{"id":26852,"date":"2021-11-29T16:00:33","date_gmt":"2021-11-29T16:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.humnutrition.com\/blog\/?p=26852"},"modified":"2025-02-06T19:46:44","modified_gmt":"2025-02-06T19:46:44","slug":"scream-therapy-benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.humnutrition.com\/blog\/scream-therapy-benefits\/","title":{"rendered":"The Scientific Reason You Should Be Screaming for Self-Care"},"content":{"rendered":"

Let it all out! Audibly expressing your emotions may have some merit (and no, you\u2019re not just aggro.) Find out what you can learn from <\/em>scream therapy<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

When we think of screaming, lowering stress is hardly the first thing on our minds. Instead, we picture shouting matches between spouses, toddler tantrums, and stubbed toes. You probably associate shouting with an escalation of frustration, not a lessening of it. But you might be surprised to learn that screaming may, to some degree, help relieve your stress.<\/p>\n\n\n

Sighing, certainly a much quieter option, may also act as a speedy stress soother.<\/p>\n\n\n

Here\u2019s more on screaming and sighing\u2019s potential benefits and how to use them as part of your stress-reducing routine.<\/p>\n\n\n

What is scream therapy?<\/h2>\n\n\n

Screaming (on purpose!) isn\u2019t just a woo-woo way of expressing your feelings. Screaming your heart out or your head off is actually part of primal therapy<\/a>, developed by Dr. Arthur Janov in the 1960s. Dr. Janov speculated that screaming\u2014and other physical outlets like sobbing\u2014could help release repressed childhood trauma. He called this trauma \u201cprimal pain,\u201d and believed that screaming could help people recover from it.<\/p>\n\n\n

At the time, primal therapy was fairly popular, thanks in large part to Dr. Janov\u2019s celebrity clients, like John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Today, however, primal therapy is considered controversial with most therapists unconvinced of its effectiveness<\/a>. Mostly, this is because primal therapy rejects all other forms of therapy. (Quick reminder: Methods like cognitive behavioral therapy are well-studied to provide benefits for a range of mental health conditions.)<\/p>\n\n\n

Still, screaming itself can be helpful in conjunction with other mental health tools, mainly because of its cathartic effects.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

\u201cLetting loose of the pent-up emotion is freeing, like spitting poison out of your mouth,\u201d says Ryan Howes<\/a>, PhD, a clinical psychologist in Pasadena, CA, and author of Mental Health Journal for Men<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Screaming can be especially powerful if you tend to be tightly wound, stuff down your emotions, and smile through devastating pain.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

But catharsis can only go so far, as it\u2019s akin to slapping a band-aid over a deep wound, says Dr. Howes.<\/p>\n\n\n

\u201cWith catharsis alone, we\u2019ll just spend time periodically yelling in the car without addressing the circumstances that got us there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

The key is to use screaming as a first step, following it up with introspection and action: exploring what underlies the pain and overwhelm and identifying promising solutions to try. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

How screaming can help\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Scream<\/figure>\n\n\n

Even though scream therapy won\u2019t solve your problems, a hearty shout may bring relief on a physiological level.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

Relief may reside in the \u201crush of endorphins and peptides produced by the pituitary gland and central nervous system, that act on the brain\u2019s receptors to increase pleasure, reduce pain, and increase strength,\u201d says Dr. Bryan Bruno, medical director at Mid City TMS<\/a>, a New York City-based medical center focused on treating depression.<\/p>\n\n\n

As you scream, Dr. Bruno notes, \u201cyour body becomes more alert, and you release tension in the muscles caused by bottled-up emotions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

Speaking of emotions, screaming may help you connect to your emotions and understand their gravity.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

Screaming (literally) gives voice to your emotions\u2014transforming a feeling from something that\u2019s silent and creating inner tension, to something that\u2019s physically felt and heard, says Howes.<\/p>\n\n\n

When an emotion is \u201cscreaming through your throat or echoing off the walls, it seems much more real,\u201d he says. And that makes it harder to deny and dismiss, helping you start to process your emotional pain.<\/p>\n\n\n

In some cases, screaming helps you realize just how upset you really are. \u201cI\u2019ve often heard people say that they didn\u2019t even know they felt that angry until they heard the strength of their own scream,\u201d says Howes.<\/p>\n\n\n

What\u2019s more, this can help you empathize with yourself, better understanding just how much you\u2019ve been holding inside, he says.<\/p>\n\n\n

Why sighing also soothes<\/h2>\n\n\n

\u00a0By definition, sighing is twice the volume of a regular breath. Put simply, it\u2019s a long, deep breath<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

We naturally sigh every few minutes, which is critical for our lungs\u2014and our lives. Sighing ensures that the alveoli, about 500 million tiny air sacs in the lungs, don\u2019t collapse. Alveoli are responsible for oxygenating the blood and exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide.<\/p>\n\n\n

Australia-based psychotherapist Shagoon Maurya<\/a> describes sighing as our body\u2019s reset button.<\/p>\n\n\n

And research bears this out. According to a 2012 review<\/a>, sighing helps \u201cto restore calm in the context of stress or emotional arousal, inducing a subjective sense of relief, and may therefore be functional as a mechanism to cope with stress and emotions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How to add screaming and sighing to your stress relief routine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Benefits<\/figure>\n\n\n

\u00a0<\/strong>There are many ways you can sigh and scream your way to less stress. Here\u2019s a range of strategies to try, depending on what resonates with you.<\/p>\n\n\n

Scream in safe spaces.<\/h3>\n\n\n

To avoid freaking out your family or next-door neighbors, consider screaming somewhere private.<\/p>\n\n\n

According to Howes, you might yell:<\/p>\n\n\n\n