Shailene Woodley reveals what helped her cure a debilitating mystery illness

Shailene Woodley talks about a serious health scare she suffered in her early twenties and how she had to confront her past trauma to heal the wounds.

On Tuesday's episode of the “SHE MD” podcast, the 32-year-old star told hosts Mary Alice Haney and Dr. Thais Aliabadi about the struggles she faced trying to figure out the cause of her overwhelming, mysterious illness and how she gained some insights about her mental health in the process.

“I lost my hearing. I couldn't walk for more than five minutes at a time without having to lie down and sleep for hours,” she told the hosts. “Everything I ate hurt my stomach.”

Woodley chose to keep her exact diagnosis private, telling hosts her health condition felt “like a personal thing,” but said she was overwhelmed by the amount of “mixed information” doctors gave her when she sought help.

“It was this mixture of problems and diagnoses and different doctors telling me different things,” said the “Big Little Lies” actress, noting that it took her nearly a decade to understand exactly what was happening.

Woodley told the hosts how her symptoms brought a world of “mental confusion” into her life and described how her physical pain affected her behavior and thinking.

“In this decade, a lot of other things have come about because of the physical discomfort,” she continued. “Oh my God, when everything in my stomach hurts, now I'm suddenly afraid of food.”

While the Three Women star was “so happy” to report that she is now feeling better, she revealed that the years of ordeal have left her grappling with the impact of emotional trauma.

“It forced me to really look deep within myself and reflect,” the star said, revealing that dealing with her PTSD was ultimately another aspect of her healing process.

″[That trauma] “It definitely took a toll on my body and my emotions, which then stuck in my body and affected me,” she said.

“I think that was ultimately what made me [to heal]Besides the physical aspects, was the realization that I was in a constant fight-or-flight state… because I hadn't yet figured out what a calm nervous system looks like and what true safety within myself looks like.”

“When I focused on that, everything started to change and balance for me physically,” she explained.

Woodley also told the hosts how much her new show, “Three Women,” had touched her after struggling with so much pain both emotionally and physically.

“This felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to really dive in and explore themes that most of us go through as women,” she said of the series, which focuses on the sexuality of a group of women.

Noting that the series tackles topics such as miscarriage, falling in love, body dysmorphia and more, Woodley said she was grateful to be able to tackle the subject “in a confusing situation where we feel like we can't communicate what we really want because we don't feel confident in our own bodies.”

“Three Women” can be streamed on Starz.

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