In "The King's Speech," Geoffrey Rush plays an eccentric speech therapist with an unlikely client -- The Duke of York and future king of England, whose lifelong stammer makes public speaking a wrenching experience for man and audience alike.
The filmmakers are said to have played fast and loose with the story's historical accuracy. But they were bang-on when it comes to certain universal, psychological "truths." I'd like to explore a little of why Lionel Logue's approach to therapy was so effective and inspiring.
Trust. The two men agreed to a partnership to improve a "mechanical" issue, but the Duke's physical stammering was only a symptom of what needed treatment. It took a potent mix of bullying, cajoling and compassion from Logue to expose enough of the root issues for real healing to being.
Hope. Once "Bertie" allowed himself to become vulnerable, his therapist had to prove himself trustworthy. Logue did it by proving to the Duke that there was hope for a cure -- and proving it again and again, no matter how stubborn the resistance.
Commitment. If you've seen the film, you know that was one rocky client-therapist relationship. And yet both men kept showing up with the courage and tenacity required to create lasting change.
If you have ever been a child, you know that childhood brings with it plenty of painful experiences. Facing that original pain, demanding a life free today of its crippling effects, and discarding the old armor and weaponry that protected your inner self for so many years -- this takes courage, time and practice, practice, practice.
Acceptance. The Duke's father majestically demonstrated the damage of an abusive approach to a stammering child. Healing cannot, will not be forced. Fear cannot trigger true peace and empowerment, only ever-more reactionary strategies that try to relieve the fear.
Logue's secret gift lay not in jaw exercises or tricks for pronouncing "p" on demand -- it was his creation of a precious, all-too-rare safe space for the Duke to express his true self.
A little more about this third element. As far as we modern Americans seem to be from the stiff-upper-lip rigidity of the British monarchy, we are still far from comfortable with accepting people's honest, emotional, mercurial selves. We can start to change that, in our own relationships and in our communities, by practicing the skills of deep listening.
Check out the upcoming Feb. 1 entry for http://riamegnin.blogger.com for more on the power of a good listen-to!
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