When Anger & Rage Mask Other Painful Emotions

When Anger & Rage Masks Other Painful Emotions

 Anger can be adaptive and help us set appropriate boundaries 
but can also become maladaptive when it masks 
other painful emotions!
 
Anger is a feeling that tells people that they need to protect themselves from harm. 
Anger tells a person that something needs to change. 
Anger can be protective and constructive, but it can also be destructive. 
Ways that anger & rage masks other underlying painful/uncomfortable feelings: 
A frightened parent may react with anger at a child who runs into the street, masking the fear. 
A person who feels hurt when criticized or rejected can decide that the situation is unfair and conclude that what the other person did was wrong and get angry. 
Anger momentarily erases guilt, depression, and feelings of unworthiness. 
Rather than feel sad or disappointed, people get angry at something or someone else to obliterate the painful sensations and thoughts. 
Rage often occurs in reference to and masks the shame of loss of self-esteem or 
fear of a fragile self. People often feel shame when they are rejected or humiliated, because these are extremely painful emotions, and rage covers them. 
(Greenberg, 2002)
 

About Emotions: How do you change emotions?
Dr. Les Greenberg 

How to work through the masked emotions?
 
1. EFT therapists will help the client become aware of and name the secondary feeling that is masking the underlying feelings; acknowledging secondary despair, hopelessness, or rage.
2. Then they need to slow things down and help the client access the primary underlying emotions which are often maladaptive feelings of shame or fear.
3. The third step then involves accessing more adaptive emotions, usually a healthy anger or sadness that is over-regulated or not readily accessible.  
(Greenberg, 2002)

Emotion Focused Therapy-Individuals
Training Level one
By Les Greenberg, PhD
 
September 22-25, 2019
Los Angeles, California
 
Early Registration Discount is available by 
July 10th, 2019
 
In this 4 day experiential training, 
Participants will be provided with solid grounding in the skills required to work more directly with emotions in psychotherapy. 
The focus of the program will be experiential, learning how to provide 
change in core emotional structures.
Participants receive in depth skill training through a combination of 
brief lectures, video demonstrations, live modelling, case discussions and extensive supervised role-playing practice.

Click to Register at the EFT Training Level 1, Los Angeles

Our goal is to promote the application and training of 
Emotion Focused Therapy. 
All workshops and trainings are APA approved. 
Continuing Education, CE Certifications are available for 
psychologists, MSWs, MFts and LPCs. 

General model of Emotion Focused Therapy approach is based on that:
 
Emotions are an adaptive orienting system and a source of information about thoughts, feelings, action readiness, motivations, and interpersonal interactions.
Client experiencing (attention to and exploration of feelings and meanings) is the primary source of new information in therapy (as opposed to skills training, challenging maladaptive thoughts or interpretations). 
 

Learn More about Emotion Focused Therapy >>

You have to arrive at your emotions
before you can leave them.
Les. Greenberg, PhD.