The ‘Game of Thrones’ star recalls having a mental breakdown after joining a health cult
Hannah Murray recalled having a mental breakdown after joining a health cult in 2017.
“It’s easy to say, ‘Well, that wouldn’t happen to me,’ but we’re doing ourselves a disservice when we start saying that, because you never know,” the “Game of Thrones” actor told the Guardian in an interview published on Saturday.
Murray – who talks about his terrifying experience in his upcoming book, “The Make-Believe: A Memoir of Magic and Madness” – said he “didn’t know. [she] he would deal with anything in the book.”
“I thought I wouldn’t be able to, that I was safe. I was well educated, I came from a middle-class family; everything was supposed to go well,” the “Skins” student told the outlet.
“I thought, ‘I’m smart, I’m making good decisions.’ However, I make very bad decisions. But it’s important to understand why people do these things, rather than saying, ‘Oh, they must be stupid.’ Or, ‘How stupid can you be?’” he added.
Murray, 36, said he was first introduced to the cult by an “energy healer,” who he met through his trainer while on the set of “Detroit.”
“My experience felt overwhelming, without something physically happening. There was this charge of energy in the room. I think there is often in these higher spiritual entities,” he recalled.
“I found it interesting that it was a very women’s place – the teachers, the healer – and then this man walks in and he’s incredibly confident and magnetic,” added Murray, who will name the sect or leader.
“The first thing he says is a joke about sex.” In this floating, gentle, faint energy, all of a sudden, it’s like, ‘Hey, I’m here,’ and, ‘Asif–k.’ I think he was doing that on purpose.”
Murray said he spent thousands of dollars trying to gain “wisdom and expertise,” but was admitted to a psychiatric unit after suffering a psychotic episode. He was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Now, the “Charlie Says” star stays away from anything connected to the health industry.
“Even soft things can feel very stressful. I don’t eat anymore. I won’t go to the crystal shop. I don’t do yoga, because I don’t know what might pop up that might feel like woo-woo at my own threshold,” she told the Guardian.
But now I realize how common it is, strangers will give it to you as a cure, you say, ‘I really don’t sleep,’ and they say, ‘Have you ever tried meditation?’ “It’s everywhere, it’s seen as a natural solution,” said Murray.
“And there there is harmless or benign versions. But as someone looking for something to fix me completely, a magic wand or a silver bullet, the promise felt alluring and addictive.”
Murray, best known for her roles as Cassie Ainsworth on “Skins” and Gilly on “Game of Thrones,” has retired from acting.
“Make-Believe: A Memoir of Magic and Madness” will be released on June 23.
