When we're dealing with anxiety or depression, we sometimes consider only one form of therapy – sitting in front of a stranger and talking about our feelings.
There are, however, other unconventional approaches to dealing with our emotions, such as “Scream Therapy”, also known as Primal Therapy.
Although you might not be familiar with this form of therapy, do you ever have those days when you're so frustrated that you just want to scream and shout? Now it could be a form of alternative therapy.
What is scream therapy?
You actively scream out your grief, frustration and anger, rather than trying to hold it in, News Chain Online reported.
Screaming, according to psychotherapist Arthur Janov, is a primal urge that takes us back to our childhood, where we might be holding onto repressed trauma.
Participating in scream therapy allows one to revisit and release the suppressed feelings by giving them a voice.
Does it help with anxiety?
The original study was first mentioned in a PA article, and authored by journalist Liz Connor.
The actual screaming in and of itself is not a therapy, according to Franklin Porter, a psychotherapist in New York.
Screaming into your pillow can be a potentially helpful tool when it's part of a broader therapy programme with a psychologist, Porter says.
Psychotherapist Gin Love Thompson suggests that people should not perform scream therapy unsupervised, or rely on it as the only tool in fighting off anxiety and depression.
The client must be taught coping tools before such therapy was implemented to manage what might be stirred up, Thompson told thefix.com.
“If attempted before the client is ready, or in a poorly managed situation, it could potentially be psychologically damaging… The key is learning healthy ways to express our anger and the vital tools responsible for the processing of it,” said Thompson.
In 2018, controversial rapper Kanye West revealed that he had tried scream therapy to treat his anxiety and that the strange form of therapy did not have an impact.