Hannah Murray’s Journey From Wellness Cult To Mental Health Awareness
You can listen to Fox News articles as you read. Hannah Murray, known for her role in ‘Game of Thrones,’ once grappled with the challenges of young stardom and ended up in a wellness cult, which led to a severe psychotic break. In an interview with The Guardian, the English actress, who is about to release her memoir, ‘The Make-Believe: A Memoir of Magic and Madness,’ shared her troubling experience and discussed her escape from the organization.
Murray emphasized the need for critical thought regarding wellness, particularly its transformation into an industry. She pointed out how easy it is to believe that negative experiences can’t happen to you, but warned against such thinking, as it might lead to being unprepared.
Hannah Murray, recognized for her portrayal of Gilly in ‘Game of Thrones,’ explained her wellness cult experience. Despite being well-educated and coming from a middle-class family, Murray learned the hard way that bad choices could occur regardless of one’s background.
Murray’s journey into the cult began when she met an ‘energy healer’ on the set of her 2017 film ‘Detroit’—a film with dark subject matter affecting her mental state. Seeking solace, Murray was introduced to a healer named Grace, who led her into a series of classes and healing sessions, gradually immersing her deeper into the group’s beliefs.
The actress recalled times when Grace’s teachings seemed nonsensical. Concepts like bringing ‘light’ into the body and activating ‘spiritual DNA’ with ancient tools intrigued her. The allure of discovering a magical world beneath the surface prompted her curiosity.
At a fragile point in her life, Murray found the idea of possessing an incredible destiny and even magical abilities highly appealing, further propelled by meeting the cult’s leader, Steve, who exhibited a sense of magical power that captivated her.
Her breaking point unfolded during a five-day course in London with fellow cult members, where she experienced hallucinations and underwent a painful psychotic episode. Surrounded by members chanting to remove an ‘evil spirit,’ Murray was eventually hospitalized under the Mental Health Act for 28 days. She received a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.
Now distanced from acting, Murray feels cautious about wellness-related activities. She pointed out that while mental health discussions often involve anxiety and depression, there’s a stigma around conditions requiring institutional confinement.
It was crucial for Murray to share her story, as many experience similar situations without being inherently flawed or permanently damaged. Her candid narrative inspires broader conversations on mental health aspects often overlooked.