Jump to content

The Speakmans


Guest Tricia

Recommended Posts

Guest Dannii7

Hi, I was on the speakmans last Wednesday. I suffered with an OCD for 18 years, trichotillomania. I'm sure a lot of you saw my episode and wanted to put my point across on this topic and even answer any questions you might have :)
For me personally I've tried everything over the years and nothing has worked for me. I went to see the speakmans with hope they could stop me pulling but I was apprehensive as I knew nothing on the the line of therapy they actually use. To be honest I'm still not sure exactly what they do but I can say it honestly works! After only a day with them I returned home a totally new person!!! I've not pulled my hair since the day it was filmed, 1st May, and I've done things I've never been able to do. They are the most comforting and understanding people I have met. Everyone is entitled to an opinion but I'd like to share mine as I've worked with them and they changed not only my life but my sons too :)

Link to comment
Guest legend

Hi, I was on the speakmans last Wednesday. I suffered with an OCD for 18 years, trichotillomania. I'm sure a lot of you saw my episode and wanted to put my point across on this topic and even answer any questions you might have :)

For me personally I've tried everything over the years and nothing has worked for me. I went to see the speakmans with hope they could stop me pulling but I was apprehensive as I knew nothing on the the line of therapy they actually use. To be honest I'm still not sure exactly what they do but I can say it honestly works! After only a day with them I returned home a totally new person!!! I've not pulled my hair since the day it was filmed, 1st May, and I've done things I've never been able to do. They are the most comforting and understanding people I have met. Everyone is entitled to an opinion but I'd like to share mine as I've worked with them and they changed not only my life but my sons too :)

hi danni thanks for popping by to put your views across :)

i remember chatting to you via twitter after the show , and like i said to you then , well done for being open and honest

and having the courage to go onto tv as well

glad things are still ok for you

The treatment you had was for just the trich i recall >

Link to comment

Hi Dannii and :welcome: to the forums

I'm really pleased that the treatment has been successful for you and I hope that it remains a permanent situation for you, it must be a huge relief.

I don't sit in any camp regarding the Speakmans, either for or against as I have no knowledge of how they work.

Here on the forum we have over 6000 registered users, some newly diagnosed, others who have suffered for many years, many for decades. Of those, many have had extensive therapy, CBT etc and still struggle very severely with obsessions and compulsions. I think they are understandably skeptical when they see someone cured, apparently so easily when they continue to struggle despite help. The programme covers quite bit of the history behind the problem but doesn't show much about the treatment and how it differs from conventional treatment.

Sadly, the World is full of people offering cures and OCD/anxiety sufferers usually find that it isn't so at all, they still struggle on...hence the suspicion.

I think it would help if the Speakmans could perhaps explain a little more about the treatment itself. Looking at some of their material online it mentions something called "Visual Coding Displacement Therapy" Was this used as part of your treatment or is it all talk-therapy?

Caramoole :)

Link to comment

Hi, I was on the speakmans last Wednesday. I suffered with an OCD for 18 years, trichotillomania. I'm sure a lot of you saw my episode and wanted to put my point across on this topic and even answer any questions you might have :)

For me personally I've tried everything over the years and nothing has worked for me. I went to see the speakmans with hope they could stop me pulling but I was apprehensive as I knew nothing on the the line of therapy they actually use. To be honest I'm still not sure exactly what they do but I can say it honestly works! After only a day with them I returned home a totally new person!!! I've not pulled my hair since the day it was filmed, 1st May, and I've done things I've never been able to do. They are the most comforting and understanding people I have met. Everyone is entitled to an opinion but I'd like to share mine as I've worked with them and they changed not only my life but my sons too :)

Thanks for logging on Dannii,

Out of interest, what prompted you to log on and post?

Link to comment

As I say, it may transpire that negative feedback starts to appear and we can build a picture based on facts.

I assume some form of contract will have been signed, it would be interesting to know if they have and whether there's a gagging clause in place covering negative comments.

Their refusal to engage in debate by blocking less than favourable comments as Laura's mentioned, says a lot to me.

