Shailene Woodley has spoken candidly about a mysterious and “scary” health scare she experienced in her early 20s on the set of the Divergent franchise.
The 32-year-old actress, who will play legendary singer Janis Joplin, appeared in the The SHE MD Podcast with obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. Thaïs Aliabadi and influencer Mary Alice Haney on Tuesday as she spoke about her health issue.
Shailene opened up about what she was going through while filming the popular sci-fi franchise as she had to deal with many difficult issues including: hearing loss, hypothyroidism, fainting, food sensitivities, PTSD and trauma responses.
Although she did not fully reveal what the problem was, she spoke openly about what she endured, explaining: ‘Yes. I can talk about it in a somewhat abstract way. I haven’t talked about what it was exactly because I feel it is something personal that I don’t need to reveal.
“But basically, I was in a situation where, in my early 20s, I got to a point where I was losing my hearing. I couldn’t walk for more than five minutes at a time without having to lie down for hours and hours and hours and sleep. Everything I ate was upsetting my stomach. It was a combination of issues and diagnoses and different doctors telling me different things. And I come from a very holistic background and I studied herbalism.”
Shailene Woodley has spoken candidly on the SHE MD podcast about a mysterious and “scary” health issue she experienced in her early 20s on the set of the Divergent franchise.
Shailene went on to explain that she worked with real doctors as well as “independent healers” to try to get to the bottom of her issues.
She continued: ‘And it was a long journey, about a decade of relaxation and healing and recovery. And over that decade, a lot of other things came out of feeling so much physical discomfort, which was, oh my God, if everything I eat hurts my stomach, now all of a sudden I’m afraid of food.
‘And then going into the mental chaos that can happen with body dysmorphia and confusion about identity and feeling safe in my own capsule, in my own skin, and what that meant and what it should be.’
The actress went on to explain that the issue was eventually resolved physically and she is now healthy.
She continued: ‘I’m very happy to be able to say that. And it also forced me to look deeper and do some introspection.
‘I think that was the path for me, along with physical healing, to acknowledge the mental side of my healing process, which involved looking at real traumas and real PTSD that I had experienced at various points in my life, without going into detail about what they were.’
Shailene said that despite always eating healthy and exercising, the process took a toll on her body.
She explained: ‘And so, it was a confusing process for me to think, ‘Well, what am I doing wrong? Why do I faint every month when I get my period? Why do I have hypothyroidism? Why do I have all these things?’
Shailene opened up about what she was going through while filming the popular sci-fi franchise as she had to endure many difficult issues including: hearing loss, hypothyroidism, fainting spells, food sensitivities, PTSD and trauma responses.
Shailene (seen in New York earlier this month) went on to explain that she worked with real doctors as well as “independent healers” to try to get to the bottom of her issues.
“And one doctor said this is separate from what I went through when I was 20, but it was specifically about the whole female reproductive cycle. One doctor said, ‘It’s probably endometriosis.'”
“And another doctor said, ‘It’s probably this.’ And another doctor said, ‘It’s probably that.’ ‘You have a tilted uterus. You have a heart-shaped uterus. You have a uterus that’s…'”
She said each person she consulted gave her a different opinion, which forced her to be more self-sufficient.
Shailene continued: ‘So I might as well take this into my own hands and dedicate myself to educating myself on so many issues and approaching it from an internal holistic place. And now, I mean, I’m not on thyroid medication anymore. I’m not on any medication anymore. My hormones are so balanced. Everything is working the way it should.
“And I think ultimately what got me there, along with the physical aspects, was recognizing that I was in a constant state of fight or flight. My nervous system was super sympathetic and operating from a place of fear and wondering where the lion in the room is.
“And I constantly approached every moment with high alertness and red flags because I hadn’t yet established what a calm nervous system could look like and what a true self-assurance could look like. And once I focused on that and became really devoted and disciplined in that practice, physically everything started to shift and balance out for me.”
In April 2020, Shailene spoke for the first time about her problems in an interview with The New York Times‘I haven’t talked about this publicly much yet, and one day I will, but I was very, very sick when I was 20.’
The actress didn’t elaborate on exactly what happened, but explained: “While I was making the Divergent films and working hard, I was also struggling with a deeply personal and very scary physical situation.”
She played Tris in the 2014 dystopian blockbuster, followed by the sequel Insurgent in 2015 and Allegiant in 2016.
Shailene (seen in New York earlier this month) also opened up about sex when she said: “Yes, I am a very sexual person. I always have been. And I was very lucky in my life as a person who was discovering herself and her body to have a partner who loved to dance. I always call it a dance. I’m like, ‘It’s a dance. We’re exchanging energy.'”
She played Tris in the 2014 dystopian blockbuster, followed by the sequel Insurgent in 2015 and Allegiant in 2016.
A fourth film titled Ascendant, which would serve as the second in a two-part adaptation of Allegiant, was scheduled to be released in theaters in 2017.
It was later announced that the fourth film would be a television movie, launching a spin-off series, but neither came to pass.
Shailene also talked about sex in her interview on the SHE MD podcast.
She said, ‘Yes, I’m a very sexual person. I always have been. And I was very lucky in my life as a person who was discovering myself and my body to have a partner who loved to dance. I always call it a dance. I think, “It’s a dance. We’re exchanging energy.”‘
“Sometimes the dance is a very fast tango and sometimes the dance is a very slow rhythm and sometimes it’s loud and sometimes it’s very soft. And I had someone who helped me discover myself because there was a sense of comfort together. And I think I probably did the same for him.”