The Speakmans Episode five review.

In this episode of The Speakmans on ITV we met 22 year old Karlette who was attacked and has not been able to recover from the incident. The Speakmans are known as celebrity therapists helping clients such as Kerry Katona, Kym Marsh, Holly Willoughby and even Jeremy Kyle. Karlette's Mother Anne Marie told us all about how confident she was as a child but that was no longer the case. She was attacked following an incident at her school which then came out of the school and took place at her local train station. He Hair piece was ripped from her scalp as she was punched. She was just 15 when it happened and now self harms to block the pain. Can the Speakmans stop a self harmer? And how will they do this?

 As we went into the first break we were teased with the idea that the family were about to open up to each other. I think that if we were to draw any conclusions from what we have seen about how the Speakmans work by viewing this Television series it is that they seem to be very much in favour of getting everyone in the family together on the same sofa to talk about their issues with each other. A concern that I have already expressed is that this does not help give a huge amount of hope to anyone who does not have support from their family. I see many clients who have a problem that they are not comfortable talking about with their family. There are also many people for whom the family is the problem. It is sometimes a case that I work with clients to help them deal with issues with a member of their family who they cannot change. You may not be able to change them but you can change the way you see their actions and react to them.

When Karlette and Anne Marie met the Speakmans in their home they talked through what happened. Her mother stated that she felt guilty because of what happened even though it was seven years ago. As we have seen time and time again in the way that The Speakmans work and the people chosen for the show they often seem to have let the incident carry on and the effects have not been talked about by the family. As a result of the incident they left the town that they lived in as they did not feel safe on the streets and in fact the mother and daughter left the husband and moved out. Karlette stated that she felt that this was her fault but had never spoken to her mother about it. As a Clinical Hypnotherapist I see questions being asked that I would ask, but I also feel that any researcher would also ask similar questions when looking for people to take part in the show. I almost feel that people who have not spoken to those around them are more likely to be picked. I have to say that if you feel that you should speak to a loved one or friend then taking that plunge may well benefit you more than you can imagine.

Her sister was then brought in to speak about her thoughts in the family. This is where the format of the show is becoming far to set. In a therapy session it is important to begin without prior plans about how it will run in terms of who you talk to and when. It seems that we are seeing exactly the same approach each time we see the Speakmans in action. I wonder about how flexible they are, or if this all stems from the way that the show is being produced. Sure enough the next things they did was bring out letters that they had written to each other. We now see this every time. Do you feel that writing a letter is something that would come easy to you? Perhaps not.

The Format

I do feel at this point in the series we are having the idea of family support and relations being important. Of course they are, but I would also like to see the Speakmans help someone who is alone in the world with their issues and worries. If you are alone, do not be afraid to ask for help.

The Therapy

This time the therapy that the Speakmans used to help Karlette took place in their lovely garden. They asked her to close her eyes and talk through what happened on the day that the attack took place. “Keep your eyes closed from start to finish” she was told. We watched her tell her story. When you eyes are closed your mind is more open and your imagination is not confused by the things that we are seeing so it helps to concentrate the mind. As we listened to the story we were not told what happened to her attackers. I imagine this would make a difference to how she felt about being in the town where it happened. Perhaps it was just edited out. She was taken to hospital and found it very distressing.

When talking through the event and how she felt she explained that it now felt worse to her. She was then asked to describe the person that she sees in the mirror. She said that she saw scars and this made her feel weak. They talked to her about how everything that she was about herself was in her imagination. She told them that she felt “Silly”.

Seven Years since the attack

Whilst the Speakmans asked about whether she had invited the attackers back into her life they did not explore where the attackers actually were. I am curious as to why this is, but again, we are limited by the format of the show.

We missed part of the therapy and then they asked her to close her eyes and think about the attack. When she did she laughed and could not feel her feelings about the attack. As ever, we did not see the intervention that they used, but rest assured they will have worked with her to change that memory and change her thoughts about it.

The Treat... The Speakmans like to take their subjects off for a treat and this time they took Karlette off for a makeover and to present the weather on Television. Of course this was great and she loved the experience.

As with all the other shows in this series we can see the difference that the Speakmans are making to people’s lives but we do not always see the full process. This will always be part of a television programmes construction. If you need help and advice there is lots of information here on this website including FREE MP3 downloads.

Never be afraid to ask for help. That first step can be the hardest but afterwards it gets easier.

Next time on The Speakmans we see them help a lady who suffers from agoraphobia and is unable to leave her house.