Podcast Summary
Podcast: New Thinking Allowed Audio Podcast
Episode: A Strong Heart with Compassion with Michael J. Shea
Date: February 12, 2026
Host: Emmy Vadnais
Guest: Dr. Michael J. Shea
Episode Overview
This episode centers on cultivating a strong, compassionate heart—physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually—drawing on Dr. Michael J. Shea’s personal journey from military trauma to healing and teaching. The conversation weaves together somatic psychology, craniosacral therapy, trauma resolution, lifestyle transformation, contemplative practice, and a holistic approach to compassion, with practical guidance and personal stories designed to inspire healing and self-compassion.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
Michael Shea’s Journey into Compassion
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Origins in Trauma
- Dr. Shea’s dedication to compassion began after surviving a terrorist bombing during his military service, leading to PTSD and a “U-turn” in his life trajectory (03:41).
- Instead of law school, he chose massage school, guided by self-knowledge, support, and the necessity for self-care.
“The path of compassion for me really started with knowing I needed help. So I had to get some self care and self compassion and really take care of myself…” (04:43, Shea)
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Near-Death Experience
- During the bombing, Shea experienced moving toward “the light” and received a message: “Now is not your time. You’ve got to go back.” He credits this moment with igniting his innate compassion by helping others amid chaos, despite having no training (06:33).
Healing Journey: From PTSD to Therapist
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PTSD Timeline and Healing Modalities
- Shea reflects on the stigma and lack of recognition for PTSD in the 1970s and how engaging with yoga, massage, meditation, Gestalt therapy, and the human potential movement became vital tools long before official diagnosis was possible (08:27).
- Release of emotion, self-study, and continuing education became a vehicle to understand and practice compassion (09:44).
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Professional Evolution
- Moved from massage therapy (one of only 13 schools in the U.S. in the mid-70s) to Rolfing, and then, due to personal injury, into craniosacral therapy—a light-touch modality suitable for his physical abilities (10:23, 12:03).
- Advanced into graduate studies in Buddhist and Western psychology at Naropa University (12:35).
Compassion, Healing, and the Heart
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Metaphorical Healing: Removing the “Gun” from the Heart
- A powerful shamanic healing ritual identified and “removed” a machine gun symbolically lodged in Shea’s heart, a vestige of his military and cultural upbringing. This event deepened his commitment to nonviolence and self-healing (13:35).
“He drew a machine gun. And he said… there was a gun in your heart. And we had to remove that.” (15:30, Shea)
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Changing Patterns of Illness
- Over decades, patients’ issues evolved from stress and orthopedic complaints to neurological and metabolic syndromes, with the latter largely driven by inflammation and processed food consumption—phenomena Shea observes as “food trauma” (17:08, 19:05).
- The cardiovascular and immune systems now face breakdowns linked to widespread modern dietary and lifestyle patterns (19:57).
The Heart on Multiple Levels
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Metabolic and Holistic Focus
- Metabolism—"exchange of substances"—is now central to health, linking lifestyle, genetics, and even philosophical approaches to wellbeing (19:05).
- Shea emphasizes integrating mind, body, and spirit, advocating dietary change (through collaboration with his nutritionist wife), meditation, and lifestyle adjustments as key interventions (22:30).
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Instincts of the Human System
- Shea identifies three instincts: survival/self-preservation, self-healing, and self-transcendence, the latter being crucial for awakening compassion and preparing for life’s ultimate transitions (25:18).
- Practices like prayer, meditation, and working with light (“seeing light”) stimulate innate capacities for healing and transcendence (26:50).
Craniosacral Therapy & The Power of Stillness
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Principles of Craniosacral Therapy
- Emphasizes slowness, stillness, and silence to induce a deeply healing “still point,” both in therapist and client (28:42).
- Biological stillness is mirrored at the molecular and physiological level, supporting metabolic healing (29:45).
“Every single molecule in the human body is scaled exactly through the entire universe... every single molecule has to go through a still point before it can transform into its next evolution.” (30:59, Shea)
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Meditation and Breath
- Meditation is seen as a science and art of calming the mind and body (32:14).
- Breathwork is foundational and often the first intervention Shea teaches to clients struggling with stress and dysregulation (33:45).
Somatic Psychology & Modern Bodies
- Defining "Somatic"
- Soma refers to the whole, integrated organism; somatic psychology bridges breath, posture, movement, and emotional processing (34:51).
- The field has evolved from early 20th-century approaches (like Reichian therapy) to address contemporary patterns of embodiment and disease.
Practical Recommendations for Heart Health
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Diet as Medicine
- "Every patient is a vascular patient now." Inflammatory foods are a core contributor to heart disease.
- Dr. Shea urges patients to become literate about food labels, eliminate processed foods, and notes the primary role of the small intestine in metabolic conditions (39:04).
“The kitchen... is the new ER and the bathroom is the new ICU. Most people... don't know how to cook.” (41:01, Shea)
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Incremental Change & Empowerment
- Suggests "choose a fulcrum": adopt the smallest manageable change, e.g., intermittent fasting (a 12-hour window between last meal and breakfast) (45:32).
- Advocates self-sovereignty—"You are the driver. Quit being a guest in your own body." (47:58)
Compassion, Contemplative Practices & the Heart
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Embryology and the Heart’s Expansion
- Metaphorically and biologically, the heart expands from an embryonic “upside down” state—so too does life’s emotional journey (51:08).
