Katy Perry livestreamed her whole weekend to help support the release of her new album Witness, under a stream called Witness Worldwide. She’s already tried to apologize for appropriating black culture, and said she “loves” Taylor Swift in an attempt to squash that massive feud.
But today, she chose to even more vulnerable and intimate, by livestreaming a “therapy session” with Viceland‘s Dr. Siri Singh. Of course, the main point of therapy is to create a safe environment between the client and the therapist, so involving the entire world isn’t necessarily the best mental health practice, but Perry did address an important topic in her wide-ranging discussion.
Basically, she kept returning to the dichotomy between her little self, Kathryn Hudson, a girl who was raised in a strict Christian community that didn’t have room for her questions and curiosity, and Katy Perry, an enormous, luxurious larger-than-life superstar who has all the answers.
At one point, she admitted that she’s struggled with suicidal thoughts in the past, “I feel ashamed that I would have those thoughts, feel that low, and that depressed,” she said. She also noted in the session that part of why she changed her hair was because she didn’t want to be Katy Perry anymore.
The therapist asked if she’d ever had thoughts that she didn’t want to go on, and Perry confirmed she had, saying she wrote the song “By The Grace Of God” about it, before breaking down and not being able to recite the lyrics. You can watch the entire hour-long therapy session above, her comments about suicide come in around 36 minutes.
In talking with how she manages her mental health, Perry mentioned she uses meditations, which are from a teacher named Tara Brach, who is a teacher I’ve also found to be super helpful in my life:
https://twitter.com/TaraBrach/status/873743989203247108
Check out some of Brach’s teachings here.
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts you’re not alone. There area host of resources available, including the National Suicide Hotline Prevention line, which is available 24/7. Get more information here.