Link to comment

I made on Twitter about skepticism in the OCD community

Ha, I took myself off Twitter, I got fed up with the negativity (from others) on all subjects on there. It's not just people with OCD that are sceptical. The TV will of course show success stories, but I do know after speaking to people of non-success stories from the Speakman's. Despite Danni's comment, (I will accept they may be lovely people), therapy wise, I am and remain sceptical. What I do not want is a situation where desperate vulnerable people pay hundreds of pounds to see these people and not end up any better.

Link to comment

Quote

As I say, it may transpire that negative feedback starts to appear and we can build a picture based on facts.

I assume some form of contract will have been signed, it would be interesting to know if they have and whether there's a gagging clause in place covering negative comments.

Sorry Hal.....I didn't just mean from the 20 people who will feature in this series, I meant in general. They have been on the go for quite a long time, so will have worked with many people before. I was suggesting that if there are hosts of disgruntled, dissatisfied people who have had treatment in the past....the current coverage is likely to prompt people to come forward with "It didn't work for me"

Their refusal to engage in debate by blocking less than favourable comments as Laura's mentioned, says a lot to me

That is more concerning. My comment was shown and I don't think I've been blocked.....but then I don't know how I'd know if I've been blocked :lol:

Link to comment
Sorry Hal.....I didn't just mean from the 20 people who will feature in this series, I meant in general.

Neither did I Caramoole :original: a contract's a given if a network's involved like ITV but I would be interested to know if other 'general' clients also have to sign anything before consultations, they seem like someone else we've encountered recently to be very keen to protect their brand.

My comment was shown and I don't think I've been blocked.....but then I don't know how I'd know if I've been blocked :lol:

You sound about as twitter savvy as me lol, I couldn't actually access the link you gave, how did you manage to allow Dannii to view the thread as a non-member?

Link to comment
how did you manage to allow Dannii to view the thread as a non-member?

I'm giving people secret passwords and open access to all areas ;) :lol:

I'm guessing that she couldn't link either so followed the text to ocdforums.org, then registered as a user :detective:

Registration and usage of the media forum is FREE. Members of the media please seek permission from OCD-UK before posting.
Link to comment
Guest LauraMac

That is more concerning. My comment was shown and I don't think I've been blocked.....but then I don't know how I'd know if I've been blocked :lol:

If you were blocked then you couldn't follow them, it would bring up a message. Myself and some of my buddies got blocked. There was at least 4! I think Legend was included in that! They don't like people disagreeing with them, which worries me a lot. It's really concerning that.

Edited by LauraMac
Link to comment
Guest legend

I did get blocked because i constantly questioned why itv never put a disclaimer out at the end of each programme,

stating where people should go if they feel they are suffering from any of the ailments

by doing not, i felt that they are "promoting" a product , thats costs money , where in fact if offered correct help from

a gp and the nhs, thats just as good a treatment

but thats not what the programme is about ....its about the speakmans , who CURE people where all overs have failed

Cest la vie

Link to comment

by doing not, i felt that they are "promoting" a product , thats costs money , where in fact if offered correct help from

a gp and the nhs, thats just as good a treatment

In 38 years I've never been offered help from my GP or NHS. I've been offered and bullied re medication despite having severe effects but effective help :no:

Which is perhaps why so many turn to seek help elsewhere!

Link to comment
If you were blocked then you couldn't follow them, it would bring up a message

OIC...I've a lot to learn :shy:

Just checked and I'm not blocked.....but I only follow a very few so must go back and Unfollow now....hate cluttering things up with all that feed from people

Link to comment
Guest legend

In 38 years I've never been offered help from my GP or NHS. I've been offered and bullied re medication despite having severe effects but effective help :no:

Which is perhaps why so many turn to seek help elsewhere!

and so the merry go round of poor treatments continue

we know cbt works , but again we fall into that cliche , yes we know , but where the **** is mine ?

well , where is it ............???????????

