Restructuring Anger as an Energetic Experience

Anger, a natural human experience, is an emotion that invites mindfulness from addicts in recovery.  They must be very careful to not get stuck there, even though anger is a natural  response to some life experiences.  A dynamic understanding of emotional responses can aid you in processing anger.   Emotions are an energetic charge and even though they are cognitively processed, there is still an energy present that is not dissolved cognitively.  

Anger is typically a response to having security threatened.  This is also true of animals in the natural world.  When becoming aware of being hunted, animals will typically engage fight or flight responses free from mental analysis.   There is an energy coursing through the body and it instinctively evokes these responses.  

In recovery and in the social world of humans, it is not appropriate to respond to life with flight or fight responses.  However, they still have the instinct to do so.  To return to a neutral state, it is necessary to move the emotions through the parasympathetic nervous system.  The following are some simple tools to move the energy that is generated.  Be aware of those around you when engaging these practices as this energy releasement may activate fear or anger in others.

• In the car, simply scream as loud as possible.  
• Go for a sprint around the block – running as fast as possible for a short distance.
• Find some junk mail or other paper that is no longer of use and intensely rip it into pieces.
• Release the energy from the gut by using lion’s pose as intensely as possible.  
• Create a stack of pillows and pummel them with fists while screaming.  

As you release fight or flight responses, be aware that these practices may not fully resolve the emotion with one attempt at energy practices, especially in the case of anger stored from the past.  However, they may create a state that centered enough so that a deeper reflection process can be impactful.  

If you are struggling with addiction, alcoholism, and/or mental health, know that there is hope. There is a solution. Harmoniously fusing together the best elements of clinical care, holistic healing, and 12-step philosophy, Enlightened Solutions has created a program of total transformation for men and women seeking recovery. Call 833-801-5483 today for information on our partial care programs in New Jersey.