When Madonna joined Guy Ritchie on the red carpet for the launch of his new film RocknRolla two weeks ago, they made a great show of unity for the cameras — but close observers noted that there was also something intimate going on.
According to Grazia magazine, this something was “whisper therapy”, and is a concerted attempt to save their marriage.
Whisper therapy, as supposedly practised by the Ritchies, seems to mean making sure they look at each other every 15 minutes, touch every few minutes, and say words to each other that apply specifically to what they like about each other — these included, according to the usual “insiders” and “close associates”, “beautiful” (him to her); “macho” (her reply); “clever” and “powerful” (her to him); “mysterious” and “smart” (him to her).
I can’t say I’ve ever heard of this particular therapy, which was reportedly suggested, or at least encouraged, by Kabbalah mentors, but nowadays there are so many variants on different therapies that it doesn’t surprise me that it should exist.
With any kind of therapy, the most important factor is the therapist, or the manual. If it’s clear and utterly confident then it’s pretty likely to be successful.
Marital therapy in particular needs to achieve four things. It needs to encourage communication.
Communication breakdown is one of the main reasons for relationship problems — and this whisper therapy seems to be doing that.
It needs to emphasise the positive — and if Madonna and Ritchie are looking and touching that often, there will be very little time, if any, for negativity. It must encourage bonding by bringing back private endearment, and if they’re only allowed to say one word, it’ll probably have a private meaning or a special meaning. It should also be fun — an aspect of therapy that is often overlooked. When you laugh you release tension.
Many therapies nowadays have a gimmick like that, whether it’s talking to yourself in the mirror or positive affirmation. Whisper therapy may sound like yet more absurdity from Madonna and Ritchie, but it probably seems daft to them, too. These approaches are effective partly because they make people laugh.–