Justin Bieber was crying. It wasn't the staged, aesthetic cry you see in a music video with perfect lighting and a rain machine. This was different. In his 2020 YouTube Originals docuseries, Seasons, the world watched a therapy session Justin Bieber participated in that felt uncomfortably real. It was raw. It was messy.
He was sitting there, talking to health coach Dr. Buzz Mingin about his brain. Specifically, how years of heavy drug use and the relentless pressure of global fame had basically fried his nervous system. People weren't used to seeing a "god" of pop music admit that his dopamine receptors were shot.
Honestly, it changed things.
For a decade, the narrative around Bieber was either "teen heartthrob" or "entitled brat." We saw the arrests. We saw the deposition videos where he was smug and dismissive. But that therapy session Justin Bieber shared with millions of viewers started to peel back the layers of why he was acting that way. It wasn't just about being a "bad kid." It was about a developing brain being subjected to a level of scrutiny that almost no human is designed to handle.
Why that specific therapy session Justin Bieber did matters so much now
When we talk about Justin's mental health journey, we have to look at the "Havening Technique." You might remember seeing him rub his arms and face during stressful moments. Dr. Mingin explained this as a way to send a signal to the brain to feel safe.
It looked weird to people.
Social media, being the echo chamber it is, initially mocked it. But as the episodes went on, the mockery turned into a weird kind of collective empathy. Bieber wasn't just "sad"; he was dealing with chronic Lyme disease and Epstein-Barr, which severely impacted his mental state. He was using hyperbaric oxygen therapy. He was getting IV infusions to flush out toxins.
This wasn't just talk therapy. It was biological repair.
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The transition from "rebel" to "patient"
Most child stars burn out in private or explode in public and never recover. Justin did both, but then he did something rare: he documented the recovery. The therapy session Justin Bieber filmed showed him navigating the "shame" of his past.
Think about it.
Imagine your worst teenage mistakes were captured in 4K and played back to you for the rest of your life. That’s a heavy weight. In the docuseries, he talks about waking up in the morning and the first thing he'd do is pop pills or smoke a joint just to get through the day. His security would literally come into his room at night to check his pulse to make sure he was still breathing.
That’s not a "lifestyle." That's a crisis.
The role of Dr. Buzz Mingin and cognitive behavioral shifts
Dr. Buzz Mingin isn't your typical sit-on-the-couch-and-vent therapist. He’s more of a brain optimization specialist. He focused on Justin's "structured environment." One of the biggest takeaways from the therapy session Justin Bieber aired was the need for routine.
For a guy who spent his life on tour buses and in hotels—where time doesn't exist and every whim is catered to—structure is the enemy. But Mingin pushed for it. They focused on:
- Reducing the "noise" of the industry.
- Identifying "triggers" that led to lashing out at paparazzi.
- Physical interventions to calm the amygdala.
It’s interesting because Justin’s wife, Hailey Bieber, was often in the room or right outside. She became a huge part of his therapeutic process. She wasn't just a spouse; she was a stabilizer. In the therapy footage, you see them discussing how his moods affect their marriage. It’s vulnerable. It’s kinda terrifying to put that out there when you have nearly 300 million Instagram followers.
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Misconceptions about Justin’s recovery and his "easy" path
A lot of people think, "Well, he’s a multimillionaire, of course he can get better."
Sure, money buys the best doctors. It buys the hyperbaric chambers that Justin sleeps in. But money doesn't do the internal work. In the therapy session Justin Bieber showed us, you see a man who is deeply lonely despite the crowds.
The misconception is that therapy "cured" him. If you look at his later cancellations, like the Justice World Tour in 2022 and 2023, you see that he’s still struggling. He was diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which paralyzed half his face. That physical trauma triggered more mental health hurdles.
The lesson here isn't that therapy makes you perfect. It’s that therapy gives you the tools to survive the collapse when it happens again.
The impact on the "Beliebers" and Gen Z
When Justin started talking about his therapy session Justin Bieber experiences, the stigma shifted for a whole generation of fans. Suddenly, it was "cool" or at least "normal" to talk about your brain health.
He wasn't the first celebrity to go to rehab. He wasn't the first to talk about depression. But he was one of the first to show the process of maintenance. He talked about how he doesn't have a cell phone anymore—everything goes through his iPad so he can control his boundaries.
That’s a radical move for a pop star.
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What we can learn from the Bieber approach to mental health
If you’re looking at his journey and wondering how it applies to "normal" life, it’s mostly about the intersection of the physical and the mental. Justin didn't just talk about his feelings; he looked at his bloodwork.
He realized his "anxiety" was partially a result of his body being physically depleted.
We often treat the mind and body as two different things. Justin’s doctors treated them as one system. If your brain is inflamed from poor diet, lack of sleep, or past drug use, no amount of "talking" is going to fix the chemistry overnight.
Actionable steps inspired by Justin’s recovery journey
If you’re feeling overwhelmed or "burnt out" in a way that feels similar to what Justin described, there are a few things to consider based on the protocols he used:
- Check the biological basics. Before assuming it’s all "in your head," get blood work done. Check for deficiencies or underlying issues like Lyme or mold exposure, which Justin found were major contributors to his "brain fog."
- Try somatic grounding. The "Havening" technique Justin uses is a form of somatic therapy. When you're spiraling, physical touch or specific movements can tell your nervous system to "downshift" out of fight-or-flight mode.
- Audit your environment. Justin had to cut out people who weren't helping his sobriety or mental clarity. You might not have a "crew," but you have a social media feed. Unfollow the things that make you feel like trash.
- Accept the "maintenance" phase. Recovery isn't a destination. Justin still has bad days. He still has to cancel shows sometimes. The goal is to have the tools to handle the bad days without destroying your life.
The therapy session Justin Bieber shared wasn't just a PR move. It was a roadmap for a different kind of celebrity—one that values longevity over the "rockstar" myth of burning out. It’s about the quiet work. The IV drips, the hard conversations with a spouse, and the breathing exercises in the back of a black SUV.
It’s not glamorous. But it’s why he’s still here.
By prioritizing his nervous system over his career demands, Bieber set a precedent. He showed that it's okay to step back when your body says "no," even if the whole world is waiting for an encore. That's the real power of the therapy session Justin Bieber gave us—it gave people permission to be human.
Next Steps for Your Own Wellness Journey:
If you're inspired by Justin's transparency, start by researching "Somatic Experiencing" or "Havening Techniques" to see how physical touch can regulate your stress. Consult with a functional medicine doctor if you feel your mental health might have a physical root cause, such as chronic inflammation or hormonal imbalances. Most importantly, recognize that "boundaries" aren't just for celebrities—they are the foundation of any successful recovery.