Are 'Rage Rooms' Good Mental Health Treatment?
2021-03-02
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1From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.
2After nearly a year in pandemic lockdowns, many people have experienced stress.
3There are many different ways to reduce stress.
4Some people might choose to walk in nature or do another kind of exercise.
5Others may try some deep breathing or spend time doing an activity that makes them happy.
6But some people have found a much different way to beat stress - by breaking things into a million little pieces.
7Since doing this at home could be destructive and possibly dangerous, places have been set up to permit people to destroy things legally and safely.
8The places are called rage rooms.
9Rage is a term that means strong anger.
10A rage room is a private business where you pay to break things.
11People who have used rage rooms and therapists who approve or disapprove of them recently spoke to the Associated Press.
12Business executive and father Josh Elohim recently visited a rage room.
13After breaking a computer printer and other items, he said the activity "felt good."
14It was like the kind of exercise he used to get cutting wood at his country home in New York.
15Since last winter, Elohim and his wife, Michelle, have been in lockdown at home with four kids, ages 4 to 17.
16The two said they badly needed a way to reduce stress and let off steam.
17So, they went to marriage and family therapist Yashica Budde.
18After the family dressed in protective clothing and picked their "destructive devices," they entered a rage room.
19The family is religious. Josh, the father, explained that their belief in God keeps them grounded.
20But he added with a laugh, "I'm not opposed to breaking some stuff to relieve some tension."
21In the United States, rage rooms became more common in late 2019.
22Many people used the rooms to release stress related to life events, such as going through a breakup.
23Others visited rage rooms with friends as simply a way to have fun.
24But the rooms became more popular as most other entertainment places started shutting down last March.
25As the pandemic continues, Budde sees her rooms as valuable therapy.
26She has been a therapist for 13 years.
27She suggests different kinds of therapy to the people she works with, such as yoga and meditation.
28Usually these are quiet treatments.
29For something different, she decided to create rage rooms.
30Other therapists have also been sending patients to her rooms, called Smash Rx. She hopes more will do the same.
31Some therapists, however, thinks smash therapy is not a healthy form of treatment.
32"I don't know of any therapist who would actually prescribe going to the rage room as a form of therapy," said Kevin Bennett.
33He is a psychologist and professor of psychology at Pennsylvania State University.
34Bennett adds that especially if a patient has issues with violent behavior, sending them to a rage room does not seem healthy.
35He compared it to sending a person with a gambling problem into a casino for treatment.
36The thinking behind this kind of therapy, Bennett says, goes back to Sigmund Freud's psychotherapy theories nearly a hundred years ago.
37He explained that it is an "idea of catharsis."
38This means if you relieve your aggression and anger, you may feel better.
39The problem, he said, is that more recent studies beginning in the 1960s showed an unplanned result.
40If people learn that acting violently is okay in one situation, they may do so at other times.
41Bennett said that while some supporters of Freud may still support the theory, he and most others think that rage rooms are best left as just a form of entertainment.
42Tom Daly operates one of the oldest rage rooms in the U.S.
43His Break Bar opened in 2015 in New York City.
44He says his visitors tell him that smashing things makes them feel better.
45However, his rooms "are purely designed for fun."
46Daly says that during the pandemic, his rage rooms have stayed full.
47Before, the rooms were not the busiest part of his business.
48That would be the bar and restaurant he operates next door.
49But those services have been closed for much of the pandemic.
50"I think everyone's stressed out across the country," Daly said.
51Among the destructors on a recent night were a mother and her three teenage daughters.
52After being stuck together in the house for months, they were all happy to break things.
53The mother said her daughters have been out of school for a long time and do not know when they are going back.
54Her 17-year-old daughter, Piper, said she had lost her whole last year of high school.
55But inside a rage room, the girls laughed and cheered as they destroyed item after item.
56One of the things smashed against the wall was a plate with "COVID-19" written on it.
57And that's the Health & Lifestyle report.
58I'm Anna Matteo and I'm Jonathan.
