Scream Therapy: A Punk Journey Through Mental Health

by Jason Schreurs

Picture Someone is screaming at you for 45 minutes straight as loud as they can. For most people, it would be the stuff of nightmares. For author Jason Schreurs and members of the punk rock community, it's therapy. Scream A Punk Journey through Mental Health follows the transformational journeys of Schreurs and the other punks he learns from, revealing the healing power of a misunderstood and underestimated music community. In the book, Schreurs and other punks come to a life-changing realization--punk rock helped them at their lowest points and never left their sides. Coping with childhood sexual abuse and an undiagnosed mental health condition, Schreurs discovers punk rock as a youth and becomes part of its tight-knit scene. When a psychiatrist blindsides him with a bipolar diagnosis in his mid-40s, Schreurs embarks on a mental health discovery mission. In Scream Therapy musicians, advocates, activists, and fans present the punk subculture as a catalyst for mental health--a place where it's okay to not be okay. Schreurs' attitude and conviction pogo-dance off the page as he and others in the book claw through their worst days, seek stability, and support each other to live better lives, all to the soundtrack of pissed-off music--in the best way possible. And Scream Therapy asks a crucial question. If punk rock can provide such therapy, why aren't more people screaming?

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Memoir

268 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2023

Reviews

[Reader Views · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jason Schreurs faced significant challenges dealing with childhood sexual abuse and an undiagnosed mental health condition. These experiences led him to discover the comforting and healing power of punk rock music, and he swiftly became an active member of its tight-knit community. In his new book, “Scream Therapy: A Punk Journey through Mental Health” he uses memoir and literary journalism to connect punk rock’s nonconformist ethos to proactive health management.

In the context of this book, punk is not a music genre, but a way of being. It has offered haven to numerous traumatic individuals who have not only been attracted by the intensity of the music but also by the undeniable therapeutic results it gives. The phrase “It saved my life” is common in the mouths of many punk rockers, who have found the scene a great place to work out their stress, particularly the biting stuff such as childhood sexual abuse.

Inspiring personalities have been featured such as Bianca, who lives with borderline personality disorder, a cognitive disorder in which individuals suffer drastic emotions and traumatic flashbacks. She unapologetically allows people to see her tears, as she screams out things that she has gone through. Her story sustains the author’s dream of telling the world how people can use punk music as a qualitative mechanism to confound trauma. Schreurs has seen the melodies help numerous people heal and recover quicker, to take back the lives they have always deserved.

“Scream Therapy: A Punk Journey through Mental Health” has beautifully unveiled a world where it’s okay to not be okay. In a warm and definitive style, the author will leave you looking at mental health challenges differently as well as the little-known healing power of punk music. Readers will also find themselves examining their diverse issues and yearning for associations in groupings who share similar circumstances, for quicker comeback through impartial conversations and other creative therapeutic ideas.

The text is adult-themed but will most definitely benefit everyone who longs for an interaction with uplifting personal stories of fortitude, solidity, and recovery.

[Hayley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review coming soon on Joyzine.org

[Dar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptionally vivid, fresh and real. The author works through his mental health, mental wellness (via punk music, culture and friendships) and the mental health "system." I felt kinship each time he mentioned one of my favourite bands (Against Me!, Converge) or bands from the Canadian scene (DOA, Propagandhi). I was pleasantly surprised by all of the musicians and therapists he had access to through his podcast, and their stories are integrated here. I found some advice I wasn't looking for, that will be super-useful. Now I just need a playlist of all the songs with lyrics quoted in the text!

Book purchased from the author in Halifax (Sept 2023)

[Roz Queen · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have ever read about punk rock (and I have read a ton of books about punk rock)
Jason uses his life to illuminate the complexity of bipolar disorder as it interweaves with capitalism, artistic expression, community, and performance.
He has interviewed world-famous punks and the discussion and learnings that come out of these interactions have shaken me to the core in the best way.

Thank you Jason for writing this (and for hosting the Sunday support group)

[Lauren Anzaldo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scream Therapy is a hopeful, sobering, and honest book.

Part memoir, part expose on a capitalist soul-deadening mental health system, part inspirational tale of survival and triumph, Jason Schreurs’ work adds much-needed dimension to the role of punk music and punk community in mental wellness for thousands of people around the world.

“Punk has saved us before, and it will again.”

[Chris Wedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A raw and honest depiction of the authors mental health journey. Weaving back and forth between his own experience and his interview with others in the punk community. It’s an incredible read that I couldn’t put down.

Highly recommend if you’ve read Ian Winwood’s “Bodies” or vice versa.

[Stephanie Wilcox · Rating 3 out of 5]

i am admittedly not one for self-help books, and I think i misunderstood what this book was supposed to be about. But nonetheless interesting!