Stranger Things actor David Harbour opened up about seeking psychotherapy for a deeply personal reason. While the 50-year-old admitted to being in therapy since 1999, he said that he recently started “intense psychotherapy.”
Stranger Things’ David Harbour takes up psychotherapy
During an interview with Future of Personal Health, David Harbor shared details about his struggle with bipolar disorder. Harbor recalled that he started taking therapy as early as 1999. He added, “When I quit drinking, it forced me to confront a lot of demons that rose to the surface. I was very poor. However, I still was able to work once a week with a CSW who put me on a sliding scale.”
The Hellboy actor added that it was recently that he started “intense psychotherapy.” He admitted that it has indeed made a “world of difference” in his treatment.
While talking about psychotherapy, he said, “There has been a great resurgence in the idea that psychotherapy, along with responsible medication, is key to remission. I have not had a manic flare-up since I started psychoanalysis with a good therapist.”
Harbour admitted that medication is “only half the battle.” He advised, “There is not a cure-all formula; there is only hard individual work. If you can’t afford therapy, find groups that don’t charge or don’t charge much. You will improve.”
The Marvel actor later explained what he experienced during one of his “manic episodes.” He said, “Thought becomes disordered and chaotic. Things that have no meaning became meaningful. Names, numbers, and colors acquire a twisted symbolism.”
“There is a fundamental narcissism at the bottom of it all that makes me think I am the center of all things, for good or for ill,” Harbour explained. “My manic episodes are, of course, a manifestation of my own particular psychopathy. They all share those traits, but each episode has been linked to certain fixations I had at the time.”
David Harbour shared that his mental order “doesn’t define him.” Addressing anyone whose mental health defines their life, he assured that “there is a way to have a tremendously fulfilling life.” Although he once believed he wouldn’t achieve any success, he said, “It does get better.” Further, he added, “I’m living proof that you can be anything you want to be.”
Originally reported by Harsha Panduranga on Mandatory.
