Kyle Richards Says She's in a 'Way Better' Place Weeks After RHOBH Reunion: 'Time Heals All Wounds'

Astrid Stawiarz/NBCUniversal/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty

Kyle Richards has been finding her way back to normal after the intense day of filming for the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' season 12 reunion.

The Halloween Ends star, 53, is getting real about the emotional toll the Bravo series' three-part special took on her and her costars, telling PEOPLE: "It was the first reunion where we don't go out after and have dinner or grab a drink, or do a group photo or a group hug. There was none of that. So that sort of tells you how it ended."

Noting that "three weeks after, I'm obviously way better," she continues, "I was not in a good place for a while after that, to be honest, but I'm slowly coming out of that. And time heals all wounds."

Adds Richards, "I'm just hoping to eventually get to a better place and put that behind me."

RELATED: Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 12 Reunion Trailer: Kathy Hilton Fires Back at Lisa Rinna

PEOPLE exclusively shared the season 12 reunion trailer last week, which saw Housewives Garcelle Beauvais, Erika Girardi, Diana Jenkins, Dorit Kemsley, Crystal Kung Minkoff, Lisa Rinna and Richards rehashing the drama from the past 21 episodes.

Friend of the Housewives and Richards' sister Kathy Hilton also joined taping and got into it with Rinna, 59, regarding what Hilton did or did not say during a cast trip to Aspen, Colorado. (Rinna has claimed in previous episodes this season that Hilton, 63, had a meltdown in which she spewed language so hateful about Richards and the other Beverly Hills Housewives that Rinna had to lock herself in her room.)

bravo

At the time of the reunion taping, Richards was at a crossroads and feared she'd have to choose between blood and friends, "I need to end up in a better place with her than when she came," she says of Hilton. "Look where we are right now."

Elsewhere in the trailer, an emotional Richards also told host Andy Cohen, "I'm really not okay right now. I don't want to sit here for a toast. Can I leave?"

Want to get the biggest stories from PEOPLE every weekday? Subscribe to our new podcast, PEOPLE Every Day, to get the essential celebrity, entertainment and human interest news stories Monday through Friday.

A source told PEOPLE over the weekend that Richards and Hilton's sibling rivalry has recently come to a head, with the costars bringing "a lot of tense energy" to set.

"They cannot reconcile, and it's all so complicated because nobody's backing down. Kyle has backed up her sister for years and no matter what she does, Kathy isn't satisfied," the source said. "What we're watching is years of family trauma that hasn't been dealt with in a family dynamic."

Michael Tran/FilmMagic

Although the sisters have long had a rocky relationship, the insider noted that this moment is "complicated" as it's the "first time" Hilton's two daughters, Paris Hilton and Nicky Hilton Rothschild, have had to intervene.

"They all grew up together. Kyle acted as a spokesperson for the Hilton family for a long time. They always make up, but this is a little different because Kathy is front and center on camera. She hasn't been forced to be vulnerable. Kathy and Kyle have spoken loosely via text only since the reunion," the insider explained.

RELATED VIDEO: Kyle Richards On 'Being More Comfortable' & 'Not Caring' As Much After So Many Seasons of RHOBH

But not all was so bad during filming of the RHOBH reunion, as Richards tells PEOPLE that her longtime friend and Halloween Ends costar Jamie Lee Curtis made a surprise appearance that even she didn't know was taking place.

"All the ladies on the show love her, they just went crazy over her," she says. "And Jamie did not know what she was getting herself into."

"She was just like, 'Oh my gosh, now I get why this show is a hit,' and she was completely entertained by all of us just being ridiculous," continues Richards. "And I think she was a little fascinated that it's not scripted — it's not set up — and that yet it works, and we make a show like this."

Richards also says that although Curtis, 63, "is not somebody who watches The Real Housewives" franchise, "she of course sees things online and clips."

RELATED: Kyle Richards Says RHOBH Reunion Trailer Made Jamie Lee Curtis Cry: 'I Don't Like to See You Hurt'

But according to Richards, one of those clips — specifically the reunion trailer — stirred up emotion so visceral in Curtis that she cried and called Richards after viewing it.

"She kind of gave me a pep talk about what she thinks of me as a person and not to forget it. And it's never lost on me that she makes the time and the effort to do that for me, because she always does."

Curtis explained her reasons for the phone call to Entertainment Tonight, telling the outlet she saw in Richards "a level of stress and upset that you wanna see in a horror movie out of her, not in a reality TV show."

"I don't know who made her upset, but I called her out of real concern," Curtis continued.

For her part, Richards told PEOPLE: "I'm just appreciative" that Curtis "really is" a true friend.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season 12 reunion continues next Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo, and Halloween Ends drops this Friday on Peacock.