Actress Ashley Judd revealed the steps she has taken to heal following the death of her mother, Naomi Judd.
On May 26, Ashley Judd, 55, spoke with the New York Times about her grief and said, “Trauma took up all of the space inside me.”
As a result, she said she began dealing with “nightmares and weeping in her sleep” and “intrusive thoughts — flashbacks from the day of her mother’s death.”
Amid her grief, she was able to find tools to help her deal with her loss. This includes meeting with a therapist two times a week, “who specialized in eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, also known as E.M.D.R.“
Taking what she learned, Judd said she could set aside her memories “in a safe place” rather than “the memory being constantly free-floating in my mind.”
“A lot of times, grieving people don’t know what they need. To ask them, ‘What can I do?’ is sincere but overwhelming."https://t.co/Fp57Nlc475
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) May 26, 2023
She also found solace in a group of people she referred to as her “chosen family.” These are her partner, a large network of friends, and mental health professionals.
“A lot of times, grieving people don’t know what they need,” she said. “To ask them, ‘What can I do?’ is sincere but overwhelming. It can be more helpful simply to act, and schedule yourself to take out the recycling or to show up to take the dog out every day at 10 a.m.”
In addition to taking up journaling, Judd started reading spiritual books, which she came to love and “find wisdom and comfort.” These include “Courage to Change” and “Hope for Today.”
Judd also referenced author James Finley’s book “The Healing Path,” which she said was “a must.”
“I’ve learned so much from him. I mean, I knew this about myself, but he helped me articulate that the conditions of my life don’t have the authority to name who I am,” she added.
On April 30, which was the one-year anniversary of Naomi Judd’s, suicide, Judd wrote an essay for Time and expressed her gratitude to those who have been by her side.
“The Bible also says, ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.’ And indeed I have been comforted, by the work I’ve done to commemorate my mother, and by the many who also walk in and with grief and have shared theirs with me. Though no one can do our grief for us, it is also true that none of us need (sic) do it alone,” she shared.
On April 30, 2022, Naomi Judd died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. She was 73 years old.
