Nik & Eva Speakman

Nik Speakman (born 7 December 1961)[2][3][4] and Eva Speakman (born 30 April 1969),[3][4] known collectively as The Speakmans, are British therapists and life coaches.

Nik & Eva Speakman
BornNik Speakman
(1961-12-07) 7 December 1961
England
Eva Speakman
(1969-04-30) 30 April 1969
England
OccupationSchema Conditioning Therapists[1]
ChildrenTwo
WebsiteOfficial website

Career

Nik Speakman started a finance company, Personal Money Management, aged 17 and was working as a success coach at the time of his and Eva's 2005 appearance in That's Rich, a Granada Television series focusing on entrepreneurs in the north west of England.[5][6] Eva Speakman ran the Heavenly Bodies gym in Oldham, at the time of the show.[5]

The Speakmans were subsequently hosts of a Living TV show, A Life Coach Less Ordinary, and in 2007 published a book, You Can Be Fantastic, Too!.[6] The couple hosted a television pilot for the American FOX network, Panic Attack, in 2010.[7]

A second daytime television show, The Speakmans, was broadcast by ITV. In The Speakmans they attempted to 'successfully treat ordinary people with extraordinary problems'.[8] The show aired for 20 episodes, beginning on 14 July 2014.[9]

The couple are resident therapists on ITV's This Morning, hosting a segment about issues and anxiety disorders ranging from Obsessive–compulsive disorder to fears, phobias and Post-traumatic stress disorder.[10][11]

The Speakmans use 'schema conditioning psychotherapy' to 'find and tackle the root cause of anxiety disorders'.[12] Nik Speakman said of their approach on their television series that "We're really hoping people will look at it and think: 'I can apply that to my life.' Even if it’s an entirely different problem, ultimately our therapy is the same...That’s what we want. There's no need for anyone to suffer. There is absolute hope for everyone."[12] The Speakmans also believe in "practising gratitude", asserting that "Everybody’s got problems and issues but equally everybody has got amazing things to be thankful for."[12]

Therapeutic techniques utilized by the couple include putting clients into a DeLorean sports car in order to 'travel 'back to the future' to confront past demons', a reference to the DeLorean time machine from the Back to the Future film series.[2] The Speakmans presented a DeLorean car to the former Liberal Member of Parliament for Rochdale, Sir Cyril Smith at his 80th birthday party in 2008.[13]

Noted celebrity clients of the Speakmans have included Vicky Pattison, Peter Andre, Kerry Katona, Kym Marsh, Liz McClarnon, Katie Price, Holly Willoughby and Jeremy Kyle.[2][12][14][15]

The Speakmans have diplomas in an unspecified subject from Newcastle University, but have stated these are not related to their work.[4]

The Speakmans developed their own therapy, Visual Schema Displacement Therapy (VSDT) and the first research study into this was carried out by academics at Utrecht University and Amsterdam University, who tested it against eye movement desentization and reprocessing (EDMR), which is recommended by the NHS as one of the main treatments for Post-traumatic stress disorder.[16][17][18] The results showed that VSDT was superior to both EMDR and a control condition.[17]

In December 2015, The Speakmans appeared on BBC Radio 2's Breakfast Show with Sara Cox [19]

Personal life

The Speakmans have lived in Littleborough near Rochdale in Greater Manchester since 2000.[20][12] The Speakmans converted their house from a former pub and restaurant into a nine-bedroomed house.[2] The couple put their house up for sale in 2010 as they worked on the Panic Attack pilot in the United States, and planned to move to the south of England owing to their work in London and America.[2]

The couple have two children, Olivia and Hunter, and are supporters of a local children's home, the Duke Bar Burnley Wood NCH Children's Centre,[21] and are Celebrity Ambassadors of Variety Children's Charity.[22]

Awards

In October 2017, the Speakmans were awarded a Legends of Industry Award for their contribution to the Therapeutic/Motivational Industry.[23]

References
  1. "The Speakmans: speedy shrinks for the TV age - The Speakmans". ITV.com. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  2. "Celebrity duo put £2m home on the market". Archived from the original on 2 August 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  3. "Interview: Nik and Eva Speakman". Blackpool Citizen. 16 July 2014. Archived from the original on 22 June 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  4. Sarah Dempster (7 January 2006). "Gurus on the rise". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  5. "TV shares tales of life on millionaires' row". Manchester Evening News. 25 April 2005. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  6. Nik Speakman (1 November 2007). Your Life Can Be Fantastic Too!. Goldwing Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-0-9793965-0-2.
  7. "Fox orders 'Panic Attack'". The Hollywood Reporter. 26 April 2010. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  8. "The Speakmans". Rochdale Online. 9 July 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  9. "ITV - The Speakmans". ITV.com. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  10. "The Speakmans | This Morning". ITV. 22 July 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  11. "The Speakmans - This Morning Liv". This Morning Live. 22 July 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  12. Emily Heward (13 July 2014). "Celeb gurus Nik and Eva Speakman try to help people overcome anxiety disorders in new TV series". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  13. "Sir Cyril Smith - 80th Birthday Party". Rochdale Online. 29 June 2008. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  14. "The Speakmans cure Jeremy Kyle of his creepy crawly phobia". Itv.com. 13 July 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  15. Corner, Natalie (11 December 2015). "Jungle queen Vicky Pattison breaks down in tears after This Morning surprise her with the Speakmans". The Mirror. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  16. "What is VSDT?". VSDT, Visual Schema Displacement Therapy. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  17. Matthijsse,Suzy J.M.A; Lucinda M. van Beerschoton; Ad de Jongh; Irene G Klugkist; Marcel A. van den Hout (November 2018). "Effects of "Visual Schema Displacement Therapy" (VSDT), an abbreviated EMDR protocol and a control condition on emotionality and vividness of aversive memories: Two critical analogue studies". Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry. 63: 48–56 – via Elsevier Science Direct.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. "Treatment, Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)". NHS. 27 September 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  19. "Sara Cox sits in, The Chris Evans Breakfast Show - BBC Radio 2". BBC. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  20. "Interview: Nik and Eva Speakman". Blackpool Citizen. 16 July 2014. Archived from the original on 22 June 2013. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  21. "Interview: Nik and Eva Speakman". This Is Lancashire.
  22. "The Speakmans". Variety, the Children's Charity. 13 March 2015.
  23. "Legends of Industry Awards 2017". Seriestop. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
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