Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown
Episode: Michael Singer: “I Can Handle This”—A Powerful Mantra for Modern Life, Why We Are Addicted to Our Own Suffering, and How to Release Everything That’s Hurting Us
Date: January 6, 2026

Episode Overview

In this thoughtful and transformative episode, neuroscientist and host Mayim Bialik is joined once again by spiritual teacher and author Michael Singer (The Untethered Soul, Living Untethered, The Surrender Experiment). Together with co-host Jonathan Cohen, they explore the nature of consciousness, why suffering is self-created, and how releasing internal resistance can fundamentally change our experience of life. With Michael’s grounded, accessible wisdom and Mayim’s probing curiosity, the discussion focuses on practical methods to “wake up,” process pain, find compassion, and develop the powerful mantra: “I can handle this.” Singer also gives listeners a sneak peek into his next book, coming out March 2026.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

What Does It Mean to “Wake Up”?

00:43 – 11:40

• Michael Singer asserts that everyone is already “awake,” inherently connected to a greater consciousness—but most people do not experience this due to accumulated inner “garbage.”
  • “We are really connected. As they say, we are connected to God. We’re connected to the consciousness of the universe. So why don’t we experience that? … Because you’ve had experience in your life that have bothered you, that focused your consciousness, distracted this universal wide consciousness down to a given point of your thoughts, your emotions.” (Michael Singer, 07:17)
• Waking up, he explains, is freeing oneself from being lost in personal experiences and ego.
• He likens inner awakening to spiritual rebirth, referencing Christ’s notion of “dying to be reborn.”
• The challenge is not occasional spiritual experiences, but staying “awake” by continually letting go of past pain and internalized negativity.
  • “Anything you ever pushed away is still in there. If you did not, at some point, learn to let it go... you know it does.…That’s what it means to not be awake.” (Singer, 09:23)

The Power of Acceptance and the Mantra “I Can Handle This”

16:52 – 26:42

• Singer draws a direct line between the amount of resistance we carry and our suffering.
• The difference between handling life well or badly is not what happens, but whether we say “I can handle this,” or “I can’t handle this.”
  • “When you say, I can’t handle it, what you’re really saying is, unless it’s the way I want, I can’t handle it.” (Singer, 17:38)
• Resistance and the attempt to control the external world breeds neurosis, anger, and division.
• Acceptance does not mean approval or passivity; it's about starting from reality, cultivating calmness within, and then acting with clarity.
  • “If I'm not okay, I guarantee you what I'm doing is struggling to change the outside so I can be okay. …As opposed to I've learned to be at peace, calm, open, centered. Okay? And now I can come back down and say, how can I actually help the situation? Not help me handle the situation.” (Singer, 21:17)
• The world, Singer suggests, truly changes “one person at a time, and that person’s you.” (25:57)

Brain States: Resistance vs. Acceptance

26:42 – 28:39

• Jonathan Cohen discusses the neuroscience: resistance triggers attack and closes down creativity; acceptance opens us to clarity, cooperation, and connection.
• Algorithms and culture often reinforce a stance of resistance and “finding enemies,” worsening the mental divide.

Scientific and Spiritual Intersections: Field, Consciousness, and Reality

28:39 – 34:00

• Singer details the convergence of science and spirituality, describing the “omnipresent field” recognized by quantum physics as analogous to spiritual concepts of God or divine energy.
• Ultimately, Singer says, the senses are just input ports; our experienced reality is a projection of consciousness. The “quantum field” is made of consciousness, experienced in its pure form by realized masters.
  • “When your consciousness ceases to stare at your thoughts, your emotions, your mind… it’s liberated. And what they found out, the great ones have found out, all the stars and moons and galaxies are who they are. That’s one with their consciousness.” (Singer, 31:27)
• Human suffering, he argues, stems from “contracting consciousness” down onto our personal dramas.

The Fallacy of Contracted Consciousness

36:49 – 44:18

• The 60s idea of “expanded consciousness” is partially mistaken; Singer reframes it as releasing contraction, not expanding.
  • “Consciousness is already fully expanded. It's that you're contracting it to focus on your stuff.” (Singer, 36:54)
• Suffering arises from resisting reality, having rigid preferences, and narrowing awareness.
• Notable reframing of the spiritual teaching:
  • “The great way is not difficult for those who have no preferences. …The great way is not difficult for those who prefer everything.” (Singer, 43:38)

The Material World, Struggle, and Happiness

44:18 – 47:37

• Wealth and comfort don’t solve suffering; turmoil is about inner state, not external conditions.
  • “Wealthy people have just as much problems. …It’s not true that having things makes you be okay.” (Singer, 45:40)
• Historical figures like Gandhi exemplify ultimate surrender and compassion regardless of material struggle.
  • “He freed a country. You understand that, and you just realize it’s not about material wealth, it’s about your inner state.” (Singer, 47:28)

Compassion and Acceptance as Overlapping Practices

47:37 – 49:45

• Mayim and Singer discuss how acceptance and compassion go hand in hand. Acceptance does not require liking the situation but allows coexistence with discomfort and other viewpoints.
• True connection and progress, even on social and political issues, are only possible through compassion for others’ unique experiences.

