Podcast Summary
Understanding the role of anger as a protective mechanism: Anger is natural, but chronic anger due to trauma can lead to destructive behavior. Recognize it's not abnormal, find compassion, and consider supplements like Athletic Greens for overall health support.
Anger is a natural response and part of our emotional landscape, serving as a protective mechanism that triggers the fight response in our nervous system. It developed during human evolution to help us react quickly to protect ourselves from threats. However, for some individuals, anger can manifest as a chronic response due to trauma, leading to destructive behavior and harm towards oneself or others. It's essential to recognize that anger is not abnormal and to find compassion for oneself by understanding how others' nervous systems respond to similar states. Supplements like Athletic Greens can support overall health and well-being, making it easier to regulate emotions and respond effectively to triggers. Remember, you're not alone in dealing with anger as a trauma response, and this conversation can lead to greater self-awareness and healing.
Anger is a natural response to threats, triggered by the amygdala: Understanding anger as a natural response to threats and its physiological effects can help manage emotional reactivity and promote health
Anger is a natural response to perceived or actual threats, triggered by the amygdala in the brain, leading to a physiological fight response. This response happens quickly, before cognitive awareness, and is accompanied by hormonal changes, increased heart rate, muscle tension, and suppression of the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. Suppressing anger instead of expressing it can make it worse, leading to increased emotional reactivity and potential damage to health. Understanding and acknowledging the emotions connected to trauma responses is essential for effective self-regulation.
Understanding and Managing Anger: Recognize anger's root causes, develop an anger practice, and express anger assertively to improve relationships and reduce negative impact.
Effective emotional regulation involves acknowledging and expressing anger in healthy ways, rather than internalizing it or turning it on others. Anger can stem from feelings of not being seen or heard, and can be triggered by fears of trust, safety, and love. It's important to recognize that these feelings often stem from past experiences and are not always a reflection of the present situation or the people involved. By developing an anger practice and learning to express anger assertively, we can reduce the negative impact of these emotions and improve our relationships. Additionally, recognizing that fear may be the root cause of anger, rather than anger itself, can help us better understand and manage our emotions. Ultimately, the goal is to find ways to communicate effectively and manage anger without causing harm to ourselves or others.
Impact of Trauma on Relationships and Emotions: Trauma can significantly impact one's ability to form trusting relationships and regulate emotions, leading to intense physical reactions and cycles of mistrust.
Trauma, whether it stems from direct experiences or the absence of necessary emotional support, can significantly impact an individual's ability to form trusting relationships and regulate their emotions. The speaker shares her personal experience of complex PTSD and childhood abuse, describing how neglect and boundary violations have left her with deep-rooted feelings of mistrust and rage. These emotions can manifest as intense physical reactions, such as increased heart rate, tightened throat, and the sensation of quills rising from the deepest parts of her body. The speaker also acknowledges the impact of her trauma responses on her relationships, recognizing that her distrust and fear can create a cycle of mistrust and further damage connections. She emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and understanding the ways in which past traumas continue to shape her present experiences.
Suppressing emotions leads to trauma responses: Suppressing emotions can lead to physical and emotional health issues, creating a safe space to express them is crucial for healing
Our trauma responses, which can manifest as different personalities or behavior patterns, are often misunderstood as our true selves. These responses are driven by suppressed emotions and can lead to physical and emotional health issues if not addressed. The speaker shares her personal experience of suppressing anger for years, which led to autoimmune issues and emotional imbalance. She emphasizes the importance of creating a safe space to express and release these emotions, which can be scary at first but ultimately leads to vitality and healing. The work of allowing deeply suppressed emotions to move through the body can be draining but is a sacred and essential part of the healing process.
Safe and healthy ways to express anger: Expressing anger safely and healthily can lead to increased energy and emotional well-being. Forgiveness, starting with self-forgiveness, is an important part of the healing journey.
Expressing anger in a safe and healthy way can lead to increased energy and emotional well-being. The speaker shares her personal experience of using anger work, such as screaming in her car or outside, to release built-up emotions. She explains how this practice has become easier and less scary over time, as her body naturally remembers how to express anger. The speaker also emphasizes the importance of forgiveness in her healing journey, starting with self-forgiveness and then extending it to others. Through forgiveness, she found gratitude for past experiences that have shaped her purpose in life. Overall, the speaker encourages embracing anger as a natural emotion and finding safe and healthy ways to express it, which can lead to increased energy and emotional resilience.
Traumatic experiences as catalysts for growth and healing: Traumatic experiences can lead to personal growth and healing, allowing anger expression, recognizing duality, trusting oneself, and creating a safe landscape for healing.
Traumatic experiences, though painful, can serve as catalysts for personal growth and healing. The speaker shares her journey of overcoming childhood boundary violations and finding gratitude for the person who hurt her, recognizing the crucial role that experience played in shaping her life and her work. She emphasizes the importance of allowing anger and expressing it, while also acknowledging the duality of experiences and their impact on consciousness. The speaker's transformation was facilitated by the realization that she could trust herself and protect herself, leading to a deeper sense of self-worth and sovereignty. Additionally, she highlights the significance of creating a safe landscape in the body through practices like neurology to heal from past traumas and build intimate connections to sensations. Ultimately, the speaker encourages embracing the complexity of experiences and recognizing their potential for growth and expansion.
Learning emotional regulation is essential but not a cure-all: While managing dysregulation is vital, it's natural to experience emotions and occasional dysregulation. Healthy expression and avoidance of numbing behaviors can lead to positive changes.
While learning tools for emotional regulation is important, it doesn't mean we'll never experience big emotions or dysregulation again. Dysregulation is a natural part of life, and suppressing emotions can lead to harm in various aspects of our lives. Instead, we should aim to manage our dysregulation and recognize and be with our emotions to prevent getting stuck in any state for too long. Repressing emotions can also impact our ability to experience other emotions, such as joy. It's essential to find healthy ways to express emotions and avoid numbing behaviors, which can lead to a general sense of being checked out of life. The process of emotional regulation and processing may seem scary initially, but with the right tools and mindset, it can lead to positive changes in our lives.
Regulate Nervous System for Effective Emotion Processing: Mindfulness, observation, and functional neurology practices help regulate the nervous system, enabling effective emotion processing and healthy expression.
To effectively process and express emotions, particularly those associated with trauma, it's essential to first regulate the nervous system. This can be achieved through intentional practices like mindfulness and observation. By becoming more aware of physical sensations and learning to respond rather than react, individuals can create safety and trust within themselves, ultimately leading to the expression of emotions in a healthy and productive way. Functional neurology can be a valuable tool in this process, helping individuals learn to create love, trust, and safety within their own bodies. Remember, self-care and self-compassion are crucial first steps towards healing.