The last decade has seen a reckoning for some old Hollywood ways. One of the catalysts behind this change is the Me Too Movement, which inspired survivors to speak out about sexual violence as a means of community healing. Actors began naming their well-known, powerful abusers, risking future roles in the process.
One of these brave spirits was Eliza Dushku, an actor well-known for depicting tough-as-nails characters. Dushku had been in the game since she was a child. In a heartbreaking 2018 Facebook post, she disclosed abuse endured at the hands of her stunt man on True Lies. The star has not been on screen for seven years but has been busy off camera.
Dushku recently spoke out about the abuse, her own psychedelic healing journey, and how she is facilitating that for others.
“I had the means to shift directions and choose a course in my life that focused on healing myself so that I could help heal others,” Eliza said to Boston Magazine. “I would be remiss if I didn’t now share the transformation and the peace and the passion that I have. This is just absolutely so clearly my real calling, my real purpose.”
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The interview covers her struggles with addiction, the triggering media cycle, and her abuse on the set of True Lies at the age of 12. These experiences were followed by all the usual healing methods: talk therapy, pharmaceuticals, trauma therapy, yoga, meditation, etc.
After all of that work rendered little change, her therapist recommended a combination of psychotherapy and psychedelics. This was her first real breakthrough and led to her pursuing a graduate degree in counseling and clinical health with an emphasis on psychedelic-assisted therapies for addiction and mental health disorders.
Since getting sober, Dushku has quietly supported others in their pursuit of a drug and alcohol-free lifestyle. Now, she is doing so on a grander scale and in the public eye. Alongside her husband, she donated $7.5 million to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in 2023, with $5M allocated to “state of the art treatment for substance abuse disorders.”
Joji Suzuki, director of the Division of Addiction Psychiatry at the Eliza Dushku Palandjian and Peter Palandjian Bridge Clinic, is preparing three psilocybin trials right now to treat alcohol and opioid addiction.
“We made it very clear from the very early days that if we’re going to get into this, we really want to make it front and center that we’re going to utilize psychedelics for research to target both alcohol and opioid disorders, which have been very limited so far,” Suzuki said to Boston Magazine.
Having a celebrity back psychedelic therapy is huge for those hoping for reform. Dushku is putting more than her money and voice behind this movement. She has committed to engaging with it as she embarks on her final internship and Master’s program. This is her second wind after her Hollywood life, and it looks good on her.
“She is thriving,” the actor’s close friend Linda Henry concluded.
