Anger is born out of fear
Anger is a secondary emotion derived from fear, usually the fear of not being in control. Perhaps we do not feel in control of someone else’s threatening actions towards us, or we are not in control of the outcome of a situation despite our best efforts. Anger becomes our tool for regaining control. We use anger to enforce our will on other people or the situation we find ourselves in.
As a part of our fight or flight mechanism, anger is a very natural reaction to fear. It is empowering because it is designed to give us the energy to react in uncertain or dangerous situations. It is also quick and effective at regaining a sense of control, so it can easily become a go-to tool.
Like fire, anger can get out of control
In a more subtle way, anger can become a manipulation tactic as well when we discover that we can goad others into reacting to our angry barbs. When the world becomes a place of uncertainty, as it does in adolescence or trauma, anger can become a readily available defense or control mechanism.
Unfortunately, rather than create the sense of stability and connection that we are looking for through control, anger becomes the very thing that separates us from healthy social connections and the very safety we seek.
There is a path back to peace
One of the best ways to diffuse an angry situation is not to reflect the anger back at its source. Anger feeds anger, pinging back and forth between hurt and scared people, but as soon as one party can begin letting the anger flow past them rather than returning it, the tension begins to dissipate. This simple truth is what makes wilderness therapy one of the best ways to help you and your child resolve anger management issues.
Nature does not reflect our anger back at us. She will take everything we throw at her and reflect back only her abundance. This makes carrying anger a burdensome, one-sided task. Real-time, natural consequences reveal the futility of trying to control everything and everyone around us with our anger.
Rites of Passage Wilderness Therapy can help
Rites of Passage Wilderness Therapy is a Washington teen therapy program designed to help your child work through their struggle with anger management by giving them new tools to overcome their sense of uncertainty and fear. We are an expedition-style wilderness therapy program for youth that combines individual and group therapy with backcountry skills development and wilderness challenges to help your child break through barriers in their life.
Located near Seattle, Washington, we backpack throughout the Olympic National Park and the surrounding national forests. Our group setting allows us to practice the new social skills we are learning with each other, and our program incorporates professional therapy and reflective conversations with family members through letter writing. We utilize cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help your child understand the underlying beliefs that motivate their actions, and then help them change those underlying beliefs.
Together, we can calm the storms inside. Connect with us to learn more about how Rites of Passage Wilderness Therapy can help you and your child dissolving anger management issues with wilderness
therapy. Our phone number is: (360) 927-6404 and our email address is: roptherapy@gmail.com. We’re standing by
