Life is hard; whether it’s being overlooked for a longed-for promotion, getting ghosted unexpectedly after an amazing date, or rising heating bills, there is always something to make you want to scream.
But while once something one did alone in a car or into a pillow, our wails are no longer being muffled – instead, people are being actively encouraged to publicly and unashamedly let it all out.
Primal scream therapy was first popularised in the 1960s by psychologist Arthur Jano, but now it’s back in the spotlight, thanks to social media. It began with viral TikToks of people meeting in the USA for the sole purpose of screaming together. Soon the phenomenon spread across the Atlantic, popping up in UK cities including Manchester, Birmingham and London.
Mona Sharif accidentally founded Scream Squad after posting a TikTok saying that she needed a scream following an argument with her brother about who gets the bigger bedroom in their home.
‘Conveniently, I was crashing out when scream clubs were trending,’ Mona, who was also feeling lost after quitting her ‘dead-end’ legal job in April, says to Metro with a laugh.
So after, getting her way with the bedroom after calling their dad, Mona decided to hold her own screamfest and posted a Canva-made invite across her social media channels.
Letting out frustration by screaming isn’t new to Mona, who has ADHD and has been getting counselling for 12 years. She was introduced to the practice at age 22 by her therapist while going through a difficult time. ‘Even though I knew the tools to manage stress, she could still sense anger, and thought it could help,’ Mona explains.
And so, alongside her best friend, Mona found a nearby hill. ‘We stood in our crocs, held hands, screamed, and then started giggling. It was amazing to feel that instant release; it is a core memory,’ she remembers.
Mona realised there was a real appetite for others wanting to try when 600 people turned up at Primrose Hill to scream in unison with her for 10 minutes on October 11. ‘It was pure chaos, and I was so overwhelmed as I didn’t expect so many. All the videos make me giggle because I look like a cult leader when I speak to the crowd. It makes me think of the Minions’ “Tonight, we steal the moon” scene,’ Mona, 26, jokes.
The second session at Parliament Hill, attended by Metro, was more organised, with Mona asking people to think of their reasons for being there. They ranged from working in healthcare, astronomical rent prices, and men feeling like society expects them to keep their emotions in.
‘Scream squad is not a replacement for conventional therapy; it isn’t going to heal you or resolve problems, but it is a way to let it rip,’ explains Mona.
Almost a third of UK adults have tried to find therapy in the past year, according to BCAP, while NHS waiting lists are ever-increasing, and private sessions usually cost around £80 per hour – so it makes sense that alternatives are taking off.
‘It’s a way to relieve temporary stress and frustration, and it opens doors for conversations. People’s first instinct is to seek professional help, but some problems can be solved by speaking to one another,’ adds Mona.
‘I had tears in my eyes because people got so much from it. One girl said she worried that moving to London was a mistake as she felt lonely, then ended up getting ice cream with others who attended.’
‘The fact that people are gathering to scream in a park tells us that there’s seriously an unmet need for community and emotional connection,’ therapist Anna Lancaster tells Metro.
Explaining how scream therapy works, she says: ‘The screaming activates the vagus nerve, which helps regulate stress, restore balance in the body, and releases that built-up emotion that the body’s been holding onto. In simple terms, our biology is designed to release tension through sounds.’
Wanting to see if I can feel the benefits, I attend the more intimate London Scream Club, who gather on Mondays at 4pm in Hyde Park. ‘Let’s scream together bestie,’ read the fun slogan in their Instagram bio.
It’s a rainy afternoon and I find organiser Shania Barnes, a culinary arts student, standing with her mum, Raswella Warburton, taking shelter from the downpour under a tree next to the Huntress fountain.
Shania explains that her motivation was to create a third space, after noticing that often socialising revolves around alcohol. At her first event just last week, around 20 people turned up. However, today, it’s just the three of us. The pair are optimistic, telling me they’d mentally prepared for this exact situation and were committed to screaming no matter what. ‘I still get to spend time with my mum,’ Shania says sweetly.
On top of the weather and speedy turnover of TikTok trends, TV scepticism could also have been an off-putting factor today. Shania tells me that on Lorraine that day, Dr Hilary Jones didn’t hold back, saying he thinks group screams can increase stress levels.
After waiting half an hour just in case, Shania accepts nobody is coming and begins counting down backwards from three. Facing each other, we let out our screams.
As a person who loves abiding by social norms, it feels naughty, but I do get that promised cathartic release. For a few seconds, all I care about is making noise, before I nervously look around to see if anyone saw me. They did, but don’t seem to care.
What feels even better than the scream is the laugh that immediately erupts from me when it’s over. The ridiculousness of the whole thing feels nice, and for the rest of the evening, I randomly giggle as I recall the memory.
It’s yet to be decided whether screaming clubs have the longevity of growing trends like padel, or are more of a flash in the TikTok pan, but neither Shania nor Mona plans to stop. Shania wants to collaborate with other scream groups, while Mona is planning invite-only weekly events that she can monetise, and monthly open-to-anyone free shenanigans; the next is a special 5km run with ‘designated scream stops along the route’.
Her motivation is simple: ‘I want many others to experience what I did on the hill with my best friend.
‘Screaming isn’t glamorous or pretty, but anyone can do it and it can work.’ As for me, I plan to take my friends along so they can feel what I did too. If all they get is a good belly laugh at the popristriousness, then surely it’s more than worth it.
Additional reporting by Zofia Hare
Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Josie.Copson@metro.co.uk
Share your views in the comments below.
