Mental Hardcore Health News Letter #12 - The Hardcore Techno Mental Health Connection (and Hardcore as a type of therapy)

The reactions to our Mental Hardcore Health News were very good so far - much better than we expected, to be honest!
A few people went "yikes!" of course, probably feeling uncomfortable when "mental heatlh topics" are mentioned - and some went "well, what has this to do with hardcore techno and gabber?"
A lot! There is a quite deep connection between these two subjects. Let's take a look at that.

Some people listen to music "for fun", to feel good, euphoric; to be entertained, or to dance, or to be social, maybe even to flirt with others at a party...
But music can also have a therapeutic and healing effect.

And, 99 out of 100 people that I met and who are into hardcore and gabber, told me that this was the main reason they listen to this very extreme and surreal genre of music.
Well, they might not exactly word it that way - I, too, think terms like "therapeutic" and "mental health" can sound a bit sterile and clinical - but they employed words to the same effect.

They said that they turn to Hardcore when feeling blue, down, "being through with the world", weary, hopeless; or, 'to the opposite', when being full of pent-up rage, fury, anger, frustration; when being haunted by visions of vengeance and retaliation; and powerful sounds of hardcore would help them through this conundrum.

or they feel lost in a world that seems hostile, mean, merciless; a society and culture that neither cares, nurtures and supports them; but the beats of hardcore give them a feeling of individuality, rebellion, and self-esteem.

or they appear disconnected and dis-enchanted from the "mainstream" world, its misery, wars, negative politics, tragedies; and hardcore offers a voice to these voiceless, which allows them to feel understood and "not alone" for once.

I could tell 1000 more examples like this. but i guess you get the gist by now.

In one way or another, people in this "scene" feel troubled or are encountering troubles in their lives; and hardcore techno is their choice healing force, medicine, elixir that mitigates this pain.

and there are even a lot of folk who bear witness to the fact that hardcore music had the power and strength to help them "get through" when they met the darkest moments of their own life, whichever these might have been.

thus, hardcore is indeed deeply entwined in mental health subjects of all kinds.

and hardcore folk are bit different to other people in the respect that they do not merely listen to their favorite music to feel good; but because they know these sounds are strong enough to save their very souls.