Kevin Smith has opened up about seeking mental health treatment in a new interview, following a "complete break from reality" in January.
Speaking with People, Smith shared that a month of intensive therapy led him to recognize how several childhood traumas had led him to create a "larger than life" public persona he calls "the other guy," which came to dominate his sense of self.
"It was scary," Smith told People of the morning he woke up convinced he was losing his mind. "At that moment, I wouldn't have been averse to not being around any longer. I called a friend and said, 'I'm in a weird, dark place. I need to go somewhere and get help.'"
Smith's interview with People — which you can read in full here, describes how sexual abuse and shaming over his weight in his youth left him with "a psychological wound."
"In the beginning, it was tough to share when somebody's talking about watching their friend get killed and I'm like, 'Well, my fourth-grade teacher told me I was fat,'" Smith recalled of his time in treatment. "But I learned that there's no differentiation [between levels of trauma] to the human nervous system. Internally, trauma is trauma."
Smith also discussed his mental health with People in a 30-minute video, which you can view below. He shared with the publication that he's now stopped smoking cannabis, cut back on the time spent on social media, and how he's "determined to begin slowing down his frenzied work schedule" to continue progressing.
Sharing the feature on Instagram, Smith wrote in a caption, "Before I left the place that helped me, my therapist wrote these words down on an index card that I will always carry with me for the rest of my days: 'You do not have to earn love. You are lovable simply because you exist.' It's a simple sentiment, true — but one I've needed to hear for decades. I hope it brings you as much comfort as it has brought me."
Speaking with People, Smith shared that a month of intensive therapy led him to recognize how several childhood traumas had led him to create a "larger than life" public persona he calls "the other guy," which came to dominate his sense of self.
"It was scary," Smith told People of the morning he woke up convinced he was losing his mind. "At that moment, I wouldn't have been averse to not being around any longer. I called a friend and said, 'I'm in a weird, dark place. I need to go somewhere and get help.'"
Smith's interview with People — which you can read in full here, describes how sexual abuse and shaming over his weight in his youth left him with "a psychological wound."
"In the beginning, it was tough to share when somebody's talking about watching their friend get killed and I'm like, 'Well, my fourth-grade teacher told me I was fat,'" Smith recalled of his time in treatment. "But I learned that there's no differentiation [between levels of trauma] to the human nervous system. Internally, trauma is trauma."
Smith also discussed his mental health with People in a 30-minute video, which you can view below. He shared with the publication that he's now stopped smoking cannabis, cut back on the time spent on social media, and how he's "determined to begin slowing down his frenzied work schedule" to continue progressing.
Sharing the feature on Instagram, Smith wrote in a caption, "Before I left the place that helped me, my therapist wrote these words down on an index card that I will always carry with me for the rest of my days: 'You do not have to earn love. You are lovable simply because you exist.' It's a simple sentiment, true — but one I've needed to hear for decades. I hope it brings you as much comfort as it has brought me."
