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Busy Philipps says writing new memoir was 'incredibly cathartic'

6:20
Busy Philipps opens up about her new memoir
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Michael Rothman
ByMichael Rothman
October 12, 2018, 2:34 PM

For Busy Philipps, writing a memoir was as cathartic as 10 years of therapy.

The actress, author and talk show host stopped by "Good Morning America" Friday to chat about her forthcoming book, "This Will Only Hurt a Little," as well as life with her two daughters.

It was like 10 years of therapy all wrapped into one book!

The book recounts experiences from her nearly 20 years in Hollywood, her friendship with Oscar-nominated actress Michelle Williams and much more.

The former "Dawson's Creek" star, 39, told "GMA" she found the process of writing "incredibly cathartic."

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(MORE: Busy Philipps says James Franco was 'bully,' pushed her to ground on set)

One story in the book involving her former co-star James Franco already made headlines earlier this week.

In the book, Philipps calls her former "Freaks and Geeks" co-star a "bully," adding that Franco actually put his hands on her during filming several years ago.

During one scene, the script called for Philipps to playfully hit Franco in the chest, which she claims caused him to react in an aggressive way.

"He grabbed both my arms and screamed in my face, 'DON’T EVER TOUCH ME AGAIN!'" Phillips wrote in her memoir, which was obtained and verified by "GMA."

"And he threw me to the ground. Flat on my back. Wind knocked out of me," she added.

Representatives for Franco did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment about the excerpt.

Philipps did not comment further Friday on the Franco story.

Like mother, like daughter

She did say there were other stories in the book, especially those about her being so "headstrong and determined" at such a young age, traits her daughters also have, she said.

"I have two mini-mes," she said.

The actress said her daughters, Birdie and Cricket, also love to dress up with their mom for Halloween.

Birdie even dressed as her famous mom last year, and plans to do so again, this time "in workout clothes dripping in sweat."

"So, basically every year for Halloween, Birdie is just "roasting her mom," she joked.

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(MORE: Take it from Busy Philipps: Achieving #MomGoals is tougher than Instagram makes it look)

From Insta to late night star

In regards to her famous Instagram stories, which she cited as helpful in launching her talk show, "Busy Tonight," Philipps said she was an out-of-work actress who decided to try a new platform a few years back.

"I was like, I'm gonna make this my own reality show and didn't care if anyone watched it," she said.

But people did start watching her Instagram stories, and the rest is history.

Now, she boasts more than 1.3 million followers and is known for keeping it real and making everyone laugh!

"Busy Tonight" premieres on Oct. 28 on E!

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