Raquel Leviss Details Her ‘Difficult’ Experience at the Arizona Treatment Facility After the ‘VPR’ Reunion
In April of 2023, shortly after filming the Vanderpump Rules reunion, Raquel Leviss decided to enter a mental health facility and seek treatment. It had been a rough few weeks for the embattled reality star. Many fans of the show and supporters of Ariana Madix questioned Leviss’ motives to leave the public eye indefinitely.
Since then, Leviss has opened up about her experience at the mental health facility in Arizona and how she’s dealing with “Scandoval” now.
Raquel Leviss treatment facility
Raquel Leviss entered the facility in the aftermath of her affair with Tom Sandoval. The scandal not only made headlines but cost Sandoval his nearly decade-long relationship with fellow cast member Ariana Madix. In an interview on Bethenny Frankel’s podcast Just B, Leviss described choosing to enter a mental health facility as being a “scary decision” to make.
The former beauty pageant contestant explained, “I knew I needed help, but I didn’t know what to expect going in.” Leviss also said of her experience: “They took my phone. They searched my bags for anything that they needed to confiscate. I was kinda thrown into this place where there were a lot of new faces, and I was already carrying so much shame that it was difficult for me to be like, ‘Hi, I’m Raquel!'”
Fortunately, things improved for Leviss. She began to make the most of her time at the facility. The reality star said, “As time went on, I was able to warm up and really share my story in an authentic, honest way, and I was met with grace and compassion from my peers. And a big part of my journey is learning to be compassionate with myself as well.”
Leviss was open in the interview about learning what it means to have a love addiction. She told Frankel, “It took me a while to accept, but I learned about love addiction, and it’s a real thing.” Leviss added, “It’s where you confuse intensity for intimacy … And those chemical changes in the brain are the same chemical changes that happen when you take drugs.”
Raquel Leviss parents
Leviss told Frankel how she has the support of her parents and how she is close with her family. They played an important role in getting her into the facility. After entering, her rep said in a statement, “Raquel and her family decided before the relationship was discovered that she would enter a voluntary facility for mental health counseling.”
So, how is her family handling everything? Leviss said of her mom: “She’s very torn up about this situation.” The reality star further discussed how she knows she put her family in a difficult situation. Even so, both her parents have been supportive.
Leviss explained, “They were able to make this treatment happen for me, and I’m so blessed that I had that opportunity to go and to extend into 90 days because I knew I wasn’t ready to leave yet. I knew I had more work to do, and I just feel so so lucky that I was able to learn about myself at such a young age in retrospect.”
Raquel Leviss moves on
One of the most important aspects of any treatment program is looking toward the future. Leviss has chosen not to return to VPR, saying, “I refuse to not respect myself on that level where I would endure that emotional abuse any longer. I can’t do that to myself.”
Most importantly, when asked by Frankel if she forgives herself, Leviss answered, “Yeah, I do.”
