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The Potential Wellness Benefits of Raving

Abby Dougherty
38 min readSep 24, 2023

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Photo by Bradley Dunn on Unsplash

In the domain of holistic wellness, the role of social events and recreational activities cannot be overlooked. One such activity is “raving”, typically associated with electronic dance music (EDM) events. While the subject of raving has historically been controversial due to concerns around substance abuse and safety, recent findings suggest that, when approached responsibly, regular raving might support overall wellness in several aspects: fostering social connections, promoting physical health, and offering a space for emotional release.

Fostering Social Connections

Social connections and human relationships are fundamental to emotional well-being (Holt-Lunstad, Smith, & Layton, 2010). Raves, by nature, are social events, bringing together diverse groups of people to bond over shared interests in music, dance, and community.

Building a Sense of Community: Raves create a unique environment where individuals from different walks of life unite under a shared passion for music and dance. This can foster a profound sense of belonging and community. Recent studies on subcultures emphasize that participation in such communities can significantly contribute to a person’s identity and sense of self-worth (Goulding, Shankar, & Elliott, 2002).

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Abby Dougherty
Abby Dougherty

Written by Abby Dougherty

Abby Dougherty, PhD, loves to learn, and produce scholarship on relational-cultural theory, virtual reality, AI, and using mindfulness in counselor education.

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