Advice for Clearing Anger in the Body

[心神 ~]

When one gets angry, there are recommended techniques for accepting and allowing the emotion to exist and pass. Such as picturing the anger as a child needing an embrace from its parent, and offering the anger love and acceptance. Or by picturing the anger as a fierce tiger that needs stillness, silence, and observation to allow the anger to pass us by without harm.

 

Sometimes, residual energy remains in the body; increased heart rate, shaking palms, intense vibration. These can linger, albeit subdued, even after the mind has reached equanimity on the issue that triggered the anger response.

 

What are some recommended ways for clearing the anger physically?

 

[Taomeow]

I know it's a serious matter, but I can't resist offering my favorite movie scene dedicated to anger management:

 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEE7xzwogMc

[心神 ~]

That was gold. I'll go watch this movie at some point. I'm so glad it wasn't Anger Management with Adam Sandler, that movie infuriates me to no end. I'd point out the irony or something, but that movie is insufferable by design.

 

"Anger is a blocked wish." Absolutely.

 

What about when the wish is gone, but the body still holds the energy? When the mind and heart accept, but the body remembers?

Edited Monday at 04:51 PM by 心神 ~

[markern]

The liver sound from the six healing sounds clears out anger very well IME

[心神 ~]

Thank you for the suggestion. I do Eight Silk Brocade from time to time in the morning, but was thinking about practicing Six Healing Sounds in the afternoon. I may try it this evening.

[Paradoxal]

From my experience, clearing anger is best done with a combination of exercises.

 

First, the feeling of anger itself needs to be sunk into the ground (it should go there naturally if you direct it, from my experience). Call it what you will, but this alone has helped me with some pretty intense rage. Anxiety is the opposite; it needs to be directed up and out. 

 

Second, practice simple gratitude meditation: recall the feeling of gratitude and try to bask in the glow of it. This will gradually tonify the leftover anger. 

 

If you've got longterm anger festering, I've found it best to intentionally transfer it into something else (salt, for example) and then dispose of whatever it was transferred into. 

 

[forestofclarity]

There are many ways to deal with anger, but the general one I'm more familiar with is to strip it of its story and feel it fully. Usually what keep anger going is engaging with it-- I can't believe he said that, who does she think she is, etc.

 

Instead of doing that, one may just feel it as it is, without trying to modify or change it. This allows it to fully express and dissolve, i.e. to be digested into the consuming fire of awareness.  

 

 

[Sanity Check]

Emotions can be observed, defined & rationalized to some degree.

 

Not unlike a process of math or basic science.

 

Making them easier to cope with.

 

 

[doc benway]

On 6/9/2025 at 8:04 AM, 心神 ~ said:

When one gets angry, there are recommended techniques for accepting and allowing the emotion to exist and pass. Such as picturing the anger as a child needing an embrace from its parent, and offering the anger love and acceptance. Or by picturing the anger as a fierce tiger that needs stillness, silence, and observation to allow the anger to pass us by without harm.

 

Sometimes, residual energy remains in the body; increased heart rate, shaking palms, intense vibration. These can linger, albeit subdued, even after the mind has reached equanimity on the issue that triggered the anger response.

 

What are some recommended ways for clearing the anger physically?

 

 

I practice a method from the Tibetan tradition called the Nine Breathings of Purification.

There are several variations, here is the one I use. People I've taught it to have had very positive results rather quickly.

 

The other method I find extremely useful, especially in real time, is described in this article. This practice is also derived from the Tibetan tradition and has many variations. It's referred to as the practice of Inner Refuge. In dzogchen parlance it is a way to connect to the Nature of Mind, which is a powerful source of healing and awakening. This can be practiced formally on the cushion or informally in day to day situations.

 

There are some other Tibetan techniques - tsa lung and trul khor, but they are too complicated for a brief instruction. 

 

Good luck!

 

[Nungali]

 

 

 (  - its COLD down here  ....  I live in a near coastal sub tropical rainforest ..... and it  snowed  30 km away !   )  

[Mark Foote]

On 6/9/2025 at 8:01 AM, Taomeow said:

 

I know it's a serious matter, but I can't resist offering my favorite movie scene dedicated to anger management:

 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEE7xzwogMc

 

 

 

I know it's serious, but one good clip deserves another ("it's good, it's good, it's good."):

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQXuazYI_YU

 

 

Edited 12 hours ago by Mark Foote

[Mark Foote]

On 6/9/2025 at 8:13 AM, 心神 ~ said:

 

What about when the wish is gone, but the body still holds the energy? When the mind and heart accept, but the body remembers?

 

 

 

I find there's no substitute for sitting with the anger, waiting for compassionate insight. The feeling is there physically in the body until my mind (and body) can work out what really happened, why somebody did what they did, such that I realize a compassionate release.

 

Can take days, but it's there when I sit until it's released.