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‘Decided to seek help from a tarot card reader’: Apoorva Mukhija says she suffered from sleep paralysis after India’s Got Latent controversy; effects of exposure to abuse | Lifestyle News

Content creator Apoorva Mukhija, better known online as The Rebel Kid, recently released a deeply emotional video titled Till I Say It Is, in which she opened up about the traumatic aftermath of the India’s Got Latent controversy. She spoke about the intense backlash she faced after a remark made Ranveer Allahbadia on comedian Samay Raina’s show triggered widespread outrage. “Every single day that I would wake up, something new would be happening. I would have sleep paralysis because I would be scared,” she revealed. “Every time I would wake up there was some new news… My friends would talk to me every day, all the time, to say everything will be fine… I am so glad I had such good people around me.”
As the stress mounted, Apoorva said she turned to unconventional forms of support, including a tarot card reader who told her she was under the influence of black magic. “Then as a last resort, I decided to seek help as a logical decision. No, not from my manager or a therap. I decided to seek help from a tarot card reader. I didn’t believe in all this but science couldn’t explain what was happening to me. I picked some cards and she said someone did black magic on me. The tarot card described certain things, which matched with a person, who I thought could be doing this. She advised me to go overseas and the black magic won’t work. So I went to Paris.”
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In the same video, she spoke about surviving an abusive relationship, being sl*t-shamed before she even understood the word, and growing up in a house that never felt like home. “I have cried a lot of sleepless nights in that house, I have self-harmed, and I still have the scars,” she said. Her story is filled with moments where she thought it was all over — but it wasn’t.
How common is sleep paralysis after such a life-altering moment?
Psycholog Anjali Gursahaney tells , “Apoorva Mukhija’s experience of sleep paralysis during a period of heightened emotional dress is not uncommon. Sleep paralysis often occurs when the mind wakes up before the body does, leaving the person conscious but unable to move or speak. This state is frequently linked to disrupted REM (rapid eye movement) sleep — the phase where most dreaming and natural muscle paralysis occurs.”

Emotional stress, anxiety, and trauma can severely impact sleep quality and cycles, making episodes of sleep paralysis more likely, she adds.
Psychologically, Gursahaney notes that  it serves as a stark reminder of how deeply interconnected our mental health and physiological responses are. “When the mind is overwhelmed but lacks outlets for expression or resolution, the body can manifest that dress through psychosomatic symptoms—like paralysis, palpitations, or chronic fatigue.”Story continues below this ad
What psychological factors contribute to the shift to unconventional sources of support?
“Psychologically, this is a natural response to chaos and emotional alienation,” stresses Gursahaney, adding that spiritual tools offer a sense of structure, symbolic meaning, and control at a time when everything else may feel unpredictable or threatening. “These systems can also help externalise pain—providing language and imagery when verbal expression is too difficult.” 
How does repeated exposure to abuse, especially from a young age, impact one’s long-term mental health and self-worth?
The kind of emotional and verbal abuse Apoorva describes—slut-shaming, death, rape and acid threats, and daily online harassment—has deep, long-lasting effects on mental health, particularly when experienced at a young age. “Repeated abuse chips away at a person’s self-worth and identity. Victims often internalise the shame, leading to toxic narratives like “I am the problem” or “I deserve this,” which can fuel depression, social anxiety, or even dissociation,” states Gursahaney. 
Over time, the nervous system becomes hyper-vigilant, always on edge, expecting the next attack. This can result in chronic stress, insomnia, and emotional burnout. Moreover, when the abuse is public, it adds layers of humiliation and isolation — making it hard to trust others, form healthy relationships, or even believe in one’s right to occupy space confidently. 

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