I have never had enough patience to learn an instrument—not enough focus for the guitar, only learning one song when attempting the keyboard, killing everyone softly with my repetition. Again, with the ukulele, I only learned one song that would give people the creeps (can you guess the two songs I learned from my cheesy description?). Despite my struggles with playing, music has always been a friend, a kind of therapy for me. The genres may be different now than thirty years ago, but the kinship remains the same. From the Spice Girls being my besties in musical form, to now, when angry punk women make me feel less alone. There is nothing better than the feeling of being at a live gig, surrounded by people who love a band as much as you do. Whatever I might be going through, at least for a few hours, I can escape into another world and release any pent-up emotions through movement to the music or screaming right along.
So, it was no surprise that when I heard about the book ‘Scream Therapy’ by Jason Schreurs, which discusses punk music as therapy, I was immediately intrigued. As a fan of punk music and someone who has experienced mental health issues myself, I felt an instant resonance with the book’s concept.
Jason writes both as a punk musician and a punk music lover. In the book, he describes gigs he played as part of ‘Punk Jams,’ an improv-style punk band. He writes about how, when he got off stage, he wouldn’t remember what he was screaming about, almost like he was channelling something out of himself. There are also parts about being an audience member at punk gigs.
Jason’s mental health diagnosis is Bipolar Disorder, which he discusses in frank and personal detail. He doesn’t gloss over the reality of it but tells it how it really was: the severe mood changes and an extreme social media addiction that led to his phone being taken away from him for a while.
While the book is very much about how punk music saved his life, he also writes about taking medication and having therapy. Rather than suggesting punk as the sole answer, he’s realistic about the reality for many people with similar mental health issues. The book, although focusing on his personal story, also includes insights from other people in the punk scene and even therapists who have found punk helpful too—I particularly enjoyed reading about ‘Air Guitar Therapy!’
Overall, ‘Scream Therapy’ was a fantastic read—very relatable and also inspiring. In addition to being a writer, Jason also works as a crisis line support for Kids Help Phone, a health coach for Self-Management BC, and a bipolar support group facilitator for the Mood Disorders Association of BC.
‘Scream Therapy’ is out now and you can buy it here (US Site) or from Amazon UK
The link to Jason’s podcast is here
Review by Hayley Foster da Silva
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