Category: Skype Hypnotherapy

1. The Speakmans on I'm a Celebrity get me out of Here

   Posted on 9:38am Sunday 19th Oct 2014

   
   The Speakmans on I'm a celebrity get me out of here with Ant and Dec on ITV is one of the latest rumours in television land. So, will celebrity therapists Nik and Eva Speakman be heading to the jungle in Australia for "I'm a Celebrity Get Me out of Here" and if you don't know them then who are the Speakmans and what are they all about?

   This summer Nik and Eva Speakman graduated from the reality TV channels on cable to their own ITV show which was shown every day for a month in the lunchtime slot. "The Speakmans" was a chance for them to show how they deal with many different phobias and conditions with their clients. Normally Nik and Eva charge £1000 to work with them so the participants they worked with would never have been able to pay their what could be considered rather inflated fees.

   You can read a full episode guide and information on every episode HERE:http://www.markpowlett.co.uk/myblog/read_112033/full-episode-summary-and-review-for-the-speakmans-series-on-itv.html

   They worked with conditions such as fear of spiders, fear of dentists, trichotillomania or hair pulling, claustrophobia, social anxiety, even fear of sharks and many others.

   The interesting thing about the way they work is that they do seem to have a very set format and this includes all of the family being involved in their sessions. I don't know any therapist who works in this way, but perhaps that is just because it made more interesting television? I wonder how they work with someone who does not have family support around them? How do the Speakmans cure phobias? You can watch a video review and answers to many of the questions posed by the show below...

   It will be very interesting to see them in the jungle on I'm a Celebrity if they end up on the ITV show. I imagine they will know many of the other contestants as well so it should make for an entertaining watch.

   I know many therapists who are not fans of the Speakmans. As part of my Clinical Hypnotherapy practice I am required to attend regular sessions to discuss any issues and also to undertake CPD (contining professional development training). It's at meetings like these where some objections arise to the methods and publicity generated by the couple. Often the fact they do not seem very forthcoming about their own training is brought up as an issue. I know that many people feel that their fees are so high that they create a situation where it may seem that you cannot get help unless you pay a large amount of money and this is simply not the case. Anyone can get help with a fear or phobia, stress or anxiety. I see more people for stress and anxiety and to help them to end panic attacks than anything else. It does not need to cost £1000 to have the help that you need so if you are seeking help then rest assured that private therapy with the Speakmans is a very expesive option. You can read all about the different types of therapy that you may have considered here: CBT, Counselling or Hypnotherapy:Which one is right for me?

   My personal thoughts and feelings about the Speakmans leave aside the costs involved and the showbiz element of what they do. I think that they certainly make more people aware that you do not have to live with anything that makes you feel stressed or anxious. You can overcome fears and phobias, you can let go of stress and you certainly can end panic attacks. The more people who are aware of this the better!

   On the Grapevine...Looks like they may be a no show!!

   I have heard rumours that perhaps the Speakmans will not be going into the jungle. There has been some interesting debate on social media and some of the comments have been quite scathing. The suggestion has been made that it would not suit their "Brand" to be put in a situation where the fact that their unorthodox methods may not be suitable for everyone would be exposed. It's interesting to note that despite twenty episodes of their TV show we never really see all of the interventions that they use, and so if they were to help anyone in the jungle with a fear of spiders for example, then they would have to show what they did and this would not benefit their mystique. Reading what other therapists have been saying to that effect is very interesting because the vast majority of therapists are more than happy for people to know the methods that they use. Here's some information about fear of spiders

   In fact I have to agree with most of the therapists who think that because what the Speakmans do is very much about them they are unlikely to enter the I'm a Celebrity jungle with Any and Dec. It's a shame because I would certainly find it very entertaining, even if the expectation was that they would stop anyone being scared of anything and the show would be boring! Let's face it that's quite unlikely!

    

    

   If you would like to read more about the speakmans then do have a look at this: More about the Speakmans

    

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   If you would like any help or advice with any issue that you are struggling with then just drop me an email by clicking on the contact me button at the side of this page. You can also download a free MP3 on "How to stop a panic attack" or listen to a relaxation MP3 for no charge by using the links at the top of the page.

