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The scream

There are times when I’m feeling stressed, usually about multiple little things at once, that I just want to scream with rage. Open the release valve and let out the stress. Daltrey WGFA to the power of 10.

You can’t really do that of course, not in a built-up area. It’d have the neighbours (who are terribly nice, and look out for one-another) ringing the police.

Here’s a business idea: someone should set up a screaming facility.

In the city, it would be a sound-proof room, where you could scream your lungs out and nobody could hear you. Possibly padded walls if you wanted to vent your anger in a physical way too.

In the country, it might be a remote spot, out of hearing of any other human, and where the animals weren’t going to be bothered, where you could go (alone presumably) and scream for a while.

Would it work? I think it might be very therapeutic for me at times.

(Apparently Munch’s The Scream is still copyrighted, otherwise I’d have illustrated this post with it. But I don’t want to get stressed by copyright violation.)

By Daniel Bowen

Transport blogger / campaigner and spokesperson for the Public Transport Users Association / professional geek.
Bunurong land, Melbourne, Australia.
Opinions on this blog are all mine.

16 replies on “The scream”

Brilliant idea! Scream Club… first rule of scream club… :)

I think there is more value in this idea than the “laughing schools” that were all the rage a year or more ago.

This is the advantage of living near an industrial area out in the suburbs. Wander out there of a night and there’s not a soul who’ll hear you for miles. And my lungs ain’t that big.

I have done this once in an undisclosed location (not far from Melbourne CBD but still not close to any other human beings). It’s just awesome. Highly recommended. It has to be outdoors… a padded room just wouldn’t be the same.

I have three children 5 and under.

Let’s just say I do my share of screaming…Just speaking to my neighbour today though and she informs me she has never heard me make any noise at all. Yay!

Just saw your Twitter about trouble at McKinnon last night. Man spent a fair amount of energy beating girl on ground, who appeared pregnant. There was also broken glass around and man’s hand was bleeding profusely (I hope it was mostly his blood). He took off as a couple passengers called the police, I saw him about 30 mins later surrounded by 3 cop cars outside the Bentleigh Library on Jasper Rd. Girl was extremely distraught with other passengers comforting her but didn’t seem too injured. Worst example of violence that I have seen in the area.

I have often thought about this when upset or just completely stressed out. It has bothered me for years that there is no place to just go and scream in this city without making your neighbours think you’re a psychopath. The best solution I could come up with is just muffling yourself with a pillow…for years I had thought the whole concept of primal scream therapy was nutty, but I totally get it now.

There could be something in this for the entrepeneur.

The concept needs a name – maybe ‘Expression Chamber’ as it encompasses both verbal and physical.

In what form should they take?

(i) A central complex but comprising seperate padded expression cubicals, where people express themselves alone?, or (ii) a grown up version of a jumping castle, where people wear padded suits (and earplugs) to prevent harm to others, or (iii) household facility – either in a spare room, to replace an unused inground pool or completely underground.

Use of (ii) could be tied into weight loss programs as it involves a lot of noise, activity, sweating.

While other businesses are closing or reducing trading hours, the concept, like bankrupcy agencies, debt collectors and company receivers, could be counter-cyclical and be most in demand when business slumps.

The flip side is that while it may relieve stress, building such secluded chambers could be misused for unsavoury, criminal and violent activities.

But if I’m really stressed, maybe it might be therapeutic for me to let others know how stressed I am… Maybe I don’t want to scream where nobody can hear me… Maybe I want to stand up in the middle of my office and scream with rage.

I can see that being frowned upon, though…

It’s a great idea, though, a “Scream Clinic” or “Screamotherapy” centre, where you pay a pound, go in, and you have up to five minutes to yell at the top of your lungs, and maybe beat seven shades of … manure … out of something (or someone, maybe using Gladiators-style pugel sticks). You’d make a mint!

Wow, maybe I’m onto something here and should be organising a patent! Assuming someone hasn’t done it already.

Peter, rest assured that a session in the chamber would be too expensive to make it usable by unsavoury/criminal types :-)

Though criminal types aren’t necessarily poor, and if the chambers guarantee discretion & anonymity (apparently like brothels or Swiss banks) then they’re the perfect crime scene.

Maybe (apparently like an Exeloo) their doors should fling open after 5 min when Graeme’s pound’s worth has finished.

These chambers could recreate the main freedom that city living takes away – ie the freedom to be a screaming lunatic. Though it is said that as a city increases in population and more people are thrown together indifference increases, so maybe people already have that freedom, but most still cling to propriety and consideration (not to mention the worry of what others think) so do not excercise it.

I’d be lined up with the rest of you, screaming :P Actually I found it rather interesting in that link about “The Scream” how the artist’s sister was being treated for manic depression. And, how I tried to illustrate “mania” with a picture of a person screaming on my blog. There is really something, I think, in the primitive part of us that needs a good scream, I believe.

Sorry you felt like screaming, however, Daniel! :)

Don’t think you need to worry about crime too much – if a criminal wants to muffle screams they just have to tie someone’s hands and gag them (I assume the crimes being discussed here are assault or murder). And they’ve still got to do something about the evidence afterwards – the crime may not have been heard, but there would be plenty of visual and forensic evidence around.

Maybe an old radio studio would be perfect. Ready-made facilities with sound proofing and large window so the operator can keep an eye for nefarious actiivites?

Definitely needs a physical outlet. Maybe provision of old video recorders and baseball bats, so one could let fly? ;-)

Okay Daniel, where’s your business plan?

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