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Anger Management Therapy Techniques

Anger can pose a risk to an individual's mental health and also has a negative impact on a person's physical health as well. Harvard University discovered that people who score high on an anger scale or three times more at risk for heart disease than those who are more easy-going. Harvard's research was validated by cardiologist Dean Ornish who evaluated men who suffered from a heart attack. Men who were angry with someone and refused to forgive were twice as likely to end up back in the hospital than those who took anger management classes.

  1. Uncontrolled Anger

    • Anger is a normal and healthy human emotion, however, uncontrolled anger has the potential to be destructive. Uncontrolled anger can be debilitating and cloud a person's judgement and decrease their quality of life. Fortunately, there are anger management therapy techniques that can be used to help a person control their anger before it controls them.

    Diagnoses

    • The first therapeutic technique in reducing anger is to diagnose the problem. During anger management sessions, a therapist will often ask certain questions to determine why a person is angry. There are cases where a person has a genetic propensity towards anger, but other times it could be a consistent underlying issue that needs to be addressed.

    Communication Therapy

    • Angry people tend to jump to inaccurate conclusions. Communication therapy techniques can help. Communication techniques are often used to help people work through their anger. One technique advises angry people to slow down and truly think about their responses. Communication therapy helps a person keep a conversation from spinning out of control. Another technique that therapist often use to help people get past their anger is to have the individual change their surroundings and environment. Sometimes it helps to move away from the person or surroundings that are causing the fury.

    Relaxation Techniques

    • According to the American Psychological Association, one of the best therapeutic techniques to reduce anger is relaxation. Deep breathing while simultaneously thinking about pleasant things induces calm. The American Psychological Association recommends angry people repeat a calm phrases like "slow down" or "relax" while simultaneously breathing deeply.

    Considerations

    • Anger causes a person's loved ones to push away, and many people lose valuable relationships because they are unable to manage anger. However, therapy and effective anger management techniques can help a person deal with the source of their problem and correctly process and release their emotions in healthy and conducive way.

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