Crystal Hefner has "healing" on the brain.
The former Playboy Playmate and widow to Hugh Hefner has shared a new update on her mental health journey in an Instagram post on Monday, Feb. 7.
Crystal wrote, "So happy to have found the last puzzle piece in my healing journey."
In a series of photos, Crystal was seen standing next to Dr. Daniel Amen, a psychiatrist, brain disorder specialist and director of the Amen Clinics.
The 35-year-old model wrote, "I highly recommend if you are having a hard time mentally to really dig deep and find out what's going on because there are so many ways to help yourself get better and feel better."
Digging deep, Crystal explained that even starting off with "small changes" helps.
"I've felt really trapped in my mind for so long that it's nice to know there are ways to heal," she wrote. "It also helps to be validated that my past traumas are real and have affected my brain."
Her latest Instagram post with Dr. Amen features a comparison of a "healthy" brain scan compared to Crystal's own brain scan.
"Not the worst he's seen but still areas that make sense with how I've been feeling and areas that can be improved upon," she wrote. "I look forward to scanning again soon to see the improvement."
Ready to complete the "puzzle," Crystal ended on an uplifting note, as she is ready to rewrite her narrative. "Sometimes my mind tortures me and makes things really difficult but I'm completely ready to flip that script," she said.
Crystal also opened up on social media about these "past traumas" in December 2021. In an Instagram post containing a photo from 2016, Crystal reflected on her time at the Playboy Mansion.
"I'm always torn when I talk about the Playboy Mansion because in a lot of ways it was a sanctuary to me," Crystal wrote at the time, "but in other ways, it was my prison."
She not only got candid about her time in the Mansion, but also about her marriage to Hugh. Crystal explained that he was "good" to her in many ways, but in others ways, he "wasn't." She went on to share that she is "still healing from certain experiences."
Since then, she has been open about her healing process, writing last month about her transition to embracing "modesty."
"In short, sex sells," Crystal wrote. "I don't know whether I felt empowered by dressing scantily clad, showing cleavage, etc …or if I just felt it was expected of me or what… but now I can confidently and 100% proudly say, modesty is what empowers me these days, and because it feels so much better internally, it will probably be this way for the rest of my life."
Her update comes after A&E premiered the docuseries Secrets of Playboy about the "far-reaching consequences on our culture's view of power and sexuality," per a synopsis. In response to onscreen allegations from former Playmates, 500 people formerly associated with Hugh and Playboy penned an open letter in support of the late publisher earlier this month.
"From all we know of Hef, he was a person of upstanding character, exceptional kindness, and dedication to free thought," the letter read. "He demonstrated a commitment to living an honest life beyond everything else."
The brand Playboy also responded to allegations of gaslighting in the—as Holly Madison described it in the series—"cult-like" mansion, saying in a statement obtained by E! News, "Today's Playboy is not Hugh Hefner's Playboy." The company added in part, "We trust and validate these women and their stories and we strongly support those individuals who have come forward to share their experiences."