Kristen Bell has opened up about how her therapist has made a difference in her marriage! During her appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Tuesday, the actress told Chelsea Handler— who was filling in for the show's host— that lately, she and her husband Dax Shepard have taken a different approach to therapy that's helped them both.
Bell and Shepard's therapist suggested seeing him separately
Bell told Handler that things were tense between her and Shepard in the early days of the pandemic. Last March, she opened up about how the two had been "at each other's throats" while being quarantined together. Forced to occupy the same space, Bell said they had to get "a handle on the annoyances" they were finding with each other.
That's when the couple's therapist— whose name is Harry— suggested that Bell and Handler come see him individually about their issues with one another. As Bell put it, he advised them that this way, they would be able to "talk sh*t about each other" as a way to air out their frustrations.
Bell says she feels moderated disagreements are "a safer place"
Bell shared that this new approach to therapy "has been great" for her, explaining what things have looked like since. She mentioned that a few times every month, she will "go see Harry on Zoom and complain about Dax, and then he'll give me all the reasons why I'm wrong." When the two reconvene after Shepard's own session with Harry the same day, Bell said they will "love each other again."
She also expressed that she feels interpersonal conflicts are "a safer place" when moderated, explaining how "defense mechanisms, cortisol, all that stuff, it just messes up the solution." It's great to hear that she and Shepard found a healthy way to work through their relationship conflict!
