Mental health organisations Happy Minds and Project Loud conducted a scream therapy session at Marble Dada, Godawari, on Saturday, introducing participants to an unconventional stress-release technique.

The hour-long session, which began at 9:00 am, aimed to familiarise the public with alternative therapy methods while providing participants an opportunity to release pent-up emotional pain and stress through guided screaming exercises.

Screaming can help release difficult emotions, foster a sense of community and empowerment, and release both helpful and detrimental hormones. This therapy is best practised with the guidance of a mental health professional.

On Saturday morning, facilitators began the session with vocal warm-ups. Following the warm-ups, each participant took turns screaming individually, with the entire group screaming in response, a symbolic practice to acknowledge and validate each person’s pain and distress.

The session progressed to positive affirmations and primal screaming, techniques intended to help participants release their emotional burdens.

“Therapy doesn’t have to be confined to four walls,” Shreeya Giri, the founder and managing director of Happy Minds, said. “Nepal needs more innovative spaces for venting, sharing, and healing.”

Similarly, one of the facilitators of the session, Bhawishya Limbu, said, “Watching isolation dissolve into collective release was powerful. When people felt their voices were welcomed, a sense of belonging emerged, and strangers became a support system.”

“I got to meet so many wonderful people,” said Sharmila Adhikari, a participant in the session. “This was my first time trying therapy, and it made me feel good. I was able to let go of a lot of things, and I felt so much lighter afterwards.”