i tell ya where ..... it isnt there for many, because the cheating fat ******* buffoons invested into ***** drugs , as there is no

profits in therapy ..... and that still continues , and will continue to do so , sadly

whether others agree or not , thats my perspective

and one wonders why people feel drawn into spending money on a product that has no scientific evidence behind it

you , and i often question why we at times wonder why we exhaust time and efforts for no end products

Link to comment
I'm guessing that she couldn't link either so followed the text to ocdforums.org, then registered as a user

I'd like to be able to take a leaf out of Sisyphus's book and blame it on the heat, but it doesn't seem that hot to me - so no excuse on that score, I honestly thought the Media forum was only accessible with full membership :doh:

In 38 years I've never been offered help from my GP or NHS. I've been offered and bullied re medication despite having severe effects but effective help :no:

That's shocking, what was their response when you questioned them about CBT Caramoole?

Link to comment
That's shocking, what was their response when you questioned them about CBT Caramoole?

Simply, that the last time they looked "The waiting list is well over a year"....so they just don't bother beyond that. Basically I just gave up pursuing the question and relied on self-help.

The one time I did insist all they could recommend was a private referral. I spent £1,000's for a complete waste of time. Seeing someone to sit there and say "How've you been?"....and as I've mentioned before, to be told that usually for most patients, simply to know the cause was OCD was usually enough to be cured!

My personal experience has given me no faith whatsoever in NHS/official routes or "supposed" professionals. Hopefully I've just been unlucky

Link to comment
My personal experience has given me no faith whatsoever in NHS/official routes or "supposed" professionals.

I can understand that after what you've experienced, I'd probably feel the same - I'm sure, well I hope some do have better experiences with the NHS, but I've felt they're prepared to do something once the problem becomes so severe that they literally have no choice but to act, otherwise they were happy to palm me over to the private sector.

I'm lucky in that I could borrow the money to do that and also lucky enough to find someone who also works at the Springfield Hospital, in a way expense aside I had the best of both worlds with speed of access and quality of treatment - I don't want to think about where I'd be now if I had had to rely on the NHS.

In some respects I can understand why people do consult people like the Speakmans when they're desperate, I did when I saw my first therapist w/o checking out her credentials, but I paid I heavy price, not just financially but mentally by not doing the right homework first.

That's my concern with them, they're on TV and TV rightly or wrongly confers a credibility, particularly when they're endorsed in this celebrity loving day and age by the likes of Holly Willoughby, Kerry K at al...... none of us are victims or weak, but when things are really bad we are vulnerable, prepared to do anything to feel well again and I just feel as Legend's pointed out (disclaimer) that there are better options out there (albeit at a cost if we can't wait for the NHS) than paying a lot of money for something that hasn't been peer reviewed.

Link to comment

I just feel as Legend's pointed out (disclaimer) that there are better options out there (albeit at a cost if we can't wait for the NHS) than paying a lot of money for something that hasn't been peer reviewed.

Are there though...always??? I've been referred to therapy/therapist that would supposedly be classed as "Peer Reviewed"...about as much use as a chocolate teapot, not to mention ridiculously expensive and more damaging than effective.
I don't have a clue about the Speakmans or their effectiveness or not......I suspect, neither do you apart from a hunch, a gut reaction. I don't advocate them in anyway.....I simply don't know.
I do know my experience within the NHS. I do know it's not been a short-term, odd incident, it's covered almost 4 decades. I do know that this "Peer Reviewed", respectable, honorable treatment (in my case) hasn't been offered or available. Even when paid for (recommended by the NHS/GP) it's been useless and ineffective but been given the NHS seal of approval.
I don't know if The Speakmans are charlatans or not......they could be, they could be not. If I had to choose between my GP's support and support from them...I'd probably err on the side of them, if for nothing less than a bit of humanity and emotional support.....that probably says more about my lack of faith in the system than my belief in the Speakmans as Messiah's.
That said (with reservations), I don't always fall into the camp that something has to first be scientifically proven to be effective. If someone had described the concept of microwave in 1700 they'd have been carted off to the ducking stool....doesn't mean that the concept wouldn't finally have been proven to be possible.
I'm not supporting their methods in any way because I haven't a clue what they are....neither will I knock them (yet) on the same basis because I'm not in possession of any facts/evidence to the contrary either. That's all and that may very well change given such facts. Gut feeling isn't (as yet) evidence
Link to comment

In 38 years I've never been offered help from my GP or NHS. I've been offered and bullied re medication despite having severe effects but effective help :no:

Which is perhaps why so many turn to seek help elsewhere!

