Bryce Dallas Howard turned to a New Zealand healer in a bid to have children.
Bryce Dallas Howard
The 37-year-old actress - who has daughter Beatrice, six, and son Theodore, 11, with her husband Seth Gabel - has revealed she was struggling to conceive during her 20s and so she turned to a healer to help her realise her dream of starting a family.
She explained: "I was really struggling and having some challenges. I learned that I was going to need minor surgery in order to conceive.
"Then my friend had an appointment with a New Zealand man, Papa Joe, who would come over once a year and stay in this incredible house in Topanga Canyon, where he and his folks would heal people. I was sharing my woes with my friend and she said, 'They're leaving tomorrow, you should take my appointment!'"
Bryce explained that the Maori elder - who has travelled around the US and Europe with his spiritual methods - quickly diagnosed the problem.
Speaking to ET Online, she recalled: "Instantly, without me saying anything, he saw what was going on and explained the situation.
"He did very physical, rigorous body work, and there was a midwife there who helped me breathe through the experience."
The 'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom' actress and Seth, 36, tied the knot in 2006, and Bryce realised she was pregnant just seven days later.
The Hollywood star believes Papa Joe was the reason why she was able to conceive.
She shared: "We weren't even trying! His session healed me completely."
However, Bryce plunged into depression shortly after giving birth, and she's admitted it was a "horrifying" experience.
Bryce explained: "It was the worst! You think the one thing you're going to be able to control in life, to a certain extent, is your own feelings, especially when it's so obvious what you should feel.
"But all of a sudden, I went through this experience, which was truly chemical. It absolutely changed everything, and it's just horrifying. It's like your heart, your body and your mind are ripped apart and it takes a while to piece it back together."
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