In Part I of this series, we explored some of the reasons why our emotions can seem louder and/or less controlled during more intensive cleansing and detoxification protocols. In the first article, we focused on sadness and grief. In this article we will shift our focus over to anger, irritation and frustration.
I would like to start by sharing a powerful bit of wisdom I received from a mentor years ago: Anger is the most powerful force for transformation WHEN it is channeled through the heart. When it is channeled through the mind, it is destructive, which is what we see happening most of the time.
Long term, anger can be at the root of conditions such as high blood pressure and liver disease, and is also related to digestive disturbance and headaches (in TCM some heads occur with “heat rising”, ie someone is hot-headed). Chronic suppressed anger often results in depression, insomnia and anxiety. When studied, experiencing anger actually shows measurable decreases in cognitive capacity, shifting the activation of the brain away from the higher processing centers towards the brainstem, so more so that reptilian/primal brain. On the other hand, unlike other seemingly negative emotional states such as fear, sadness or depression, Anger expresses motivating behaviors, normally associated with positive emotional states. For instance, anger stimulates similar responses as increased optimism, and confidence in task completion. This aligns with that statement it seems, consistent with the concept that anger can result in feelings of empowerment, and depending on the path we take during those times, can be a force for creation or destruction.
As we mature, heal and become more balanced and empowered humans, we can harness this incredibly powerful emotional energy towards positive change, both for ourselves and humanity as a whole. I imagine it to be akin to a superhero learning to control their blossoming powers. It is not about suppressing the energy, nor allowing it to run rampant and uncontrolled. Neither have good results. Rather, hold the energy within your field, seek understand its roots fully, and then allow it to flow out of us towards something constructive, positive, and even loving.
Exploring Anger
For so many, the experience of anger is one that we like to avoid, limit or pass by quickly. It can be destructive when fully unleashed. Most often if we experienced abuse, anger was at the root of, and a result of the abusive behavior. Sometimes the anger we feel is specific, either within the context of the same person or situation. Others, it is a state of being we find ourselves in often in general, perhaps many situations in life have left us feeling angry, and thus we are quick to anger. Often unresolved childhood or relationship trauma can be lingering under the surface affecting so many aspects of our present state, whether we are aware of our anger or not.
This is where we come to the other side of the spectrum, those who do not consider themselves “angry people” at all, perhaps rarely feel anger, tend more towards sadness or depression. Often anger is seen as an unacceptable or ugly emotion. Or because of trauma we experienced at the hands of an angry person or persons, we may suppress our own anger out of fear of the emotion in general. Also, in order to feel anger, there needs to be a solid enough sense of self to think we even deserve to feel angry.
Often for those who do not typically experience anger, it is actually a really positive sign when this can start to come up. When exploring the depth of self, and as we seek to heal and become aware of our emotional landscape and particularly any suppressed emotions, anger can actually be one of the first things we experience. It does function often as it can be a protective emotion, forming a shield between us and our experiences to keep us feeling safe and in power. Anger can rise when our boundaries are being violated, or our safety threatened, whether actual or perceived threat.
Beneath suppressed anger is often sadness, grief and self doubt, so moving through the anger can be essential to see what is beneath it. Just a note, that the more deeply we explore, we most often find that at the core of everything is LOVE. Even though it may not seem like that, or the journey to get there is quite long and deep, it is essentially the light at the end of the tunnel, the pearl of the oyster– that core experience of I AM LOVE and ALL IS LOVE.
“Show me anger and I will show you ‘Hurt’. Show me hurt and I will show you ‘Love’. Peel the layers if you care!” Rumi
Take a few moments here to think or write about anger in your life. What feelings do you hold around anger, how has anger played a role in your life? Consider the many flavors of anger, perhaps considering the ways these show up for you, or towards you in the past or present. In a research article discussing the health effects of anger, they broke it down into three different categories which I find to be quite helpful. As you read through these definitions as well as the list below, notice how you feel about them, notice what comes up. It is also useful to reference such lists when you are feeling angry as it can help you to process it productively.
- Hostility is typically described as a negative attitude or cognitive trait directed toward others
- Anger as an emotional state that consists of feelings that vary in intensity from mild irritation or annoyance to intense fury
- Aggressiveness as a verbal or physical behavioral pattern manifest in yelling, intimidation or physical assaults
In addition to these here are several other words to describe the rainbow of “anger-like experiences”:
Irritated, Injustice, Hostility, Insulted, Annoyed, Hateful, Bitter, Frustrated, Resentful, Malicious, Critical, Mean, Violent, Spiteful, Furious, Agitated, Repulsed, Mad, Impatient, Disrespected, Jealous, Yelling, Screaming, Reprimanding, Venomous, Quarrelsome.
