Shibani Akhtar opened up about her friendship with Rhea Chakraborty (Source: Instagram/Shibani Akhtar)In a recent interview, host and actor Shibani Akhtar opened up about her deep friendship with Rhea Chakraborty — a bond that has stood the test of time, media noise, and personal upheaval. Comparing their dynamic to that of Monica and Rachel from Friends, Shibani described it as one built on emotional support, trust, and genuine affection despite their age gap.But what truly stood out was Shibani’s reflection on the trauma Rhea endured in the aftermath of actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death — a period marked by intense media scrutiny, legal complications, and public backlash. “It was a journey that nobody could have predicted. It was a journey that was definitely difficult, painful, and she survived it in the most beautifully stunning ways. I don’t know how to put it in words but it was tough. And I think that for someone as strong as her, it just added an extra layer of strength that maybe she will have with her for the rest of her life. I don’t necessarily know if that’s a good thing or not… but now it’s just the way it is,” she told The Hollywood Reporter India.Shibani acknowledged how those events left an indelible mark on Rhea, shaping her resilience and possibly even her emotional outlook moving forward. “I would want her to realise her full potential, because when I see her… her growth… the woman she has grown into from the 16-year-old I met… she has so much potential. She is so incredibly smart, she is very practical, emotionally mature… and in fact, I look up to her and live vicariously through her. I just want her to live to her full potential,” she said. Can surviving intense public trauma lead to lasting psychological growth?Counselling psychologist Athul Raj tells indianexpress.com, “For someone like Rhea, whose grief and reality were picked apart and politicised, the strength she found didn’t emerge from a healing place — it came from necessity. While such experiences may foster psychological depth and insight, it’s not without a price.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Hollywood Reporter India (@hollywoodreporterindia) He adds that public trauma removes the safety required for true processing. The healing space gets invaded by noise, judgment, and labels that don’t belong to you. “What emerges is a curated form of resilience – one that looks strong but might not feel that way internally. The psychological cost? Emotional numbing, hypervigilance, difficulty trusting, and often, a lingering disconnect from your own emotions,” notes Raj. How do trauma survivors reconcile with resilience that stems from pain?When strength comes from pain, Raj admits that it’s complicated. You’ve grown, sure-but not always in ways you wanted to. Sometimes you develop emotional calluses. “You adapt by suppressing vulnerability, not because it’s healing but safer. This is especially true in cases where trauma is ongoing or publicly scrutinised. You start believing that if you let your guard down, you’ll collapse or be devoured again. That’s not healing-it’s survival,” he says. Reconciling with that kind of strength is messy. It means acknowledging that the very thing helping you move forward might also be holding you back from healing more fully. Strength becomes armor, but also a cage. Story continues below this ad“It’s important to understand that not all resilience is healthy. The question isn’t whether you’ve become stronger- it’s whether that strength allows you to feel, to connect, to rest. True healing involves expanding beyond the need to always be resilient. It means being able to soften again, to allow others in, to admit you’re tired without feeling like you’ve failed,” concludes Raj. For more lifestyle news, click here to join our WhatsApp Channel and also follow us on Instagram© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd