Nana Visitor, celebrated for her role as Major Kira Nerys in the iconic Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, is not just a talented actress but also a beacon of strength and resilience.
Behind the scenes of her successful career lies a harrowing tale of trauma that she bravely shared on the Gates McFadden podcast.
In 1994, a night that began like any other took a dark turn for Visitor. Driving home from the DS9 set, she noticed she was being followed.
Before she could fully grasp the situation, two men abducted her at gunpoint right outside her home. The assailants forcibly confined her in the cramped leg area of the passenger seat, driving her to a remote location.
In a chilling recount, Visitor described the terrifying moments that followed:
“They had me tied and on my knees in a bush, facing a bush while they talked about what they were going to do with my body. They were going to dump it out near Las Vegas. And I was shaking so hard. I went, okay, this is it. I’m going to die. This is it.”
The ordeal didn’t end there. The kidnappers took her back to her residence, where her child was asleep. They hog-tied her, ransacking her home with a chilling casualness.
One of the attackers even took a moment to eat a cookie she had baked earlier and played with her dog, all while she was held at gunpoint by the other.
The sheer audacity and cruelty of their actions added another layer of horror to an already nightmarish situation.
After what must have felt like an eternity, the attackers placed a pillow over her head, leaving her in a state of shock and terror. The ordeal had ended, but the emotional scars would remain.
In the aftermath, justice was served. The two assailants were apprehended and faced the full force of the law.
Their heinous act of kidnapping, combined with the sexual assault, led to them receiving multiple life sentences.
This traumatic event led to years of struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Despite the immense emotional burden, Visitor returned to work on DS9 without ever truly addressing the trauma.
She relied on medications prescribed by doctors, which, in her words, “made everything so much worse.”
Recovery
Years after the assault, when she moved back to New York City and felt the weight of her trauma intensifying, she sought help from a psychologist specializing in PTSD.
It was during this time that she was introduced to Gabrielle R. Chiaramonte, Ph.D., at Weill Cornell Medical College, the founding director of The Center for Mindful Living.
Dr. Chiaramonte introduced Nana to the practice of mindfulness. She found that mindfulness gave her the tools to ground herself whenever she felt the onset of an anxiety attack.
She mentioned, “Now, if I have the start of an anxiety attack, which almost never happens, I immediately know how to ground myself. Even just mindfully walking will get me out of it. It’s amazing. I’ve found that mindfulness has really changed my life.”
Interestingly, Visitor’s journey into mindfulness wasn’t entirely new. As a child, she had used meditation as an escape from a tumultuous family life.
However, it was only in the aftermath of her trauma that she truly embraced mindfulness as a therapeutic tool. Through regular practice, she managed to wean herself off medications, finding in mindfulness a more holistic and grounding approach to managing her anxiety and PTSD symptoms.
Today, her mindfulness routine is an integral part of her daily life. She dedicates 20-40 minutes each morning to meditation, using this time to center herself and prepare for the day ahead.
This practice has not only helped her cope with personal trauma but has also positively influenced her professional life. She believes that mindfulness can be a powerful tool, not just for trauma survivors, but for anyone seeking balance and peace in their lives.
Visitor’s courage in sharing her story is a testament to her strength. Her journey from trauma to healing, from being a victim to a survivor, is an inspiration.
Today, Nana Visitor stands as a beacon of hope for many, showing that even in the face of the darkest adversities, one can find strength, heal, and move forward.