   Never be afraid to seek help. Asking for help can be very daunting but once you do things will get easier and you can learn to overcome whatever has happened in your past.

2. How to stop Trichotillomania or hair pulling with the speakmans

   Posted on 6:38pm Wednesday 16th Jul 2014

   The Speakmans are celebrity therapists who appear on This Morning on ITV often working with people who have phobias or issues that are quite unusual. In this third Episode of their new television series "The Speakmans" we met Danni who suffers from hair pulling issues. The condition is also known as Trichotillomania. So today Danni wanted to stop hair pulling with the Speakmans help...how did she get on?
   

   According to Nik and Eva Speakman and their experience it always happens (they stated) because of a previous trauma and once they uncover that they can move on. As a Clinical Hypnotherapist I would never diagnose what an issue was or how it was caused before I met a client, but the Speakmans do have a very different approach.

   We met Gillian who is Danni's mother and also her Father Nigel in a group setting. It is becoming clear now that in each episode of this show they gather the family together to all talk about the issue. I understand that this makes better television because of the raw emotions that are shown but I can't help thinking that many of the people who applied who did not have family around them would have been turned down for the show. Often those people would have been the most in need of help because there was no one else to turn to.

   We heard about the fact that Nigel, her father did not like to talk about the Trichotillomania problem. Danni explained that her father never says "I Love you" back on the phone. Nigel explained that was not how he was brought up. It seems like we are now delving into someone else's past rather than that of Danni.

   After some more discussion it emerged that Danni was bullied at school because she had nice hair. She would be stabbed in the back with a compass by the bullies. She told us about the first day that she started the hair pulling. She felt a longer wiry hair and it felt painful but it made her feel alive to pull the hair. Because of the bullies it reminded her she was still a person.

   She hid the fact that this happened from her parents as she was ashamed like many people who suffer in silence. Both her parents were sad that they had never really spoken. This is something that we see time and time again. A lack of opening up and communication can often mean that we hold on to feelings that we can in fact let go of. It may not always be the case that your family want to talk in a group therapy session but there is a benefit that we can see in the programme for the trichotillomania or hair pulling sufferer.

   The format of this show seems to be a little fixed and this group therapy session seems to be something that shows us part of how the Speakmans treat a problem but we miss a great deal of the other interventions in therapy that they use. Talking therapies can take a longer time to have an effect but these shows are often filmed in a tight time slot. The Speakmans themselves had admitted that they only had an afternoon slot for at least one of the episodes. I still feel that we are missing a lot of what they do and I am not sure why they would not want that to be shown. Many people will not be able to sit in a room with family talking about their feelings and if that is the case you should be assured that you can get help and overcome your issues as well as the way we are seeing this hair pulling problem being treated.

   If you would like to listen to a free MP3 to help with anxiety and take the first step to feeling better then just click on the FREE MP3 tab at the top of this page. You can contact me on [email protected] if you would like any help or advice.

   It is clear that Danni has not overcome her feelings and memory of bullying and so I can see that this is the area that will be focussed on. As a single mum she also needs to be aware that her behavior will influence her son and change how he feels about himself and others.

   Once Nik and Eva had Danni alone they asked her to feel her hair and she how much she wanted to pull it out. She told them that it felt nice so they replied that meant she wanted to keep her hair. In common with their unusual approach they pulled a toy out of a toy box with a girls hair play set and told her they wanted her to pull the hair out of it. She said that she didn't want to pull it out. As this point I am starting to see some interesting patterns in the interventions that they make as they often seem designed for television rather than therapy. Not having seen them in person of course I can't be sure how they work, because as I mention, they seem to be keeping quite a lot of what they do to themselves.

   Once she told them that she would not pull her hair again they took her to a hair specialist to have her hair replaced and cover up the patches that she had left. A photo shoot followed and her delight was a pleasure to see.

   If you suffer from hair pulling then you can ask for help. We are not born with any issues such as this. That means that you had to learn to pull hair...and if you learnt to pull it then you can unlearn that too. The same goes for any bad habit, fear or phobia. Reaching out for help is often the hardest part and things will get easier once you have taken that first step.