Practical Approaches for Beginners and Skeptics

49:45 – 55:52

• Singer stresses that we’re all “in there,” observers of our own thoughts and experiences.
  • “Are you in there? Hello, are you in there? And every person I asked everyone, are you in there? They said, yeah, okay, you’re in there. You know you’re in there. What does in there mean? They don’t, I don’t explain it. I know I’m in here.” (Singer, 50:54)
• True transformation comes not from dogma but from gently encouraging self-inquiry.
• He shares a moving story about a former student who initially rejected his teachings but later embraced them, confirming the power of gentle guidance and timing.

Higher and Lower Self: Understanding and Releasing Suffering

55:52 – 62:22

• The “lower self” is the sum of our accumulated pain, reactive behaviors, and stored emotional wounds.
  • “Your consciousness is addicted. And that’s the right word, right? You’re more addicted to that part of you, to yourself, your disturbed self, than people are to drugs or alcohol.” (Singer, 55:55)
• The “higher self” is the observer—the one “noticing” even your negative states. By identifying as the witness, you begin to loosen the addiction to chaos and patterns of suffering.
• Letting go is a learned skill, like practicing piano; it begins with small experiences of surrender and builds over time.

Trauma, Inherited Patterns, and Release

62:22 – 65:58

• Mayim asks about trauma and “inherited” pain (genetic, cultural, even past lives).
• Singer acknowledges that some pain and fears seem larger than life or beyond one’s direct experience, but whether natured or nurtured, the key is learning to handle and release what arises within.
  • “Consciousness is the ultimate power of the universe. …Can anything that's in there be let go of? Yes. Is there any super glue in there that's holding cement in there? No. The only reason anything stays in there is because subconsciously, deeply, whatever will, the power of will, is pushing it down.” (Singer, 63:21)
• He encourages starting with minor irritations to develop the capacity for letting go, gradually working up to deeper wounds.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You have stored inside of you a lot of garbage. And the truth is, you put it in there and only you can let it out.”
  — Michael Singer (00:00 then also 55:52)

• “A great mantra would be, I can handle this. You have to start by saying, I am capable of accepting reality.”
  — Michael Singer (00:29, restated at 20:54)

• “Anything you ever pushed away is still in there. …That’s what it means to not be awake.”
  — Michael Singer (09:23)

• “If you’re not doing okay inside, it’s because you’re messed up in there. Straighten it up. So, let’s start there.”
  — Michael Singer (46:13)

• “You’re more addicted to that part of you, to yourself, your disturbed self, than people are to drugs or alcohol.”
  — Michael Singer (55:55)

• “Practice being okay with little things, with the weather, with what somebody said. You’re going to find out, you get better at it.”
  — Michael Singer (64:42)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:00-11:40 — What does “waking up” really mean? Why aren’t we always awake?
• 16:52-26:42 — Resisting vs. accepting reality; “I can handle this” as transformative mantra; suffering and activism
• 28:39-34:00 — Science, spirituality, and the quantum field; the unity of consciousness
• 36:49-44:18 — The illusion of contracted consciousness; suffering, preference, and spiritual humor
• 44:18-47:37 — Material struggle; happiness absent of external conditions; exemplars like Gandhi
• 47:37-49:45 — Compassion and acceptance: two sides of the same coin
• 49:45-55:52 — Reaching skeptics and beginners; the universal experience of “being in there”
• 55:52-62:22 — Higher vs. lower self; addiction to suffering and methods for release
• 62:22-65:58 — Trauma (personal, generational, or inherited) and the gradual path to letting go

Tone and Style

The conversation is warm, searching, accepting, and often gently humorous. Michael Singer’s style is casual, direct, yet deeply compassionate—frequently using analogies, spiritual references from various traditions, and practical guidance. Mayim and Jonathan probe with curiosity, at times representing skeptical or overwhelmed listeners, and helping ground the discussion in real-world concerns.

Final Thoughts

This episode offers profound-yet-practical wisdom about spiritual growth, acceptance, and inner surrender. Michael Singer’s mantra, “I can handle this,” is explored not as passivity but as a gateway to transformative action and genuine connection. The hosts and guest weave together science, psychology, and spirituality, encouraging each person to take responsibility for their own internal world, as this is ultimately what changes the collective.

Listeners are left with encouragement and the empowering reminder: You are already awake. Let go, accept what is, and let the fullness of consciousness express itself through you—one moment, and one internal release, at a time.