Winona Ryder‘s 1993 break up from Johnny Depp left her reeling.

That mixed with the pressure of Hollywood left her in what she told Harper BAZAAR was her “Girl, Interrupted real life”—a reference to her and Angelina Jolie‘s flick about a psychiatric hospital. 

The actress sought help, sharing that “an incredible therapist” suggested she envision being kind to a younger form of herself.

At the time, she was starring in the drama The House of the Spirits. “I remember, I was playing this character who ends up getting tortured in a Chilean prison,” she detailed. “I would look at these fake bruises and cuts on my face, and I would struggle to see myself as this little girl. ‘Would you be treating this girl like you’re treating yourself?’ I remember looking at myself and saying, ‘This is what I’m doing to myself inside.’ Because I just wasn’t taking care of myself.”

“I’ve never talked about it,” the 50-year-old continued. “There’s this part of me that’s very private. I have such, like, a place in my heart for those days. But for someone younger who grew up with social media, it’s hard to describe.”