ANGER MANAGEMENT COUNSELING IN DENVER, CO

Emotions are a wonderful element of human existence. The thunderous experience of anger can bring forth fear and uncertainty when experienced personally or witnessed at the hands of others. Out of all emotions, anger often gets the bad rap. When the emotional roots of anger are expressed by way of yelling, arguing, insulting, manipulation—or even physical altercations, destruction of property, and injuries to others—not only challenge relationships but also can destroy the psyche, leaving everlasting wounds and broken pieces that are never healed. Like anything in excess, uncontrollable anger is unhealthy. However, it is treatable through anger management counseling.

What is Anger Management?

When we see the emotional or physical aspects of anger, we are witnessing only the surface level. What we understand about anger is that it is fueled by hurt. I once had a professor describe this notion using a matchstick metaphor. The friction is the trigger that “strikes the match,” so to speak. The flame is the anger we feel and experience.  Interestingly, what keeps fueling the anger is hurt, which burns hot deep below the surface.

We all have the ability to stop anger before it burns out of control, but we must first start to recognize what is happening in both our bodies and our thoughts. Everyone begins with a normal arousal state, but as we are triggered the anger increases in its intensity. If we catch it early, we have the ability to take control of and reduce it. Through using some coping skills we can reduce our internal state. However, if we don’t take control in that crucial time, it’s over. As our body and brain take over, we lose complete control. Brain scans provide further evidence that, when anger appears, it shuts down the frontal cortex of our brain, the area that’s in charge of decision-making and picking up on social cues, etc.