Hardcore Healing by Mai

neelmaya4 — 2025-04-06 23:50:31 UTC

My interview with Ethan, vocalist and writer for hardcore band ‘E’ took place before his band's set in a basement in Lowell. When asked about unifying values of the hardcore community, he told me some of the most important things were supporting the youth, being there for your friends and community, and “don’t be a dickhead”. In other terms, don’t be mean. Meanness in the punk community doesn't really mean what typical people consider mean. The community is about holding each other accountable, not protecting each other's feelings.

neelmaya4 — 2025-04-07 00:02:54 UTC

Anger in the body

neelmaya4 — 2025-04-07 00:04:19 UTC

Damage that occurs in the nervous system due to societal standards stifling adaptability, comfortability, pleasure, and expression can be counteracted through “somatic exercises that emphasize fluidity and adaptability in movement” In other words, freeing the body through expressive movement can be a way of healing the damage done by trauma imposed by unrealistic standards.

The Neuroscience of Dance

neelmaya4 — 2025-04-07 00:07:31 UTC

As far as the effects of dance on the mind, dance encourages awareness of the body as well as the ability to reprogram the brain to learn new ways of movement. This is known as neuroplasticity. Dance integrates emotion with multiple forms of intellect and self control, forming connections between neurons that may not be otherwise present. Also, dance therapy has been successfully used to treat many different disorders, including schizophrenia, anxiety, and victims of abuse.

neelmaya4 — 2025-04-07 23:18:36 UTC

neelmaya4 — 2025-04-08 03:09:17 UTC

It should be added that sometimes meanness is justified, or simply harmless, and hardcore has no rules! No one should be kicked out of a show because of hurt feelings. Doing so would take away from when we actually need to protect our community from the harmful type of meanness.

Queer Feminist Hardcore: Girls Living Outside Societies Shit

neelmaya4 — 2025-04-08 03:20:07 UTC

G.L.O.S.S. was a trans fem hardcore band that pioneered the way for queer voices within the community.

This is for the outcasts, rejects, girls and the queers:

neelmaya4 — 2025-04-08 03:22:44 UTC

For the downtrodden women who have shed their last tears

Fighters, psychos, freaks, and the femmes

Entrail Asphixiation: A Lesson in the Power of the Unappealing

neelmaya4 — 2025-04-08 03:27:52 UTC

As with many bands whithin some heavier genres under the hardcore or death metal umbrella, Entrail Asphyxiation takes this premise of "Ugliness" and flips it on its head by using possibly disgusting or even disturbing phrases for song names and creating something powerful in spite of undoubtedly turning a few people away before they can even listen. Even the band name follows such a premise. I say in spite of, but it is actually because of its ugliness that it is so powerful. Some people will not appreciate it, or understand it, which makes it special.

neelmaya4 — 2025-04-08 14:42:19 UTC

In order to understand how hardcore can be healing for many forms of trauma, it is essential to understand first how values within the community are connected to proven successful forms of therapy

IFS: A definition

neelmaya4 — 2025-04-08 14:43:01 UTC

Internal family systems therapy, or IFS, is a successfully proven method for healing trauma. IFS focuses on separate parts of the self, with the culmination of the therapy focusing on healing and accepting parts known as “exiles”. These are parts of ourselves which hold our trauma, often carrying shame and are pushed away by the other parts of self in the name of protecting the mind as a whole

Embracing Imperfections

neelmaya4 — 2025-04-08 14:45:13 UTC

Embracing all parts of yourself, even the parts that seem unappealing, is the first step to also accepting and embracing differences in others. Whether it is through moshing without being worried about looking ridiculous, dressing to the nines without fear of cold stares filled with judgment, or screaming along the words to your favorite songs, any punk will tell you the first step to being hardcore is to stop being so careful! So who cares how others perceive you, as long as you are being you

Valuing the unseen, the unheard, and the unwanted

neelmaya4 — 2025-04-08 14:48:31 UTC

Because of their values and resistance to social norms, punks are able to access empathy for disadvantaged people within their community. An essential part of being punk is protecting and standing with those who are being most brutally affected by the establishment they resist

Historic Resistance

neelmaya4 — 2025-04-08 14:51:13 UTC

Throughout history, punks have been at the forefront of direct action movements to fight fascism.

Isolation Manifests Creativity

neelmaya4 — 2025-07-12 18:10:12 UTC

Beyond what Ethan said to me in words, his music showed a true commitment to self expression through creating a sound that you couldn’t get from anyone but Ethan and his bandmates, Peggy, Jon, and And Anders. Truly, the combination of sounds and quality of their music is something that couldn’t happened with anyone else. Or anywhere else. During our conversation Ethan told me “isolation manifests creativity”. Being from Cape Cod, Ethan knows a thing or two about isolation. He elaborated that not only was the geographic location a source of creativity, but his own introspection as well.