Why Does it Get Louder During Cleansing
This is a very common experience during cleansing for several reasons. Many people notice themselves being more easily aggravated while they are detoxing. During these times, simple things like smells, scents, noise etc, can all seem harder to deal with and thus can trigger some degree of irritation and even anger. Most often it comes in waves, and is alongside the more uncomfortable phases of the healing process. Some of this is due to having what you might refer to as a lower bandwidth, you are putting so much energy into your healing process that adding anything else on top can seem to push us over the edge. This also happens for cycling women during ovulation, as those are times of peak estrogen production which results in high liver processing of estrogen as well as high serotonin which can increase emotional experiences. It is also common in that late luteal phase when hormones are at the lowest, which also means GABA is at its lowest (our balancing neurotransmitter).
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Anger most directly affects the Liver and GallBladder Meridians, and as we know, both organs are important drainage pathways, and often an area that is stressed, and gets even more so when we are purging toxins. One of the first signs that the liver needs more support is rising anger and feeling like lashing out!
Favorite Practices and Medicines for Anger:
- Take some space! That way there is less chance of it coming out in a destructive way
- Journaling or Talking out the issue to yourself or recording a voice memo. Or have a counselor or advisor you work with who you can talk about your experiences authentically without judgment.
- Castor Oil Packs over the Liver, particularly when it seems related to detoxification.
- Gua Sha and/or Acupuncture on the Liver and GallBladder Meridians
- Applying Essential Oils or Crystals to Acupuncture points works well:
- Liver 3 (top of the foot), Large Intestine 4 (in between thumb and pointer) are referred to the Four Gates and open up energy flow through the body.
- The Gall Bladder Meridian is on the outer side of the calf and thigh, and traces up all the way to the face! So you can tend to this meridian through facial Gua Sha, or even using a massage tool on the outer thigh.
- Exercise: Running, Kickboxing, Tai Chi or Martial Arts
- Drumming and Dancing to move the energy and channel it into something creative and expressive
- Forgiveness Practices such as Ho’oponopono prayer: When you find yourself triggered by someone or something, doing this in the moment can transmute the experience into a positive one.
- Helpful Botanicals:
- Liver Support: Dandelion Root, Schisandra Root, Burdock and Milk Thistle
- Emotional Balancing/Calming:
- Lemon Balm, CBD, Kava Kava, Chamomile, Holy Basil, Rose Tincture (good for all emotions, helps bring us into our heart.
- For Chronic Anger Adaptogens can be really helpful to build up the emotional resilience to face our suppressed emotions: Ashwaganda, Licorice Root, Rhodiola (especially if combined with depression).
- Helpful Homeopathics:
- Nux Vomica: Highly irritable, and easily offended, often constipated, typically worse after over indulgence, such as alcohol, tobacco or overwork. Wants to be bundles up.
- Sepia: Great for women who tend to lash out particularly around menstrual cycle. Better from movement/exercise, tendency towards prolapse.
- Staphysagria: Often a history of suppressed anger that comes out violently and in spurts. Often a history of abuse is present, whether physical or emotional. The person may throw or break things.
- Aurum: disregulated anger, outbursts associated with a general pervasive melancholy, can tends towards suicidal thinking. Feelings of hopelessness, low self esteem and even self reproach.
- Tarantela: Tendency towards destructive anger, may hit things and hit themselves. Can have reckless and self destructive habits.
- Helpful Flower Essences (Often good to add drops to water and drink throughout the day, you can even add to distilled water enemas)
- Cherry Plum: When you fear losing control of yourself and hurting yourself or others. Fear of insanity.
- Holly: Encourages generosity of spirit and compassion towards others. Helpful when we feel negatively towards others, jealous, suspicious, bitter, critical, angry. Can often have deep rooted feelings of lack of love.
- Willow: When you are feeling resentful about the way your life has gone. Perhaps you are having a hard time letting go of the victim complex. When we tend towards negative thinking and thus tend to attract more of that energy into our lives. Tendency to complain and grumble.
- Beech: For those who are critical of others and are only able to focus on their faults. Tendency to have trouble accepting differences in life choices. Can have outbursts from irritability. Can help to see more beauty and good around them.
Happy Healing!
REFERENCES
Staicu, Mihaela-Luminiţa, and Mihaela Cuţov. “Anger and health risk behaviors.” Journal of medicine and life vol. 3,4 (2010): 372-5.
Garfinkel SN, Zorab E, Navaratnam N, et al. Anger in brain and body: the neural and physiological perturbation of decision-making by emotion. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2016;11(1):150-158. doi:10.1093/scan/nsv099