When we have had personal negative experiences it is hard to look beyond that and in my job I have heard more than my fair share of negative NHS experiences, some horrific, so I am cynical (especially about IAPT) , but I am also very fortunate to also get to hear about some amazing and brilliant NHS experiences, people whose life's are turned around through nice and good therapists, some of those stories are from local treatment too, not just specialist.

Your experience is sadly all too common Caramoole, so you are not you in a tiny minority, but I can assure you that there are some great NHS services out there offering life changing work for people with OCD. That said, it is patchy and in your part of the world I am not sure it is that good, that is something we need to change to ensure the services we see in the south are available more locally to people elsewhere in the UK. We are working and supporting one NHS Trust in the North West at the moment who are tendering for funding to create a specialist OCD service.

Sadly much of it depends on the individual therapist a person gets referred to, how knowledgeable they are, it is a lottery. The health professionals conference in Nottingham this year is one thing we are trying to see if offering opportunity to learn helps improve therapists knowledge. I am hoping to get at least 100 therapists there, and if we can improve those 100 therapists knowledge of OCD, that may help hundreds more patients in the coming year or two.

What I feel our job is also to help people better understand their options in terms of treatment, and how they may need to go through the dross to eventually get the excellent. We are fighting our OCD, but sadly we sometimes have to fight the system to get the right treatment too. I hope the charity can do its bit to help guide people through that maze.

I am certainly not against people paying for treatment if it is within their financial capabilities but I am against people paying for something which is unlikely to help them, I would much rather they pay for treatment which does have evidence behind it with a therapist whose skilled in the area of both CBT and OCD, such therapists whilst not guaranteeing success, should offer the patients a fighting chance of success.

I do sometimes recommend private therapists, but there is only 3 or 4 names on my list, all of whom are specialists with the knowledge whom I have seen help people recover, my friend Claudine who spoke at Liverpool for one. But more than that, I consider them to be ethical in the fact it is not just about money for them. I know at least two of my names I recommend often encourage people to contact myself to help them access treatment via CADAT or Bristol.

From what I have seen, I really don't think the Speakman's are the answer therapy wise in my opinion there are better options out there, both NHS and privately, I suspect cheaper too.

Link to comment

I suspect, neither do you apart from a hunch, a gut reaction.

It's more than a hunch, their methods are there for all to see and what I've seen is enough for me to form a considered opinion. If I wanted to see a life coach then maybe, possibly I would go to them, but not for something as serious and complex as OCD - interestingly they themselves have said in the past they won't treat serious psychological problems but that stance obviously seems to have changed.

If I had to choose between my GP's support and support from them...I'd probably err on the side of them, if for nothing less than a bit of humanity and emotional support.

I can relate to feeling like that, I've actually had to change GPs to get anywhere.......but there are decent, kind, informed CBT therapists out there, OK they may well still charge a hefty fee to consult them but I'd rather go down that proven route.

But I think I'm going to leave it there and I'm also going to have to agree to disagree with you on this one Caramoole.

Link to comment

Being mainstream or because they are on good money is not really the issue anyone is complaining about is it? Well not my complaint, my complaint is the therapy I have seen on TV does not suggest much more than blame the patient for being ill, accuse them of not growing up, end of and give them a nice reward for the TV cameras.

I know another charity sent someone to them years ago, and the results were negative, and again apart from what we see on TV, why are we not getting any reports from people saying how much they helped them? Nope, all very questionable to me... but then I am a cynic ;)

And that's my main point. I don't know, so I'm not going to tear them apart until I do, just because they aren't mainstream or because they earn good money.

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...