Young and the Restless July 25: Here’s What’s Really Haunting Ashley’s Past

Abby had a big decision to make on the July 25 episode of The Young and the Restless. Should she marry Devon? To discuss her options, Abby (who wasn’t invited to her mom’s intervention) turned to her mom, Ashley. Did you know mental institutions allowed you to accept video calls? Who knew? Considering she was diagnosed with Dissociative Personality Disorder and institutionalized for her own safety, Ashley looked…good. Better than good. She looked healthy and happy. So maybe she’s ready to come home.

Not So Fast

Except that Alan (Christopher Cousins) claimed Ashley (Eileen Davidson) was at risk for a relapse unless her doctors first figured out what caused Ashley’s splintering. And, no, Alan said, it wasn’t Martin playing with Ashley’s mind. He is 100% confident about this. Despite not knowing she was in trouble and that his brother had fooled her for months.

(Check out Ashley’s history of mental breakdowns.)

On this, he knows he’s right. He’s a professional, you know. So, if that’s the case, then we think we know exactly what’s buried at the bottom of Ashley’s psyche.

Back To The Beginning With You

According to Alan, the expert, he’s confident that Ashley’s personality didn’t splinter due to Martin because cases of DID are always triggered in childhood. Always. There are no exceptions. (Ignore the fact that the entire condition has recently been debunked in general.)

And we know what Ashley’s childhood was like. She adored her father and resented her mother for abandoning her — and her beloved Daddy. Ashley didn’t discover that John (Jerry Douglas) wasn’t her biological father until she was an adult. Or so we thought.

Small Pitchers Have Big Ears

But would it really be that hard to imagine that, when Ashley was a child and before Dina (Marla Adams) abandoned the family, a wee Ashley overheard her mother confessing her secret? Literally, nothing would be more horrific to young Ashley.

It’s exactly the kind of trauma that would cause her to create an alternative personality to protect Ashley from the truth. We’re as confident about that as Alan. What do you think? Did Ashley’s DID occur due to her learning the shocking truth of her paternity in childhood and then repressing it?