EXCLUSIVE: Multi-Millionaire Millie Bobby Brown Ripped Apart for 'Bizarre' Anxiety Treatment Admission
Millie Bobby Brown has landed in hot water over her admission.
July 19 2026, Published 1:00 p.m. ET
Millie Bobby Brown is being slammed after revealing she turned to Buddhist monks in Japan to help overcome a crippling battle with anxiety, with critics branding the Hollywood multimillionaire's unconventional path to healing "bizarre" despite the actress insisting the experience transformed her life.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the Enola Holmes 3 star, 22, opened up about the deeply personal struggle during an appearance on Jay Shetty's On Purpose podcast, explaining how a terrifying ordeal in which she and her security team were chased for 20 minutes by an unidentified person triggered an anxiety attack that lingered for three months.
Millie Bobby Brown Finds Unexpected Peace in Ancient Kyoto Temple
Millie Bobby Brown revealed her battle with anxiety.
Brown said she eventually found relief while visiting Kyoto, Japan, with her husband, Jake Bongiovi, 24, where the couple spent time meditating alongside Buddhist monks at a temple during his birthday celebrations.
A source said: "Millie's honesty about her mental health will divide opinion. Some people will see her experience with the monks as inspiring, while others will dismiss it as an unusual remedy available only to wealthy celebrities. But for Millie, it clearly became a turning point in rebuilding her confidence after a frightening experience."
Brown described the visit as life-changing, saying, "I went to Japan, and I sat with these monks, and it was the most amazing experience. I'm getting teary-eyed talking about it, but it took me out of the cycle. I needed it."
The actress explained she and Bongiovi visited a temple where around 50 people gathered to meditate in a peaceful garden.
She recalled being introduced to one monk whose calm presence immediately resonated with her during what she described as the darkest period of her anxiety.
The Mystic Session That Cured Her Darkest Anxiety
A calm monk invited Brown to meditate.
Brown said: "This one amazing gentleman who was like just so calm and almost felt like he saw me. I was in the height of my anxiety at this point; it was like he knew that I was kind of broken. He was like, 'We need to meditate.' It was amazing. I will never forget the feeling."
The star also said the meditation session brought an overwhelming sense of relief after months of emotional turmoil.
She added: "I remember being like, 'I'm sorry, I feel like it's my birthday.' Finally, peace in my heart. And my husband literally said, 'You radiated this light after.' My husband's one of those people; he just never questions. He's like, 'What you're telling me, this is your truth. Even if this is your anxiety, you're still feeling it, it's still happening to you.'"
Another insider noted: "Whether people embrace or mock her comments, Millie has never pretended the monks offered a miracle cure. She was describing one moment in a much broader recovery, and she's encouraging others to recognize that healing from anxiety can take many different forms.
"That said, with so many people around the world struggling, it is a bit rich to stand as a multi-millionaire whining about their mental health when they have everything in the world anyone could wish for."
Brown and husband Jake Bongiovi welcomed a baby girl through adoption.
Brown also said she has continued developing strategies to manage her mental health long after returning from Japan.
She noted: "I'm still figuring it out, but I'm now like, I have all these techniques I use, and they work."
The Stranger Things actress added that overcoming her anxiety became especially important before she and Bongiovi considered expanding their family.
She bleated: "I knew I needed to get, I needed to heal, and I needed to figure out my anxiety before starting a family."
Reflecting on their lives after adopting a baby girl last August, Brown gushed: "I always say Jake was the best thing to ever happen to me and my daughter was the best thing to ever happen to us."
Millie Bobby Brown Slams Cruel Online Mom Shamers
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Brown has embraced a gentle parenting style.
Brown – worth at least $20million – and her husband Bongiovi welcomed a baby girl through adoption. While the couple is fiercely protective of their daughter's privacy, Brown has recently opened up about motherhood, their adoption journey, and why she has faced online mom-shaming.
The pair welcomed their girl in the summer of 2025. Brown described the adoption call as "magical" and "surreal." To protect their child's privacy, she and her husband have not publicly revealed her face or her name, though fans suspect her name might start with "R."
Brown recently slammed "vicious" critics who "mom-shamed" her after paparazzi photos surfaced. The photos showed her carrying their baby, a car seat, and bags while Jake walked beside her without helping, drawing criticism of his parenting.
The Netflix notable defended her husband and her own parenting choices. She explained she specifically chooses to hold her child and belongings herself to shield her from the public glare and traumatic media encounters she experienced growing up in the spotlight.
Brown has embraced a "gentle parenting" style and loves playing dress-up, doing puppet shows, and displaying her daughter's artwork. She recently shared in an interview her child is growing up fast and has learned to say "no."
