A recent video on Mel B‘s Instagram feed takes on new meaning after the singer’s recent announcement that she is heading to rehab.
Mel B, also known as Melanie Brown announced on Sunday that she is seeking treatment for alcoholism and sex addiction, both of which she says were brought on by post-traumatic stress disorder. Less than 24 hours before dropping this news, Brown posted a video on Instagram, showing how she was moving towards recovery.
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The video featured Brown and her youngest, 6-year-old daughter, Madison Brown Belafonte, sitting down to eat together on a luxurious patio. The two had an enticing spread of sandwiches, salads and fries in front of them, but before digging in, Madison recited a rhyming prayer in a sing-song voice. Brown sat beside her, palms pressed together as well.
“Amen!” they both said.
In addition to the adorable show of pious gratitude, one other detail from the video is now catching fans’ eyes: the book lying in the foreground. A large volume titled Heal Your PTSD is on the table in the clip, apparently sitting on top of a notebook as well. This adds up, considering Mel’s announcement of her recent diagnosis.
“I have recently been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder,” she told The Sun on Sunday. “The past six months have been incredibly difficult for me. I’ve been working with a writer on my book, Brutally Honest, and it has been unbelievably traumatic reliving an emotionally abusive relationship and confronting so many massive issues in my life.”
Brown was referring to her recently terminated marriage to Stephen Belafonte. She alleges a pattern of abuse from the actor, though Belafonte has denied all of those claims. Now, Brown says that she needs to break the cycle of unhealthy coping mechanisms to truly free herself from that suffering.
“I am being very honest about drinking to numb my pain but that is just a way a lot of people mask what is really going on,” she added.
Brown is not just reading books, either. She is entering a rehab program sometime soon, adding that she intends to stay in the U.K. The former Spice Girl explained that she wanted to be open and transparent about her struggles, in the hopes that she might inspire others to get out of their ruts and get the help they need.
“I have made the decision to go into a proper therapy programme in the next few weeks, but it has to be in the UK because I am very, very British, and I know that will work best for me,” she joked. “I am still struggling but if I can shine a light on the issue of pain, PTSD and the things men and women do to mask it, I will do. I am speaking about this because this is a huge issue for so many people.”
