Healing Through Body Psychotherapy & Emotional Release
Anger arises in children when they do not get what they want. Goal is not to teach a child to suppress the anger but when it arises to learn how to handle and use it when he needs it in an appropriate way. The role of a parent is to set the boundaries but with necessary support while working through the frustration.
Dissociation from our own anger:
- We had to forcefully repress that anger, dissociate ourselves from it and we do not recognise it anymore.
- The feeling is that if we let it out, it would be a bomb that would blow everything up.
- Sometimes something outside triggers us and our reaction is excessive and inappropriate.
- We feel that we are constantly angry, but we don’t know why, and we “shoot” easily.
- Gossip is a valve for the easy release of suppressed anger.
- Depression is most often the result of dissociation (repression) of anger
How Integral Body Therapy Can Help?
- We look at the underlying reasons for the anger: such as fear, powerlessness, hurt and vulnerability, childhood, mothers connection, and surroundings
- Layer by layer, together, we look for a way to allow the body to express and release the anger
- We look at the emotion behind the anger to heal body-mind trauma and offer new experience
I was conceived, born and raised, within the hostile environment. Of course there was a mix of other emotions and feelings in my upbringing, but anger was a very dominant emotion. In some cases it has served me well as a fuel through life.
Without it I would be sad & deeply depressed.
It took me a considerable amount of time in therapy to access sadness, and allow myself to cry because I am hurt. Anger was my armour and it felt that without it I would be too open to survive. Showing vulnerability was unknown to my system.
My parents have many emotional scars and lack of self regulation so as a child I was ‘getting on their nerves’ and their and my perception was that it was my fault because I was angry. Subsequently that led me to have a weak prerequisite for my emotional maturation. It was hard to work for anyone around me with me constantly complaining and looking for ways to ‘have it my way’.
Therapy provided me with the ability to work through frustration and register the futility of my own efforts. Endlessly (it felt sometimes) I had a need to hit, shout, and be seen as an aggressive person. I was finally accepted as angry and loud. Until I reached sadness and compassion for myself (after many therapies and personal development), and I was shown through the exploration within my own body other ways to express and release my emotions.
Now I have the ability to accept boundaries and cooperation.
I have the ability to give up when things just do not work out. I am capable of feeling more emotions at the same time with the result of having more patience, self control, overcoming the black and white experience of the world. I also ‘see’ colours, I do not perceive life only black or white anymore. Before therapy, when something did not go my way, in my mind it was The End, total drama. And one of my favourite transformations/chemical rebalance of my brain, is the ability to recognise paradox and irony. I finally have a sense of humour.
*Please be aware that this is just a small fraction of my personal story. There are many layers and the possibilities for the individual dive into the subject.
