People positioning themselves in situations that would be mortifying for most in a bid to “desensitize” themselves from “rejection pain” have taken social media by storm, with many videos going viral for exposing the newly popular “rejection therapy.”

Taking to her TikTok page on May 4, Kers Travel Stories posted a video capturing the moment she saw a woman lying in the middle of a busy street on a yoga mat.  

Filming the woman, visibly unbothered, The TikToker wrote in the video, which has since amassed 8.4 million views: “The girl was just laying on her yoga mat in the middle of Brickell and I was wondering what she’s doing & that’s what she told me.”

Cautiously approaching the peculiar situation, the TikToker questioned what the woman was doing on the ground, to which she replied: “It’s a rejection therapy.”

People engage in “rejection therapy” by placing themselves in mortifying situations

Image credits: kerstravelstories

Image credits: kerstravelstories

“So you go and you do something super weird, and the goal is to get a big amount of crazy looks. 

“Like, ‘Oh, my God, she’s crazy,’ and so then, like, after you do the good amount of these exercises, you’re not afraid of, like, people judging you or, like, rejecting you or looking weird at you.”

The rejection therapy practitioner went on to inform the TikToker that the method was based on Jia Jiang’s book Rejection Proof.

The therapy aims at desensitizing people to rejection pain

@kerstravelstories AMAZING I need to try it!! She was so lovely, if someone knows her please tag her!! 🩷🩷🩷 #miami #brickell #therapy #book #mindset #viral #love #goodvibes #usa #travel #manifestation #attract #tag #girls ♬ original sound – kerstravelstories

Image credits: maddie.cleary

“AMAZING I need to try it!! She was so lovely if someone knows her please tag her!!” the content creator captioned her video.

Jia Jiang came to the USA with the dream of being the next Bill Gates, Good Reads explains. 

Despite early success in the corporate world, his first attempt to pursue his entrepreneurial dream ended in rejection. 

The method has gone viral on social media

@maddie.cleary not my best work but we’ll get them tmrw 🫡 #rejectiontherapy #immunetofear ♬ original sound – Maddie Cleary

Image credits: samwitness

Jia was crushed and spiraled into a period of deep self-doubt. But he realized that his fear of rejection was a bigger obstacle than any single rejection would ever be, and he needed to find a way to cope with being told no without letting it destroy him. 

The author initiated his “100 days of rejection” experiment by intentionally seeking daily rejections, such as asking a car salesman for a sales lesson, requesting to make a loudspeaker announcement on a flight, and famously asking for Krispy Kreme doughnuts in the shape of Olympic rings.

The social cataloging website further states that Jia learned techniques for steeling himself against rejection and ways to develop his own confidence.

The method was based on Jia Jiang’s book Rejection Proof

@samwitness So so nervous for this, left it feeling amazing 🤣🌎 – and impressed with the amount of claps i got! Push that discomfort barrier! You’re limiting yourself 💙🤝🏼 Day 18 ✅ #exposuretherapy#rejectiontherapy#embarrassing ♬ original sound – Zach webb

Image credits: ninadevriess

The book appeared to have gained traction on social media in recent years, as TikToker Maddie Cleary documented her journey of “becoming immune to fear.”

She previously shared a video where she performed a ridiculous dance in the middle of a busy grocery store, stunning shoppers in the aisles.

Back in 2022, Influencer Boi Yoit went viral on TikTok for filming himself shouting in a bustling airplane: “Everyone say hell yeah if you’re excited, 1 2 3 hell yeah!”

The author initiated his “100 days of rejection” experiment by intentionally seeking daily rejections

@ninadevriess Dag 39!! Mochten jullie nog leuke opdrachten weten voor op vakantie 🕺 #immunetofear #rejectiontherapy #bali #canggu ♬ origineel geluid – Nina de Vries

Image credits: smith_oj

He captioned his video: “Don’t mind me, just doing some rejection therapy.”

Last year, BBass13 shared on his TikTok page a video documenting his “Day 6 of rejection therapy.”

In the video, the TikToker walked up to a stranger at a gas station and challenged him to an arm wrestling game.

The book appeared to have gained traction on social media in recent years

@smith_oj I cringe so hard watching this 😅 #immunetofear #cringetok #manchester #love #smithstoks ♬ original sound – Smith OJ

Image credits: boi.yoit

BBass13 tried with another man at the same gas station but was rejected.

Last month, Sam Witness took to his TikTok page to showcase his “Day 18 of getting rejected every single day.”

In a video, Sam went inside a café and yelled: “If you’re happy and you know clap your hands.”

Rejection therapy is a real-life game originally designed by Jason Comely and currently owned and operated by Jia Jiang

@boi.yoitDont mind me, just doing some rejection therapy.♬ Fortnite Move Do It Again – denxz?

Image credits: bbass13

His first attempt was met with silence, but after building up more confidence, Sam managed to motivate some people to actually clap their hands and laugh.

Rejection therapy is a real-life game originally designed by Jason Comely and currently owned and operated by Jia Jiang, the Rejection Therapy’s official website states. The game is made for anyone who wants to build confidence and overcome the fear of rejection.

The method promises its followers to become desensitized to rejection pain, learn to negotiate under pressure, open up life opportunities hidden from them before, and gain a positive attitude toward themselves and humanity in just 30 days.

The method promises its followers to become desensitized to rejection pain and learn to negotiate under pressure in just 30 days

@bbass13 Day 6 of rejection therapy😝 #fyp #fypシ #foryoupage #foryou ♬ original sound – BBass13

Image credits: Jason Comely

The website offers rejection therapy game PDFs, which are downloadable for $10 to $20.

Dr Peter Tuerk, a clinical psychologist who uses rejection therapy to treat adolescent social anxiety, explained that “exposure therapy” is an umbrella term for a form of treatment where participants encounter a phobic stimulus in a safe environment. 

Confrontation with the source of anxiety leads to a reduction in fear responses and subsequently prevents the avoidant behaviors that feed phobias and social anxiety.

A psychologist said confrontation with the source of anxiety leads to a reduction in fear responses

Image credits: GoodReads

He told Dazed in 2023: “What we want is people to learn that they can tolerate the distress that’s associated with their physiological responses.

“What happens over time is you habituate. Just like when you jump in a pool: it feels cold, then you wait, and that gets better.” 

Dr Tuerk differentiated between the experience of daily embarrassment and pathological disorders. 

You can watch Jia’s Ted Talk below:

He told the publication: “I use rejection therapy to help people that have functionally impairing conditions: people that are avoiding going to school, people that are avoiding going to the store, people who are having panic attacks.

“I wouldn’t use it for a teenager who’s just an awkward teenager, because they’re likely to still be embarrassed at the end of the day.

“We don’t have enough rejection therapy tools to get them totally immune from rejection, and we wouldn’t want them to be.”

“I work in sales, rejection is my home,” a reader joked

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