Trigger warning: This article includes topics of sexual abuse that some readers may find upsetting.
Lady Gaga opened up about her previous trauma and how it affected who she is now in Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey’s docuseries, The Me You Can’t See. The 35-year-old discussed the consequences of her rape and how she dealt with the tremendous anguish she endured.
She was 19 years old and working in the industry when a producer told her to take her clothes off. And she declined. And after she left, they informed her that they were going to destroy all of her songs. They didn’t stop there. They didn’t stop questioning her, and she just froze and she didn’t even recall, Gaga recounted, holding back tears.
She then said that, while she admires people who publicly identify their assailants, she has opted not to expose the identity of her abuser since she never wants to encounter that individual again. The singer spoke out about the moment she ended up in a hospital, seeking treatment for the agony and numbness she was feeling.
She felt intense agony at first, then became numb. Then she was sick for weeks and she understood it was the same misery she had when the guy who raped her threw her off pregnant on a corner at her parents’ house because she was vomiting and sick. Because she had been abused. For months, she was confined to a studio, she stated.
Gaga claimed that she had changed into a new person as a result of her agony, which resulted in a “psychotic break.” She wasn’t the same girl for a few years. When she was raped, she felt the same way she do when she was in agony. She had so many MRIs and scans that have turned up nothing.
However, the body remembers. She distanced because she couldn’t feel anything. It’s as though the brain shuts off. It’s a very genuine sensation to feel as if a dark cloud is following one about, telling one that one is useless and should die. She used to shout and slam against the wall, she stated.
Gaga then admitted that she had just self-harmed and stated, do you know why it’s bad to self-harm? Since it worsens one’s mood. One believes one will feel better because one is showing someone, ‘Hey, see, I’m in agony.’ It’s not going to help. ‘Tell somebody, don’t show anyone,’ she usually says. Even if she had six fantastic months, all it takes is getting triggered once to feel horrible, and when she says feel bad, she means, want to cut, think about dying, Gaga added.
The Me You Can See: Lady Gaga winning an Oscar in 2019. The Me You Can’t See: Stefani Germanotta. While getting her start in the music industry at 19, Stefani was told by a producer to take off her clothes and threatened to have her music burned when she didn’t comply. She was raped. Through the years, this trauma remained unprocessed, resulting in Stefani cutting herself, experiencing a psychotic break, and finally being diagnosed with PTSD after going to the hospital for chronic pain. She’s learned to pull herself out of dark places with the help of doctors, medicine, and coping mechanisms—and happened to win an Oscar during that process. Now, instead of locking away that experience, she’s trying to give back by sharing it. Thank you, Stefani. I see you. Watch Stefani’s story on #TheMeYouCantSee, now available on Apple TV+: apple.co/themeyoucantsee
Posted by Oprah Winfrey on Monday, 24 May 2021
The singer then offered some advice to individuals who are going through difficult times, adding that it is critical to find “an individual who affirms you.” Everyone believes that healing is a straight line, just like any other infection. That one may become ill and then recover. But it isn’t like that, she stated.
