Hugh Hefner’s widow, Crystal Hefner, has opened up about her mental health and how her past traumas have had a major effect on her brain.
In an Instagram post shared on 7 February, the model, 35, gave an update on her “healing journey”, citing its “last piece of the puzzle”. In the post, she included a photo with Dr. Daniel Amen, a psychiatrist and brain expert at Amens Clinic.
With Dr Amen’s help, Crystal has faced her trauma head-on and gained a better understanding of how much it has mentally impacted her.
“I highly recommend if you are having a hard time mentally to really dig deep and find out what’s going on because there are so many ways to help yourself get better and feel better,” she wrote in the caption.
“Even just starting with small changes helps. I’ve felt really trapped in my mind for so long that it’s nice to know there are ways to heal.”
“It also helps to be validated that my past traumas are real and have affected my brain,” The Girls Next Door star added. “I am looking forward to optimising my health even more and getting better.”
In the post, Crystal included a photo of her brain scan next to one of a brain that was considered “healthy.” These scans were taken with Dr. Amen.
“Not the worst he’s seen but still areas that make sense with how I’ve been feeling and areas that can be improved upon,” the caption continues. “I look forward to scanning again soon to see the improvement.”
Crystal expressed that her “minds tortures [her]” from time to time, making things “really difficult”. However, she’s ready to completely “flip the script”.
This isn’t Crystal’s first time discussing her personal experiences and how they’ve affected her. In December 2020, she shared a photo on Instagram of herself in front of the Playboy Mansion, which was taken in 2016, around the time she started “saying no to things that weren’t [her]”.
“I was still sick physically and mentally, but on the road to recovery,” the text over the photo reads.
The former Playboy Playmate also highlighted some of her feelings about Hugh Hefner and the mansion in this post.
“I’m always torn when I talk about the Playboy Mansion because in a lot of ways it was a sanctuary to me, but in other ways, it was a prison,” Crystal wrote.
“The same with Hef,” she added. “He was good to me in many ways, but in order ways, he wasn’t. I’m still healing from past experiences.”
She acknowledged that her thoughts often feel “very contradictory at times” when reflecting back on her past.
“I really want to start opening up and being honest with all of you guys about it,” Crystal wrote.
