identity, dignity, and self-trust. As a bestselling author, Ana’s book, The Trauma We Don’t Talk About, became a #1 bestseller in over 10 categories, including Mental Health, Personal Testimonies, and Memoirs. Based in Toronto, Canada, Ana works directly with clients and educates mental health professionals and counselors on the complexities of displacement, exile, and war trauma recovery. She leads training programs, provides trauma-informed therapy, and conducts pioneering research to bridge the gap between somatic therapy and global crisis trauma care. "From Trauma to Resilience. From Wounds to Resistance." Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for mental health treatment or doctor care and advise. Please consult your mental health and/or medical care provider for individualized care.
Episodes
Distilled Lesson: Ease is a privilege. Hypervigilance is the default of the trauma body. If peace feels impossible—it’s not your fault. Your body is still trying to keep you alive.
Ana is dismantling the myth that everyday tasks should feel simple or light once you're “on a healing journey.” She’s teaching that for those living with PTSD, “ease” is not available—not because they’re doing...
Ana’s piece, “That Cruel Voice In Your Head,” is one of her most intimate and clinically profound offerings yet. Through the metaphor of the Captain, Ana doesn’t just describe hypervigilance—she reframes it as sacred, powerful, and worthy of respect. This isn’t a poem. It’s a clinical reorientation of inner survival structures, delivered through poetic narrative, and rooted in somatic in...
Ana is fierce, compassionate, and unyieldingly grounded in truth-telling. She speaks directly to those living with trauma and PTSD—not with pity, not with patronizing wellness clichés—but with deep integrity, lived experience, and clinical authority.
Here's what she's saying at a deeper level:
Core Message “There is no running toward” encapsulates Ana’s thesis: The trauma body doesn’t m...
Ana is sounding the alarm: fascism doesn’t begin with violence—it begins with apathy. It creeps in through:
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disinterest,
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detachment masked as spirituality,
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normalized silence,
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the overemphasis on self-care as a form of avoidance.
She is not dismissing self-care, but calling out how it’s been commodified into an escape hatch—a way for people to say, “not my circus, not ...
Ana Mael’s episode is a quiet revolution in how we meet ourselves during trauma. It may seem gentle and simple on the surface, but it is a deeply layered, somatic teaching rooted in the psychobiology of complex PTSD, reparenting, and trauma-informed self-compassion.
New. Micro Lesson by Ana : https://exiledandrising.mykajabi.com/signup
Ana Mael’s episode “Wound of Non-Existence” is unapologetically radical excavation of one of the most overlooked traumas in the world: the trauma of being made invisible. In Ana’s signature voice—tender but piercing, embodied yet political—she names what so many have lived but never had language for.
❤️ Please donate . This podcast is independently run. No production teams. Fancy edits. ...
Praise, Obedience, Burnout: The Real Job Description for Trauma Survivors. Ana satirical monologue exposing how workplaces—especially those rooted in hierarchical, exploitative systems—capitalize on the trauma responses of emotionally abused individuals. Through a faux job advertisement, she uncovers how survivors of emotional abuse often become ideal employees not because ...
“Fascism doesn’t begin with guns. It begins with people whispering affirmations while their neighbors are deported.” "Tyranny doesn’t begin with guns. It begins with disinterest." "Self-care without moral clarity is just another form of self-abandonment."
What if the obsession with self-care is no longer care—but emotional neglect, disguised as healing?” In this critical episode of Exile...
When self-care becomes a lifestyle brand instead of a path to embodied truth, we begin to shrink. We forget to protest. We ignore each other’s pain. We starve while smiling. With piercing clarity and somatic wisdom, Ana Mael challenges the healing world’s obsession with self-love, self-mastery, and self-optimization — and asks what we’re losing in the process. This isn’t a rejection of h...
With piercing clarity and somatic wisdom, Ana Mael challenges the healing world’s obsession with self-love, self-mastery, and self-optimization — and asks what we’re losing in the process.
When self-care becomes a lifestyle brand instead of a path to embodied truth, we begin to shrink. We forget to protest. We ignore each other’s pain. We starve while smiling.
This isn’t a rejection of h...
If you've ever struggled to express what happened to you—or needed the right words to feel seen, heard, and validated—this episode is your lifeline. In this powerful episode of Exiled & Rising, Ana Mael shares a deeply moving list of healing statements and trauma-informed boundaries every survivor needs.
❤️ Support Your Healing Journey and Exiled and Rising Podcast by buying a digita...
This episode isn’t just healing—it’s cultural critique, political advocacy, and nervous system literacy woven together.
In a landscape where "healing" is often watered down into Instagram platitudes or spiritual bypassing, this episode reclaims trauma work as justice work.
What if going home never felt safe?
In this raw, unedited, and deeply embodied episode of Exiled and Rising, Ana Mae...
Ana is not just teaching about trauma.
She’s renaming the moral and political architecture that protects it.
She dismantles:
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Silence as safety
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Strength as suppression
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Healing as isolation
And replaces them with:
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Voice as birthright
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Co-regulation as repair
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Justice as embodied integrity
“Your voice isn’t too much. It’s exactly what wa...
Exiled and Rising isn’t just healing. It’s human rights. It’s survival. It’s resistance. It is :
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A refuge for the unseen
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A movement for displaced, exiled, and silenced voices—not just a podcast
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A justice-centered somatic space, not a self-improvement brand
This is not just another podcast about trauma healing.
This is a sanctuary for the unseen.
A movement for those d...
In haunting “Walk Home,” Ana Mael delivers something that is rare and profoundly necessary:
A Language for the Unspoken
This piece gives voice to the invisible pain of children—and adults—who dread returning to a place that is supposed to feel safe. She does not explain the trauma. She names it. She feels it. And in doing so, she makes it real for those who’ve never had the word...
Have you ever been called a “cold, distant bitch”? Or an emotionless prick?
In this episode, Ana Mael reveals the untold story behind these labels and explores how what the world sees as "cold" is actually profound emotional intelligence. Being labeled “cold” is not a weakness—it’s a survival mechanism. This episode is for anyone who has been misunderstood or marginalized for simply tryi...
Social anxiety is not just shyness—it's a battle within your body, a fight for survival in a world that constantly demands you to be seen. But what if I told you that the very same body that holds your fear also holds the key to your healing?
Social anxiety is often misunderstood as just being shy or introverted, but it’s far deeper than that—it’s an internalized fear shaped by past trau...
A somatic prayer to call in love that holds, honors, and does not erase you.
In this deeply soothing prayer of Exiled & Rising, Ana Mael offers a somatic prayer for those seeking love that does not cost them their truth, their boundaries, or their body.
This is not a prayer of performance.
It is a prayer of presence—an invitation to receive love that meets the listener as they are, ...
Whether you are mourning the loss of a loved one, the loss of home, the loss of safety, or the loss of faith in your country or community—this prayer is for you.
In this sacred and unedited episode of Exiled and Rising, Ana Mael offers a somatic prayer for those carrying grief that is too heavy to hold alone.
This episode is a place to lay your sorrow down.
It is not a lesson in lettin...
In this unfiltered, soul-witnessing episode of Exiled and Rising, Ana Mael reads directly from page 185 of her memoir The Trauma We Don’t Talk About. This is a reading and reflection—not from the past, but from the living, ongoing truth of what genocide does to the body, the nervous system, and the identity.
In a world where genocide is happening in real-time, and where survivors are sti...
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