When Virginia died three and a half months later, Demi says she felt, "Whatever wrongdoings, bad deeds, actions that she had—what was hers was hers and she took it with her. And what was mine—whether justified or not, anything that I did that was potentially negative, out of anger—was mine. And I didn't have this place that I could push it towards anymore. And it really gave me a lot of a compassion for myself. In a way … I don't know if I knew that it was okay to be vulnerable before that."

Demi says dealing with issues with her mother made her realize how important it is for all people to forgive before it's too late. "Because really when they're gone, they're gone," she says. "While they're alive, you're putting it over there thinking that it's not yours. … There's just so much more to gain when you can recognize the innocence and the beauty of what someone is and be able to clear that path. You just make room for so much more in your life."