Therapy and The Half-Said
Therapy Can Help You Complete What’s Only Half-Said
When people hear of ‘repression,’ they often imagine something buried deep within themselves—something that might take years of therapy to unearth and bring to the surface.
Yet, as this blog suggests—using examples from talk shows—signs of repression often hide in plain sight, expressed in ways that are dismissed as nonsense or go unheard.
At Therapy in Manchester, we can help you hear what is uniquely yours—to complete what has only ever been half-said in your life.
We also support you in facing the consequences of your full speech and in coming to terms with your desire.
A Divided Self
Outside of our awareness, much of our time and energy is spent editing and censoring ourselves.
For example, how often have we heard someone say, I don’t wish to criticise you, but…?
We might wonder why they raised the matter only to deny it.
Their unprovoked denial may suggest that they are not entirely in agreement with what they are saying—they are, so to speak, in two minds.
Talking Therapy with The Graham Norton Show
Of course, despite this routine censorship, our speech sometimes frees itself, though it often goes unnoticed or appears as nonsense.
In the video clip below, Orlando Bloom lets slip something about his father.
He immediately edits himself, only for Tamsin Greig to draw attention to what he originally said.
Bloom then engages in a comic exaggeration, one effect of which is to minimise or distract from his initial comment.
The comment about his father that slipped out may not necessarily be true—it may not reflect reality.
We don’t know, because what Orlando Bloom said was only half-said.
Face to Face: Taking Them a Little Closer
While responding to a question about his unfulfilled ambitions in the clip below, filmmaker Steven Spielberg comes to a sudden halt, denies criticising his parents, and then acknowledges that he is.
His speech becomes increasingly disjointed, contrasting sharply with his earlier clarity and simplicity, as though he’s compressing or folding different sentences into one.
He begins, “… but you know, I would like to be more involved in my children’s life…”,
makes a reference to his father, “… even though I, I like my father, I work as hard as my father worked…
then starts to repeat himself, only to fold in a contradiction: “I’d like to, and I am…”
before claiming: “… I am in practice, closer to my kids, I think, than my father was to me… ”
Although, after this verbal wreckage, it seems as though he ends on a clear and emphatic note, he in fact loops back to his initial claim: “… and that’s an ambition.”
Perhaps this suggests he is not entirely convinced by any of his own words—can we, for instance, determine whether his unfulfilled ambition remains unfulfilled?
Therapy and Full Speech
At Therapy in Manchester, we can help you hear what is particular to you—to complete what has only ever been half-said in your life.
We also support you in facing the consequences of your full speech and in coming to terms with your desire.
… and complete what you’ve only ever half-said
Therapy begins with your first appointment, and booking is simple – just message or call our therapist, Paul Melia
📩 Email paul.melia@therapyinmanchester.co.uk
📞 SMS Message or call 07592 340 211
