Anger is an instinctive and natural emotion which everyone has experienced in their life. We’ve all felt our anger levels rise when we perceive a threat or if we feel frustrated, insulted, treated unfairly or that our values have been compromised.
Occasional anger is quite different to having ongoing anger issues. If a person’s rage becomes frequent, prolonged or difficult to control, this could indicate an anger disorder.
We all experience anger in different ways, but a person with anger management issues may express their anger in an unhealthy manner, such as:
- Aggression and physical violence: This could involve shouting, throwing objects, profanities or being physically or verbally abusive or threatening towards other people
- Anger directly internally: This means that a person may feel hatred towards themselves or deny themselves the things that make them happy. In severe cases, self-harm is also a symptom of inward aggression
- Passive or emotional aggression: Such as excluding people or refusing to talk to them, performing tasks badly on purpose or extensively using sarcasm and comments in a passive aggressive manner without being explicitly aggressive.
Left untreated, expressing anger in the form of physical violence can become very destructive, increase the risk of physical harm towards others and have a damaging effect on a person’s family life, relationships and career. It can also have serious consequences, such as the loss of friends or family, being dismissed from a job.
A person can also find it hard to concentrate or may find themselves ruminating on past events, which could lead them to take impulsive actions such as revenge, reckless driving, or drug and alcohol use, which could lead them into dangerous situations or legal difficulties.
Even if the person has never displayed aggression towards others, internalising anger can also be very damaging. In either scenario, it’s important to know that professional treatment and support is available.
The CBT approach to dealing with anger
Anger or a lost temper can often flare up before the thought process has time to react. By working with a trained cognitive behavioural therapist, a person can learn to recognise the signs of a temper flare and prepare themselves to manage the anger in a more constructive manner. Anger can also flare from errors in communication with others and CBT helps the client to take a step back and deal with the situation in calmly.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is an evidence-driven verbal therapy that utilises a range of questions and responses to identify the areas in which a person’s anger is likely to be triggered. By gaining an understanding of the emotions that act as the trigger for anger, a CBT professional will teach their client a range of techniques to reduce the anger levels before they lead to destructive and potential harmful outbursts of uncontrolled rage.
It’s essential to explore all the CBT strategies to decide, with the guidance of the therapist, which techniques best help a person to feel more in control of their temper and improve situations that have previously been overwhelming and anger arousing.
Successful CBT for anger management will help the client to recognise that they do have the ability to manage their emotions and anger in situations that would have previously incited rage or loss of temper. This is achieved by understanding the unconscious reasons for the anger, which could range from feeling invalidated or exploited as a child, or feelings of worthlessness which often lie at the root of an anger management issue.
Speak to an accredited professional for support
Jamie Dempsey is an Accredited Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist who has proven experience in improving the lives of hundreds of patients, helping them to gain a greater understanding of the intricacies of the deep anger management issues that his clients face.
Jamie and his team can provide cognitive restructuring and problem-solving techniques and constructive communications skills to reduce anger and the negative behaviours associated with anger management issues.
If you are looking to take control of your anger or feel that your outbursts are having a detrimental effect on your life and the lives of those close to you, then contact Jamie and take the first step towards a calmer, more fulfilling life.
