Wild Wellness: Why This Hotel Is Offering Scream Therapy

08.11.2023 - 03:43 / forbes.com / Yoko Ono / John Lennon

Being an adult these days often comes with sky-high levels of burnout and round-the-clock anxiety, so vacations more than ever need to tick the cathartic box. A hotel in the UK is trialing a novel wellness technique that promises to release pent-up emotions and stress without any fancy equipment. All you have to do is scream.

Scream therapy, more technically known as primal therapy, burst onto the self-help scene in the 1970s. It was invented by psychologist Arthur Janov and rooted in the concept that neurosis is the result of repressed childhood trauma. Janov claimed that recalling and reliving a traumatic experience and releasing pent-up anger or frustration through “spontaneous and unrestrained screams” was effective in curing “80% of all ailments.”

Despite convincing the likes of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, scream therapy hasn’t cut much ice within scientific circles. Then and now, mental health professionals have relegated primal therapy to the realms of pseudoscience. That said, screaming can release endorphins and temporarily release stress and tension. So it doesn’t hurt to give it a try.

There aren’t a whole lot of places where you can scream unreservedly without attracting unwanted attention. So if you fancy trying out the technique, think about a stay at Armathwaite Hall Hotel & Spa in northern England.

The grand stately home is set in the secluded splendor of 400 acres of deer park and woodland and bordered by the still waters of Bassenthwaite Lake and the dramatic Lake District fells. Within this sprawling estate, there’s no fear of disturbing others.

As such, the hotel is encouraging its stressed-out guests to holler and howl in the natural haven of its lakeside woods. You’re free to try out the experience at any point during your stay, as a solo session or with a group of friends, family or even fellow guests at the spa. The hotel calls it a “self-guided experience,” though there are “wellness experts that can advise and guide those who need it.”

“This experience provides a powerful means to alleviate emotional tension, reduce anxiety, and nurture a profound sense of emotional relief and well-being,” according to the hotel. As per their instructions, all you need to do is take a deep breath, look up to the sky and scream.

This is not the first unconventional spa treatment the hotel has offered. You can also sign up for forest bathing—spending time amongst trees breathing slowly and observing nature—or animal therapy, enjoying the company of deer and alpacas.