The director reveals that he was sexually abused and humiliated as a young child. This led him to become "the other guy", a version of his self he has called for many years.

Kevin Smith opens up about his recent treatment for mental health, which he sought earlier this year. He hopes that his story can help others.

In a recent interview with People magazine, the "Clerks'" director revealed that he had checked himself into Arizona’s Sierra Tucson Center back in January. This was the day following a "scary incident" he called a "complete breakdown from reality." During this time, he - as the publication described it - "woke up in terror, convinced he would lose his mind."

In a video, he explains: "I lost all my marbles. I became dissociative." (below).

"At the time, I would have preferred to be gone. I called a close friend and told him, "I'm in an odd, dark place." "I need to get some help," he said. He then explained how his therapy helped him understand how childhood trauma led him to become an exaggerated, distorted version of himself, which he called "the other guy." This is the person he has been hiding behind for most of his professional career.

Smith said that one of his traumas was when an older boy forced him to perform sexual acts on a girl in an alleyway at the age of six. He said the boy also planned to force them perform acts on him before an adult intervened. Smith claimed that the incident made him feel "scared" and "humiliated" but he had always thought of it as "just playing a doctor in an alleyway." Before therapy, he never considered this to be sexual abuse. His therapist helped him to realize that "when a third person is telling you to do something that goes against your core values, that's a sexual abuse."

Smith's body shame was a result of a teacher commenting on his "gut" to the class when he was only 9.

He said that his fourth-grade teacher made a comment which influenced the rest of his life. The incident occurred while the class was standing for the morning prayers and the Pledge of allegiance. "I felt she was looking at me. I felt that her eyes were boring into me. Finally, before I sat down at my desk I looked up at my fourth grade teacher. A woman in her fifties, she looks down on me with the most abject disdain in her face and says "Ugh the guts you Mr. Smith.'"

He also remembered being body shamed at a waterpark by a lifeguard who made a joke that he looked "like a pregnant lady." Both remarks "devastated" a child who "didn't have the right tools to deal with that."

"I felt disgusting, like I didn't matter. He recalled that "the other guy" started to appear. "I decided to entertain and make people like me before they noticed that I was fat."

In treatment, he realized how these incidents affected him in the future. He believes that the sexual abuse inspired him to be a director because he can maintain control. Body shaming led to body dysmorphia, codependency, and a desire to please others. He became a "people-pleaser" and a "people-pleaser," who distracted and entertained people so they "didn't realize how disgusting and revolting I am."

He said that eventually, the "other guy" persona took over Smith's career and he did not look back, until he entered treatment in early this year. He continued: "I was a spectator in my own life." He said it was "tough" at first to be open at the treatment center, which also treats veterans with PTSD.

He said, "At first, it was hard to share, when someone was talking about their friend getting killed, and I was like, 'Well my fourth-grade teachers told me I was overweight'." "But I realized that the nervous system doesn't differentiate between levels of trauma. "Inside, trauma is trauma."

Smith's treatment included not only talking to a therapist but also practicing breathing exercises and mindfulness to stay grounded in the moment. He also cut back on his social media use and stopped using marijuana.

He told the publication that he is "terrified" of speaking about his experience publicly. However, he said he does so because "someone out there doesn't even know what this stuff is -- just like I didn’t -- and could benefit from this."

Text "STRENGTH" (or the name of someone who needs mental health help) to Crisis Text Line 741-741 and you will be connected with a crisis counselor.

Get help if you or someone else you know has depression, or thoughts of self-harm or suicide. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides free and confidential support to people in distress 24/7. Dial 988%.

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Title: Kevin Smith Sought Mental Health Treatment After 'Break from Reality,' Reveals Childhood Trauma
Sourced From: www.toofab.com/2023/04/26/kevin-smith-mental-health-treatment/
Published Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2023 14:58:34 +0000

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