Understanding Anger in the Aftermath of Trauma and Disaster
“Is Anyone Else Angry?”
Trauma theorists tell us that while traumatic events are in themselves physically and emotionally assaultive, it is often the emotions suffered after the smoke clears and the media goes home that become painful and disruptive to our recovery. One of these is anger.
Anger in the aftermath of a traumatic event, be it the loss of a child, the destruction of one’s home, a life-threatening diagnosis or the sequel to combat stress is a common and complex response. It can be experienced as a physiological state, an emotion, a way of thinking, a behavioral response or a combination of these.
- You are not alone if you feel angry about what has happened.
- Essentially you are suffering. The problem is that when anger persists–it obscures everything else.
- The ability to make meaning of it and redirect it, keeps it from holding you back and taking more from you.
Understanding some of the feelings and dynamics that underscore anger after trauma may be an important step in your journey forward.
Anger as Residual of Fight/Flight Response
It is to our advantage that our biological arousal system goes into survivor mode in face of danger causing an increase in heart rate, rapid shallow breathing, cold sweats, tingling muscular tension and often-antagonistic behavior.
The problem is that when the danger has passed, our body often remains in a state of hyperarousal, leaving us reacting with anger to what would ordinarily be mildly distressing stimuli.
- We blow up at the relatives who keep asking if everything is starting to get easier.
- We storm off the line that feels too long at Starbucks.
- We find ourselves fighting over everything with our partner.
- We are driving faster and yelling more than usual.
Because this is a physically driven anger, we need to work from the body out to bring it down. We need to re-set our body rhythms by moving, sleeping and eating well. Moving in any way (exercise, walking, re-building, cleaning, physically helping friends) is crucial.
One widow, who told me she was mad at God after 9/11, started walking and didn’t stop until the tears and …
Suicide ranks as the eleventh leading cause of death in the United States. We have lost loved ones across the generations.
