Scream Therapy & Taylor Swift: Unexpected Ways to Release Tension

"When I'm feeling tense, anxious, frustrated, I find it really helpful to pause and say like, what is the one thing that I'm avoiding doing?"

In this delightfully candid episode about releasing tension, Amy & Bernadette dive into the profound connection between our bodies and stress relief. From underwater screaming therapy (yes, that's a thing!) to the collective catharsis of belting Taylor Swift lyrics with thousands of women, they explore how physical release - particularly through breath - might be the key to managing our overstimulated, technology-driven lives. Their conversation weaves through personal anecdotes about massages that elicit unique exhalations, dogs named after vegetables, and the surprising wisdom of jumping on trampolines.

Bernadette & Amy playfully contrast our modern, brain-centered existence with the more embodied lives of our ancestors, noting how we've traded full-body experiences for multi-tasking and smartphone scrolling. With warm humor, they share their different approaches to routine (one embraces structure while the other craves freedom), and offer practical wisdom about identifying the one task that's "clogging" your day. By the end, they've circled back to a beautifully simple conclusion: whether through poetry reading, dog cuddling, or dance classes that leave you "the very best version of yourself," perhaps all tension-relief practices are just different pathways to remembering how to breathe.

LISTEN

"I think our entire life comes down to the routines that we build and that the shape and quality of our life will be in the routines that we make."

IN THIS EPISODE

1. Underwater Scream Therapy: How one host discovered the therapeutic value of screaming underwater as a physical reset during a stressful property management situation in Mexico.
2. Concert Catharsis: The surprising parallel between collective singing at Taylor Swift concerts and intentional scream therapy as a communal tension release.
3. The Breath-Tension Connection: How anxiety relates to held breath and why forcing air out of the body in various ways (jumping, screaming, sighing) naturally relieves tension.
4. Pre-Digital Living: Nostalgic reflections on life before smartphones, when people made plans weeks in advance, sat with boredom, and weren't constantly available.
5. Mind vs. Body Balance: Our evolution from body-led creatures to brain-dominant beings, and how this shift has created unprecedented tension in modern humans.
6. The "Clog Theory": Identifying the one task you're avoiding that's blocking everything else in your life from flowing smoothly.
7. Routine Power: The tension between structured routine and freedom, and how intentionally building tension-release practices into daily life improves overall functioning.
8. Full-Body Experiences: Finding activities (like dance, massage, and physical touch) that bring you back to a full-body state where you're "the very best version" of yourself.

RESOURCES

• The Pomodoro Technique
• Kami Norland, Integrative Re-Sources
• Pride & Prejudice, the movie
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Somatic Therapy