1From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report. 2After nearly a year in pandemic lockdowns, many people have experienced stress. There are many different ways to reduce stress. Some people might choose to walk in nature or do another kind of exercise. Others may try some deep breathing or spend time doing an activity that makes them happy. 3But some people have found a much different way to beat stress - by breaking things into a million little pieces. Since doing this at home could be destructive and possibly dangerous, places have been set up to permit people to destroy things legally and safely. 4The places are called rage rooms. Rage is a term that means strong anger. A rage room is a private business where you pay to break things. 5People who have used rage rooms and therapists who approve or disapprove of them recently spoke to the Associated Press. 6Business executive and father Josh Elohim recently visited a rage room. After breaking a computer printer and other items, he said the activity "felt good." It was like the kind of exercise he used to get cutting wood at his country home in New York. 7Since last winter, Elohim and his wife, Michelle, have been in lockdown at home with four kids, ages 4 to 17. The two said they badly needed a way to reduce stress and let off steam. 8So, they went to marriage and family therapist Yashica Budde. After the family dressed in protective clothing and picked their "destructive devices," they entered a rage room. 9The family is religious. Josh, the father, explained that their belief in God keeps them grounded. But he added with a laugh, "I'm not opposed to breaking some stuff to relieve some tension." 10In the United States, rage rooms became more common in late 2019. Many people used the rooms to release stress related to life events, such as going through a breakup. Others visited rage rooms with friends as simply a way to have fun. 11But the rooms became more popular as most other entertainment places started shutting down last March. 12As the pandemic continues, Budde sees her rooms as valuable therapy. She has been a therapist for 13 years. She suggests different kinds of therapy to the people she works with, such as yoga and meditation. Usually these are quiet treatments. For something different, she decided to create rage rooms. 13Other therapists have also been sending patients to her rooms, called Smash Rx. She hopes more will do the same. 14How healthy is it? 15Some therapists, however, thinks smash therapy is not a healthy form of treatment. 16"I don't know of any therapist who would actually prescribe going to the rage room as a form of therapy," said Kevin Bennett. He is a psychologist and professor of psychology at Pennsylvania State University. 17Bennett adds that especially if a patient has issues with violent behavior, sending them to a rage room does not seem healthy. He compared it to sending a person with a gambling problem into a casino for treatment. 18The thinking behind this kind of therapy, Bennett says, goes back to Sigmund Freud's psychotherapy theories nearly a hundred years ago. 19He explained that it is an "idea of catharsis." This means if you relieve your aggression and anger, you may feel better. The problem, he said, is that more recent studies beginning in the 1960s showed an unplanned result. If people learn that acting violently is okay in one situation, they may do so at other times. 20Bennett said that while some supporters of Freud may still support the theory, he and most others think that rage rooms are best left as just a form of entertainment. 21Tom Daly operates one of the oldest rage rooms in the U.S. His Break Bar opened in 2015 in New York City. He says his visitors tell him that smashing things makes them feel better. However, his rooms "are purely designed for fun." 22Daly says that during the pandemic, his rage rooms have stayed full. Before, the rooms were not the busiest part of his business. That would be the bar and restaurant he operates next door. But those services have been closed for much of the pandemic. 23"I think everyone's stressed out across the country," Daly said. 24Among the destructors on a recent night were a mother and her three teenage daughters. After being stuck together in the house for months, they were all happy to break things. 25The mother said her daughters have been out of school for a long time and do not know when they are going back. Her 17-year-old daughter, Piper, said she had lost her whole last year of high school. 26But inside a rage room, the girls laughed and cheered as they destroyed item after item. One of the things smashed against the wall was a plate with "COVID-19" written on it. 27And that's the Health & Lifestyle report. 28I'm Anna Matteo and I'm Jonathan. 29John Rogers reported this story from Los Angeles for The Associated Press. AP videographer Eugene Garcia and AP photographer Jae Hong contributed to the story. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English. Bryan Lynn was the editor. 30________________________________________________________________ 31Words in This Story 32stress - n. a state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in your life, work, etc. : something that causes strong feelings of worry or anxiety 33therapist - n. a person who helps people deal with mental or emotional problems by talking about those problems : a person trained in methods of treating illnesses especially without the use of drugs or surgery 34let off steam idiomatic expression 35relieve - v. to reduce or remove (something, such as pain or an unpleasant feeling) 36entertainment - n. amusement or pleasure that comes from watching a performer, playing a game, etc. 37meditation - n. the act or process of spending time in quiet thought 38prescribe - v. : to officially tell someone to use (a medicine, therapy, diet, etc.) as a remedy or treatment 39gambling - n. the practice or activity of betting money : the practice of risking money in a game or bet 40casino - n. a building or room that has games (such as roulette or blackjack) for gambling 41catharsis - n. formal : the act or process of releasing a strong emotion (such as pity or fear) especially by expressing it in an art form