From Agoraphobia to post traumatic stress, fear of flying and OCD as well as hair pulling, each programme in this series has will seen a contributor introduce viewers to a problem that is affecting their life and then follow the experts in action as they seek to cure them. The Speakmans have dealt with a great many fears and phobias in their show.
You can get help and advice on fears and phobias here..
Hypnotherapy for Phobias: http://www.markpowlett.co.uk/hypnotherapyforphobias.html
A fear of Public Speaking: http://www.markpowlett.co.uk/helpwithfearofpublicspeaking.html
Fear of spiders, Arachnophobia: http://www.markpowlett.co.uk/fearofspidersarachnophobiahelp.html
Dental fear and a fear of dentists: http://www.markpowlett.co.uk/fearofdentists.html
As well as help and advice here in order to enable you to choose the right therapist for you there is also a summary of episodes 16-20 of the ITV show The Speakmans so that you can see the type of issue that can be helped. People are often surprised that you can overcome and fear or phobia and raising awareness of that fact is a great thing to be able to do. You can also download a free How to Stop a Panic Attack MP3 from my shop to help you with stress and anxiety.
Here is an episode summary for week four of The Speakmans on ITV...
Episode 16: Monday 4th August - Caroline
Caroline lives with her partner of 24 years and their two children. She passed her driving test nine years ago and loved the new found freedom and confidence it gave her. A year later, while driving over a high ring road, Caroline suffered a panic attack and ever since then, she's become more and more nervous on the road. Her fears were compounded when she was involved in a car accident with her family a year ago and each time she's tried to drive anywhere since, she's become overwhelmed with panic. Caroline's elderly parents live a 10 minute drive from her and rely on her for help which means she is currently spending up to £100 on taxi's each week.
In family mediation we discover how Caroline's phobia affects her partner. He admits that it has caused tension between them. Caroline's 22 year old daughter is also learning to drive and Caroline's worried she will pick up on her fears.
In treatment, Nik and Eva discover that Caroline's fear of driving actually stems from a fear of heights.
Episode 17: Tuesday 5th August - Alison
Alison is petrified of flying. She bursts into tears as soon as the door of the aeroplane closes. Alison can't even look at a plane in the sky and feels sick at the thought of going to an airport to pick someone up. Alison has been on at least seven flights in the past, but at the moment she can not physically bring herself to get on a plane. Her last flight was three years ago and she hated every second of it. Last year, she was due to fly to Turkey with her daughter but her dad died a few weeks beforehand, Alison was relieved that she had an excuse not to fly. Alison fell out with her best friend of 40 years and hasn't not spoken to her in six months. Alison was due to go on a girly holiday with her but couldn't bring herself to go and as a result they fell out. Alison's daughter, Laura moved to Dubai 18 months ago and works as air hostess. Alison has only seen Laura 3 times in the last 18 months, the last time was in February. Laura surprised her mother and bought her a ticket to Dubai which was due to depart a few months after the show was filmed but as it stood Alison would not go on the plane and didn't have the heart to tell Laura. In mediation Alison's daughter makes an emotional plea to get her onto a plane.
Episode 18: Wednesday 6th August
Claire has an extreme phobia of veins and she is currently 26 weeks pregnant. Claire hasn't looked at her own legs in three years because of varicose veins! Claire hated her varicose veins so much that she had an operation to get them removed. When Claire gets hot, the veins on her hand protrude and she cannot do anything that involves using her hands. Claire has a 17 month old daughter and sometimes she cannot change her nappy, feed her or bath her. Claire relies heavily on her 17-year-old daughter, Charleigh to help out with the daily chores. Charleigh is a street dancer and regularly performs which involves a lot of fake tan and make up. Claire is unable to help her daughter get ready due to her fear of veins. Claire is pregnant and is absolutely terrified as the doctor needs to take blood which means finding a vein! Claire cannot look at people who wear shorts or skirts incase they have veins. This phobia is taking over Claire’s life, there’s no getting away from veins and she wants to be able to accept herself and others.
Episode 19: Thursday 7th August
Jo has suffered from OCD for 17 years. She hates germs and will not allow them in her house. She has to keep her house, kids and car free of germs. She insists that everyone takes a shower as soon as they enter her home. She has three children and once they get home from school, she insists they have a shower. Jo has a one year old daughter and she took her to the clinic earlier this week. Jo felt awful because as soon as they got home, she had to give the baby a bath. Jo will not allow anyone in her home apart from her husband and children. Jo's mother, has only been to her house once in the last year. "people don't come to my house anymore as they know it makes me very uncomfortable." Jo hates touching anything dirty especially money. Anytime she leaves her house, she has to take anti bacterial wipes as she can't open doors without them. When Jo goes outside, she will only use one of her hands to touch thing, the other hand is kept free from germs. Jo would absolutely love to free herself and her family of this obsession.
Episode 20: Friday 8th August
Joanne was in a horrific car accident in October 2009 and is now in a wheelchair. She was driving to work on her scooter and a woman pulled out, Joanne swerved, fell off her bike and damaged her back. Since the accident her entire life has changed, she's accepted her disability but she desperately needs help with her PTSD. Joanne hasn't had a full nights sleep since the accident, she wakes up nightly and regularly has flash backs. Joanne lives in Halifax and her family live in Essex. Joanne can only travel a short distance as she suffers from panic attacks since the accident. As a result, Joanne has missed out on several family events as she's not able to travel to Essex. Joanne is very close with her mother, Pat and speaks to her daily. Pat is not very well, she had a tumour removed from her throat two years ago and since then she doesn't like to travel to Halifax as she needs to be close to her hospital. Joanne only gets to see her family twice a year and would love nothing more than to gain confidence so that she can travel to see her family. Joanne’s partner, Leanne is her carer and their relationship has completely changed since the accident. Leanne says that Joanne is like a different person, she was once bubbly and confident but now she’s constantly anxious and stressed due to the PTSD.
It is interesting to see that family mediation is a feature of every single programme and clients that the Speakmans see. I have had a few questions about the fact that they only see people as a family group in this show. Sadly it meant that some people were not considered for the show, but of course this is daytime television so they are looking for stories that look good on TV. In reality therapists see clients alone, so that they are able to talk openly and honestly in a way that often is hindered by having a family member around. If you are alone you are just as able to get help as anyone in a group.
If you are looking for help with any talking therapy such as Hypnotherapy then make sure you speak to two or three people and then pick the one you feel most confident and happy with. Picking the right therapist is the first step towards your future.