“The heart has the capacity to turn upside down, which gives us the capacity to accept everything that life comes our way…” (52:22, Shea)
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Innate Capacity for Compassion
- Compassion is an inborn human trait—when obstacles are cleared (via meditation, self-reflection, forgiveness), its light can shine (55:19).
- Value systems and exposure determine whether compassion is outwardly visible, but its presence is universal.
Defining and Cultivating Compassion
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Tonglen Practice
- Shea describes ‘Tonglen’—a Tibetan Buddhist practice of breathing in suffering and transforming it into healing light—for developing compassion (57:09).
- Compassion starts with sadness (e.g., loss), then expands to loved ones and, gradually, universal suffering.
“I inhale, I breathe in that suffering, and I visualize it in my heart, and I visualize my heart transforming it to a brilliant white light or a brilliant blue light. And then as I exhale, I exhale that blue light, and I cover that person… or that situation...” (59:51, Shea)
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Empathy as a Spark
- Empathy, felt via awareness of one’s heartbeat, ignites compassion (63:46). Shea encourages daily heartbeat awareness—touching the heart physically helps too.
Working with Broken Hearts and Deep Pain
- Starting Points for Healing
- For those in extreme pain or betrayal, professional support and the opportunity to tell one’s story—even to a good listener—are essential starting points (66:13).
- Self-forgiveness and allowing oneself to feel sorrow and sadness are keys to reigniting compassion, but it’s important to seek help when those emotions become unmanageable.
Universal Heart & Spiritual Science
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Heart as the Center of the Universe
- Shea, through a cosmological and Tantric Buddhist lens, teaches that the original essence of the universe—the "clear light" or "breath of life"—resides in the heart from conception. Life and the universe are projected outward from this spiritual center (69:52).
“The spiritual essence, the light... actually takes residence in the human heart at conception… the entire universe that we’re looking at is a projection of what’s actually living inside our human heart.” (71:00, Shea)
The Role of Humor and Light-Heartedness
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Balancing Sorrow with Joy
- Humor is an essential tool for sustaining compassion—balancing life's sorrow and gravity with light-heartedness (74:08).
- Shea describes taking laughter breaks while writing his book to maintain a healthy, strong heart.
“You gotta have fun... Humor and this light... means humor. We have to appreciate the paradox... become light hearted.” (74:08, Shea)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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On Compassion after Trauma:
"The path of compassion for me really started with knowing I needed help. So I had to get some self care and self compassion..." (04:43, Shea)
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On Near-Death Experience:
"I saw the light and I started moving towards the light... my message was, 'now is not your time. You’ve got to go back.'" (06:33, Shea)
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On Embodied Stillness:
"Every single molecule in the human body is scaled exactly through the entire universe… every single molecule has to go through a still point before it can transform…" (30:59, Shea)
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On Food Awareness:
"The kitchen, I call that the new ER and the bathroom is the new ICU. Most people... don't know how to cook." (41:01, Shea)
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Personal Empowerment:
"You are the driver. You are the host of your experience. And quit being a guest and being driven by other people telling you what your body needs." (47:58, Shea)
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On The Heart’s Infinite Capacity:
"The heart has an infinite capacity to expand... we have this infinite capacity to expand and to hold all things that come our way. But man, oh, man, do we have a bunch of junk covering that capacity up." (52:22, Shea)
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Cultivating Compassion through Practice:
"I inhale... the suffering of the entire planet, all known suffering... transform it into... brilliant blue light... as I exhale, I fill the entire globe with this brilliant blue light." (60:03, Shea)
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On Humor:
“We have to find ways of letting go of our judgment... And one of the ways to do that is through humor... I would go on Instagram… until I was crying, laughing. That's the way I wrote that book." (74:08, Shea)
Timestamps for Important Segments
- 03:41 — Origin story: Trauma, healing, and the path of compassion
- 06:33 — Near-death experience and innate compassion
- 10:23 — Evolution from massage to craniosacral therapy
- 13:35 — Metaphorical healing, removing 'the gun in the heart'
- 17:08 — Decades of changing patient health concerns
- 19:05 — Metabolism, inflammation, and food trauma
- 22:30 — Integrating mind, body, and spirit in healing
- 25:18 — Instincts: Survival, self-healing, self-transcendence
- 28:42 — Craniosacral therapy and the healing power of stillness
- 32:14 — Meditation, breathwork, and calming the mind
- 34:51 — What is somatic psychology?
- 39:04 — Heart health: Diet, inflammation, patient empowerment
- 45:32 — Making small, changeable steps & intermittent fasting
- 51:08 — Embryology, the expanding heart, and compassion’s roots
- 55:19 — Our innate capacity for compassion
- 57:09 — Definition and cultivation of compassion; Tonglen practice
- 63:46 — Empathy through the heartbeat
- 66:13 — Healing profound heartbreak and betrayal
- 69:52 — The heart as the center of the universe (spiritually/metaphysically)
- 74:08 — The vital role of humor and light-heartedness
Final Reflections
Dr. Michael Shea blends lived experience, deep study, clinical practice, and spiritual wisdom to demonstrate how compassion is both an innate human capacity and a skill cultivated through self-care, mindfulness, and vulnerability. The episode offers practical tools—ranging from dietary awareness to meditation and subtle energy work—alongside encouragement for radical self-acceptance, forgiveness, and joy. Shea’s clear message: healing the heart is as much about compassion and humor as it is about resilience and science.