Malala reveals Taliban attack flashbacks after marijuana session at Oxford University

London, Oct 12 (PTI) Nobel peace laureate Malala Yousafzai has revealed her mental health struggles after a marijuana session with friends at the University of Oxford triggered flashbacks of her attack by the Taliban 13 years ago.

In an interview with ‘The Guardian’ newspaper this weekend ahead of the release of her memoir ‘Finding My Way’, the 28-year-old Pakistani woman who was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman in 2012 said the suppressed memories of that shooting resurfaced when she shared the bong, or water pipe, used for getting high on marijuana.

Malala, who was airlifted to the UK from Swat Valley for life-saving surgery, said she realised “her brain just erased” the attack from memory.

“Everything changed for ever, after that [night],” she said, with reference to the bong incident at Lady Margaret Hall college at Oxford University.

“I had never felt so close to the attack as then, in that moment. I felt like I was reliving all of it, and there was a time when I just thought I was in the afterlife,” she tells 'The Guardian'.

The incident led to anxiety and panic attacks, severely impacting her university studies until she sought therapy.

"I survived an attack, and nothing happened to me, and I laughed it off. I thought nothing could scare me, nothing. My heart was so strong. And then I was scared of small things, and that just broke me.

"But, you know, in this journey I realised what it means to be actually brave. When you can not only fight the real threats out there, but fight within,” she recounts.

The education activist behind the Malala Fund charity is equally candid about the negative comments targeted at her, with the latest admission of consuming marijuana likely to attract some negative publicity too.

“I am very prepared for that. I don’t think I’m going to get defensive about it at all. I’m not going to issue any statement. If anybody has any confusion, they can read my book and decide for themselves,” she said.

Asked about criticism of her from the country of her birth, Pakistan, Malala admits feeling “sad” but is also defensive.

“Pakistan is a part of me and so I get defensive when I’m asked this question. I say, no, no, no, Pakistan doesn’t hate me,” she said.

Her latest memoir, the second after ‘I Am Malala’ which was released in 2013, covers aspects of her life in adulthood including her marriage to Pakistani cricket manager Asser Malik.

The couple have set up a new business named Recess, with the aim of increasing participation in women’s sports. PTI AK SCY SCY