E055 Jason Schreurs Punk Rock and Mental Health
Let’s Be Well Together Podcast - Episode 55
Date: February 14, 2022
Participants: John Webster, Sammy Damaren, Cameron Earnshaw and Sheila Webster
Guest: Jason Schreurs (interview) and Hilary Toth (Move That Body)
Start times and Segments:
[0:00:35] What’s On Your Mind: Sheila and Sammy talk about the benefits of decluttering, after reading an article by Iris Benaroia called, “A valuable lesson in organization” (National Post). Clutter causes anxiety and even brain fatigue. For some people, decluttering improved relationships. Some couple became more emotionally connected, because they left behind anxiety and started living in a better environment.
[0:10:34] Expanding Minds Interview: [Mental Wellness] We interview music and mental health writer Jason Schreurs. He hosts internationally renowned Scream Therapy Podcast. His book Scream Therapy – A Punk Journey Through Mental Health will be released May 1 through Mansfield Press. He lives with bipolar. For Jason, punk rock has always been a form of therapy – a way to feel that he belonged. In Jason’s experience, punk rock is about supporting each other and picking each other up. He learned when researching his book that therapy can be punk rock, in the spirit of resistance, rebellion, and going against the grain. He talked to counsellors, psychiatrists and therapists who do not take a top-down approach. Instead, they say things like, “Look there’s no hierarchy here. We’re supporting each other. I’m a trained professional, yes, but my role in this is to help you thrive and live your best life.”
[0:28:49] Adventures of the Starving Artist: Cameron met up with Grant Gimpel (Shy Harry and Pilot Project). They took I a jazz show where a bass player used an octaver pedal to great effect. He was on fire.
[0:32:19] Move That Body: Hilary Toth tells us about fun times playing volleyball.
[0:37:36] Running Popup: The song Dreams by the Cranberries came up when John was on a long run. The line about her life changing every day, in every possible way, hit him in a really great way. He reflected on changes in his life for the better. It felt good.
[0:39:56] Flipside of the Coin: John has a tendency to obsess, including to prep for a marathon. They were both surprised when he didn’t do that before the last one. It allowed them to enjoy the vacation in the week before.
Quotes and Take-Aways:
Jason – For me, punk rock has always been a form of therapy; a way to feel that I belonged; a way to feel right in the world. I honestly didn’t really feel comfortable in my own skin through my life. Finding punk rock when I was 14 totally made sense to me and became a way for me to placate myself, to soothe, to have energy, to get stoked and excited about things. It basically provided me with an anchor of where I could pull my energy from.
Jason – One of the things I found when researching and writing the book [Scream Therapy – A Punk Journey Through Mental Health] was that therapy itself is also punk rock. Therapy tends to be thought of as being traditional and conservative and status quo. In fact there are therapists and forms of therapy and approaches out there that are very much punk rock. When I say punk rock, I mean in the spirit of resistance, rebellion, going against the grain, and that empowerment that comes with being different.
Jason – Everything I learned, I learned it from punk rock. That includes learning about sexism and racism and homophobia and transphobia and all these things that are so important for people to learn, especially when they’re young. I had the benefit of learning this stuff quite young even though these issues weren’t as prevalent in society.
Jason – Myself I live with bipolar. I don’t use the word disorder. I don’t like thinking of myself as being sick. When I wake up in the morning, I’m a person who lives with bipolar. It’s not an illness or disease. To me it’s part of my life.
Jason – I talked to counsellors, psychiatrists and therapists for the book. What a lot of them are bringing it down to: Look there’s no hierarchy here. We’re supporting each other. I’m a trained professional, yes, but my role in this is to help you thrive and live your best life. Feel as alive as you can with the condition that you’ve got.
Jason – Punk rock is all about supporting each other and picking each other up of the floor. When you’re in a mosh pit, you pick the person up.
Bulletin Board Quote brought to you by Sammy: You are such a boy! OMG
Guest Information: Jason Schreurs is a music and mental health writer, host of the internationally renowned Scream Therapy podcast, and self-proclaimed punk weirdo living in Powell River, BC, a small coastal town on the traditional territory of the Tla’amin Nation. He has contributed to Visions Journal (Canadian Mental Health Association), Transition Magazine (Disability Alliance BC), OC87 Recovery Diaries, New Noise Magazine, Noisey (Vice), Alternative Press, and Exclaim! He’s a recent graduate of the MFA in Creative Nonfiction Program at the University of King’s College. When Jason’s not writing, podcasting, facilitating a bipolar support group, or doing other mental health advocacy work, he’s screaming into dented microphones and beating on his guitar like it’s a percussion instrument. His book Scream Therapy: A Punk Journey through Mental Health is available May 1 from Mansfield Press.
Link to Scream Therapy Pocast website: https://screamtherapyhq.com/
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Thanks for joining us,
(-(-_(-_-)_-)-) Your wellness check-in team
John, Sammy, Cameron, Sheila and Julie