Anger

If you have been reading the pages on this website you will have seen how, on the whole, I do not see specific symptoms as being able to be treated in isolation from a deeper emphasis on the whole personality. The same goes for anger. In many ways anger is the emotion that many of us find the most challenging in terms of finding an appropriate level of expression. Too much suppression of anger often leads to depression and other forms of ill health. Too much expression of anger leads to either verbal or physical violence and destructive relationships.

Anger management techniques are helpful at first, however in the long run, some expressive processing of anger needs to take place in the therapy itself. This will be different depending on the model of therapy being used. So if I was working psychoanalytically, anger can often be expressed towards the therapist in the session in what is termed “transference’ i.e. you unconsciously enact anger towards the therapist which is based on anger towards others from your past which has been suppressed. Schema therapy is another very useful way to help express anger. I use two chair work to help an individual both recognize and express their anger. EMDR can also be used to process anger connected to traumas such as physical or sexual abuse.