"Scream into a pillow," grief counselors advised Colette Said soon after her daughter and infant grandson were killed in a car accident in South Africa in 1993.
Said did just that, and although wailing into a cushion would never bring back Katy Langaas and 3-month-old Sven, it allowed her to let out her emotions in private.
When Said passed the coping technique onto her surviving daughter, Gabrielle Yetter, now a Marblehead resident, she saw room for improvement: Since there was no dedicated pillow for the practice, Said had to use one from around the house. She mentioned to Yetter, a media professional, that she should develop such a pillow.
The idea stayed with Yetter for years, and after some false starts, she began selling the "Screaming Pillow" online last fall.
"This is something I started years ago, and I've dragged it around the world with me," said Yetter, who took up the project again after being laid off 10 months ago. "I've wanted to do (this) for so long."
Despite the circumstances, Yetter said she didn't want the Screaming Pillow to be maudlin; rather, she sees it as a "lighthearted tool for stress relief."
The front of the pillow shows a colorful, screaming face, and the back has a round, dotted circle with the words, "When You Just Have to Let it Out ... Place Face Here and Scream!"
Yetter said she also hopes to provide pillows to organizations like Girls Inc., support groups and a camp for children who lost parents, as a tool for expressing emotions.
"I'd like to be able to do something to help people, not just say, 'Here's a pillow.'"
Yetter's late sister is never far from her thoughts: She named her company The Brightside Group in memory of Katy, who was born in Brighton, England, and with whom she shares a maiden name, Said — pronounced "side."
Merge the words, and the result appeals to Yetter.
"The focus of the company is to provide products which help people see on the bright side of dark situations," said Yetter, who sees positive thinking as a self-fulfilling prophecy.
"There are a lot of awful things that happen to people, but if you look on the bright side and think positive, what you focus on expands."
Where to get the Screaming Pillow
The pillow ($19.99) is only available online, at http://screamingpillows.com. A portion of proceeds go to charities, including Compassionate Friends, the organization that first advised Colette Said to scream into a pillow.
Instruction card
The Screaming Pillow comes with a whimsical "instruction" card with directions on how to use it:
1) Focus on the source of your anger and frustration.
2) Muster up all the emotion you can.
3) Place face in pillow and SCREAM LIKE CRAZY.
4) Repeat steps 1 through 3 until exhausted or smiling.
5) Thank your pillow by giving it a big hug!
