Serbia... Savo Duvnjak looks around the
room, lifts a metal baseball bat and wrecks everything in sight —
bed, table, shelves, chair — until there's nothing left to
wreck.
This isn't a criminal onslaught. It's the Rage Room.
And it's smashing its way to success in Serbia one angry visitor at
a time.
"This feels so good!" Duvnjak said sweating and panting, as he
admired the mound of debris he created — for just a modest fee.
"I feel I let go of all my negative energy," the 18-year-old
gushed. "This last year was a tough one and I wanted to end it with
a bang!"
Since it opened in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad in
October, the Rage Room has drawn a flurry of attention in the
Balkan country where two decades of war, political crisis and
economic hardship have driven many people over the edge. Inspired
by a similar "Anger Room" in Dallas, Texas, Serbia's version was
set up by two teens who saw the U.S. original online and figured it
could be a way to earn pocket money.
"On average, we
have one person a day, enough to keep us going," said Nicola
Pausic, an 18-year-old who runs the room with a friend.
The Dallas version
costs up to $75 per session and has an array of objects to destroy,
including computers and office furniture. Serbia's Rage Room,
organized in a refurbished garage, is much more basic — and
cheaper.
Included in the
roughly $6 fee is the right to smash a chair, a table, a bed, a
coat-rack and a book-shelf, along with items such as framed
photographs, empty cans and plastic containers. Clients must wear a
helmet, protective glasses and gloves. Afterward they get to unwind
to relaxing music, leaving the clean-up to staff.
"Dozens have come
so far," Pausic said, "people of all ages" — adding that it's also
popular among women. He said that visitors usually need about five
minutes to destroy everything inside.
While it may be an
easy way to let off steam, experts warn that projects like this are
no replacement for anger management therapy.
Sanja Marjanovic,
a psychologist from Belgrade, said that modern science looks for
ways to control frustrations before they explode into full-blown
rage. She explained that "venting anger does give you an immediate
sense of relief but in the long run, one becomes accustomed to
feeling angry."
"In a stressful
situation, one can count to ten, or take calm, deep breaths," she
said. "It's much more useful to practice yoga."
Pausic said each
visitor must sign a document that includes a clause saying the Rage
Room does not aspire to offer medical assistance.
And, after the
session is over, customers are given a CD that includes information
about professional therapists and how to contact them.
For his part,
Duvnjak found therapeutic value in the Rage Room. He said the
session helped to take off some of the pressure that had built up
in his studies — adding that many of his friends felt the same
way.
"This is better
than getting into a fight," he concluded.
