How Self-Care Became a Tool of Tyranny and Fascism — And You Didn’t Even Notice. You Got Played and Lost Moral Clarity!

“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 Exiled and Rising, trauma therapist Ana Mael examines how the booming self-care industry is creating generations of emotionally numb individuals, eroding moral clarity, and paving the way for societal apathy—the fertile ground for tyranny and authoritarianism to rise unchecked.

Ana is not speaking as a critic of rest, boundaries, or nervous system healing—she’s calling out the dangerous overconsumption and spiritual bypassing that’s replacing collective care with curated healing aesthetics.

If you've ever felt like something is wrong—even while doing all the “right” healing rituals—this conversation is your mirror, your wake-up call, and your invitation back to human responsibility.

Key Takeaways Self-care without social awareness becomes emotional neglect

Overconsumption of healing content creates internal fragmentation, not wholeness

Spiritual bypassing enables emotional numbing and disengagement from justice

Apathy is not neutral—it is the breeding ground for tyranny

Tyranny does not begin with violence—it begins with silence, distraction, and spiritual delusion Real healing includes moral courage, not just nervous system regulation

The self-care industry profits from your emotional disconnection—and your silence

 

Insights & Quotes

“Numb individuals create numb societies. And numb societies create the silence in which tyranny grows.” – Ana Mael

“Fascism doesn’t begin with guns. It begins with people whispering affirmations while their neighbors are deported.”

“You cannot reclaim your nervous system while abandoning your neighbor.”

“If healing doesn’t bring you closer to justice and community—it is not healing. It is performance.”

Who Is Ana Mael?

Ana Mael is a Somatic Experiencing™ trauma therapist, genocide survivor, and founder of the Somatic Trauma Recovery Center. She is the voice behind Exiled and Rising—a thought-leading podcast for survivors of war, injustice, and emotional displacement. Ana speaks not only as a professional but as someone who has lived through exile, war, and systems of silence. Through powerful language, somatic insight, and sharp cultural critique, Ana is building one of the most morally grounded, trauma-informed, and politically awake platforms in the mental health world today.

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Chapters

• (00:00:01) - What If Self-Care Is No More than a Means of Abs
• (00:10:18) - Self-Care as a Cult
• (00:18:00) - Exiled & Rising: The Need for Self-Care