A small group of people gathered at North Avenue Beach on a breezy Sunday night to participate in a one-of-a-kind event dedicated to emotional release through the simple act of screaming. This weekly gathering, known as Scream Club Chicago, was initiated by Manny Hernandez, who recently relocated to Chicago from Los Angeles.
Hernandez, a breath work practitioner and men’s transformational coach, devised the idea for the scream sessions based on the emotional transformations he has observed during breath work. He explains, “In my breath work practice, we started doing screaming during the breath work, and that’s where a lot of people had their transformative experiences from that. So that’s always kind of been a thing in my life, and it’s helped me a lot.”
Among the enthusiastic participants was Alexander Ruvalcaba, a 31-year-old musician residing in Lincoln Park. He shared, “I’ve made it to the past three weeks. I missed the first one because I didn’t know it was a thing yet.” Ruvalcaba noted that the presence of fellow screamers around him made it easier and more comfortable to release his voice in public. He humorously added, “If I do it alone, I might scare some of my neighbors.”
Interestingly, Ruvalcaba even introduced his mother to the experience. “I brought my mom on Saturday. She knows I do this breath work. And we were having an emotional talk about Ozzy Osbourne and his retirement. And so every time I come to this, I always think of music. The music I listen to is scream-oriented, and it makes me more comfortable with getting it out of my system, and it helped my mom get it out of her system,” he reflected.
The concept of using screams as a therapeutic release is not new. In the early 1970s, celebrities including John Lennon participated in primal scream therapy guided by psychologist Arthur Janov, who posited that repressed childhood traumas resulted in neurosis and hindered creativity. Janov believed that such burdens could only be alleviated through vocal expression and screaming.
Elena Soboleva, a 35-year-old personal branding consultant for entrepreneurs and Hernandez’s partner, initially felt hesitant about the idea of publicly screaming by the lake. “I had so much built up in myself that I couldn’t express. And Manny said, ‘Hey, I know you need to release, do you want to scream?’ I felt so uncomfortable at first because there were people around,” she confessed.
However, she soon discovered that the experience was liberating. Soboleva noted that the screaming not only helped her release pent-up emotions, it also boosted her confidence. “Being in a city you’re bombarded with something every day: stress, traffic noise. Being by the water with this calm presence is very special,” she added.
The inception of Scream Club Chicago came about during a challenging week for Hernandez and Soboleva. While walking by the lake, they spontaneously decided to scream into the water, leading to an emotional release. Recognizing the potential for a larger community experience, they reached out to others on Instagram and the meetup app Pie, inviting more people to join them.
During the sessions, attendees are provided with biodegradable paper and pens to jot down their frustrations before letting them go. Hernandez encourages participants, saying, “All the stresses, anything that’s bothered you through the week, any anger that you’ve had, we’re gonna write it down. Before we scream, we’re going to throw [the paper] into the lake just as a good way to say we’re letting this go.”
Following this written release, participants engage in guided breathing, consisting of five breaths in through the nose for four seconds and out through the mouth for the same duration. The culmination of the session is marked by three big screams, the last of which is the loudest, serving as a cathartic finale.
As the event wraps up, Hernandez expresses gratitude to the group and emphasizes the importance of community. He promises to facilitate continued connections by inviting participants to spend quiet time together for reflection after the screaming concludes.
image source from：chicago
