According to the American Psychological Association, levels of anger can range from mild annoyance to intense rage. In addition to the emotional side effects of anger, the body experiences physical effects such as increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure and adrenaline rushes. While angry reactions sometimes are unavoidable, anger management class provides instruction on how to control the severity of the outbursts and reduce the psychological and physiological ramifications.
Risks
Anger is a primal reaction to threats that can cause violent reactions. While a certain amount of anger is healthy for protection, the uncontrolled fury demonstrated by some people can be dangerous to others and socially unacceptable. The goal of anger management training is to learn how to appropriately express anger. Non-threatening assertiveness is the healthiest way to express feelings of anger, doctors at the American Psychological Association say. Suppressing anger can create other neuroses such as passive-aggressive behavior and misdirected anger. Internal stress, hypertension and low self-esteem also can result from unexpressed anger.
Basics
Anger management therapy can be conducted in a variety of ways, from one-on-one counseling to group sessions and self-help books. Anger management teaches participants to express their needs and desires in a constructive manner that doesn't threaten others. The techniques taught in anger management therapy include controlled breathing, stopping to think before reacting, and refocusing thoughts elsewhere until the extreme reaction passes. Visualization, meditation and other relaxation techniques are taught in anger management sessions. Students of anger management therapy are taught to concentrate on problem solving when they find their hot buttons are repeatedly being pushed. Often people who have problems with exploding tempers can benefit from communication instruction so they can learn how to listen better and express their own feelings more constructively. Learning how to use humor to defuse a strained moment also can help to curb angry outbursts.
Timing
The time to seek anger management therapy is before important relationships become destroyed. Often the threat of divorce or separation can push a man or woman into anger management therapy. When legal troubles begin to emerge following temper tantrums, it may be time to seek help from an anger management counselor. Doctors at the Mayo Clinic say that therapists for anger management need to teach control techniques from the beginning of the treatment. Patients can then find alternatives and begin to see an improvement in their relationships within about eight to 10 weeks. They recommend looking for a licensed mental health professional who specializes in anger management and can help identify triggers that set off the anger and probe a little deeper to find the real source of the extreme behavior.
