Reflections ►
Have Yourself a Scream for Halloween!
by Dolores Halbin, contributing writer
Unlike any other holiday, on Halloween, we get to scream for fun! Not that other holidays don’ t end in screams, but those are rough screams— like from the uncle who starts a fight every Thanksgiving.
While both types of screams stimulate the sympathetic nervous system through the amygdala, the neurotransmitters are entirely different. Fun screams, like a roller coaster or a haunted house, are called Eustress screams. They stimulate adrenaline, dopamine, and serotonin, giving our brains a chance to have some fun.
These paths are full of gnarling beasts and zombies. Once we enter, we need a Wesley to guide us through the Fire Swamp to find our way out. A pill bottle alone won’ t get us home.
I am not anti-pill. If a person can tolerate the side effects, pills can help, but they will never be more than one leg of the treatment table. And a one-legged table isn’ t very secure.
The statistics of populations on prescribed drugs for brain monsters cannot be considered accurate at this time. The breakdown from multiple sources:
● Children: 10-20 %
● Police and all first responders: 34 %-39 %
● Veterans suffering from PTSD: 7 %( Yet, we lose 22 veterans a day to suicide.)
When data finally revealed that 4 % of people on antidepressants were committing suicide, especially kids, there was a pullback from their use. Whether we ever get accurate numbers of brain drug-induced suicides is doubtful. Deaths caused by pharmaceuticals, especially among veterans and kids, usually end up in settlements with non-disclosure agreements, preventing family members from speaking out. Statistics are murky, and I question all the sources.
What’ s Lurking in the Shadows?
A good scream cleans out the cobwebs and gives all our cells a chance to do something fun and exciting, replenishing our dopamine and serotonin!
That’ s why, on my husband’ s 60th birthday, I agreed to ride a rollercoaster with him and granddaughter # 1. I hate roller-coasters. I am not sure my two minutes of nonstop screaming was Eustress. I wish I had bought the picture of my face as we rounded the last bend, my granddaughter laughing, me looking like Jason was in front of me and Freddy Kruger behind me. I was genuinely terrified.
I have considered going to a haunted house this year just for a good scream, but not a roller coaster.
What’ s a Brain to do?
Day-to-day living only uses about 4 % of our brains. While 96 % of our brains are toddling around our gray and white matter, and in these spaces, sometimes things can go wrong, horribly wrong. Trauma creates new pathways in that open space that should not be there.
We know most of the brain mechanisms involved in our dark, scary, haunted heads. Trauma, genetics, environment, heavy metal exposure, neglect, abuse, injuries, and TBIs can all haunt us. Someone might have a genetic predisposition to various psychiatric challenges, but these inner demons often stay dormant until trauma exposes them. Trauma both creates and triggers our haunted houses.
The Trailblazers
For the latest in holistic treatments that turn our haunted houses into happy homes with flower gardens and yard art, I was blessed to interview two brilliant multi-disciplinary practitioners on a mission to find those paths to healing: The EVOLUTION’ s own April Hatch, RN extraordinaire, and active-duty police officer Lieutenant Sarko Gregerian, who is so passionate about helping his fellow officers and first responders, went back to school to become a therapist. Then, he trekked the country to find indigenous tribal teachers to learn about ancient healing rituals using psychedelic mushrooms for healing. 38 October 2025