TRANSMUTING ANGER: Exploring Our Unconscious Responses To Stress.

Blog by Zara Kolasinska

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In my latest blog, I explore some insightful revelations, which unfolded while exposing my own anger projected onto a piece of art that I painted in the midst of an uncomfortable grapple with misunderstood emotions and perceived lack of control.

Using charcoal and acrylic paints, in an almost somatic process, I was able to defuse my anger and frustration upon paper. Allowing my unconscious emotions to release the projections and flow of anger without judgement or withdrawal from the process.

Acting like a mirror, the painting began reflecting back to me my own stories and beliefs in the fears I held within. Interestingly, I was able to see what the painting was revealing to me about myself.

Even though I painted the face as an outlet of anger projected out onto the material world, it cleverly took me into my own inner world, enabling me to explore those uncomfortable feelings within.

By letting the painting reflect its message back to me, I began to see a fearful, frightened expression in a rageful attempt at releasing anger.

I found this to be immensely beneficial as an underlying vulnerability and fear were found rooted in the emotion rather than anger. The drawing exposed this in the face that gazed back at me, and a silent dialogue began through a voiceless other. Her Fearful expression propelled me into my weak spots that had defences of anger when triggered, but was it really fear in disguise and weak boundaries, rather than anger, that was being revealed?

This revelation led me to explore deeper into the psychology behind anger; using Carl Jung’s concepts, I'll dive deeper into this, along with my own process in expressing through creativity, to explain further how beneficial this work can be in getting to know one's triggers and reactive emotions.

Righteous vs. Anxious Anger

This is challenging, and in my experience, there are two types of anger: Righteous anger is very calm and grounded and knows exactly what must be done. It's also very rare.

More common is anxious anger, which is confused, doubtful, fidgety and impatient for action.

This is because anxious anger is usually mixed up with fear and hurt, and the anger is trying to find its way out of feeling those other emotions. Sitting still brings forth the unwanted emotions to the surface.

And so we must sit still. We must listen to the message of anger, even if all it knows is that something is wrong. We have to give it a chance to talk to us, to dialogue with it, and even ask it some questions. What boundary has been crossed? What needs can we address right now? Can we be honest about those needs with compassion for the other person’s viewpoint?

Anger may be quick to place blame on someone else, but if we can slow down enough to try to identify what boundaries have been crossed, we may be able to see the situation more clearly, with compassion for ourselves and others.

Anger in its Intensity

Often, disruptive emotions have the potential to reveal profound insights about our inner world. Drawing from the rich tapestry of Jungian psychology, we embark on a transformative journey to explore the roots of anger, unearthing childhood experiences and archetypal influences that shape our daily lives. By delving into the emotional charge and excavating the unconscious, we can unravel the hidden layers of anger and embark on a path towards individuation. This blog will delve into Jungian concepts, illuminate the connection between anger and childhood experiences, and explore how the expressive arts and somatic practices can facilitate our understanding and healing of anger.

Unveiling the Unconscious:

Emotional Charge and Inner Exploration

The unconscious mind, a reservoir of hidden thoughts, memories, and emotions, holds the key to understanding the roots of anger. By paying attention to the emotional charge accompanying anger, we can embark on an inner journey to explore its depths. Painting, Journaling, dream analysis, somatic dance, or engaging in dialogue with a therapist can facilitate this process. Through introspection, we can identify patterns, triggers, and recurring themes associated with anger, shedding light on buried memories, unresolved conflicts, and unmet needs from our childhood. This exploration helps us connect the dots between past experiences and present-day anger, leading to a deeper understanding of ourselves.

Expressive Arts and Somatic Practices:

Unlocking the Wisdom of Anger

Artistic expression and somatic practices provide powerful avenues for exploring, understanding, and transforming anger. Engaging in activities such as the arts allows us to access the unconscious and externalise our inner emotional landscape. Through the creative process, we can bypass the limitations of language and tap into the deeper layers of our psyche, giving form and voice to our anger. Somatic practices help us reconnect with our bodies and release stored anger through physical and energetic movements. The integration of expressive arts and somatic practices empowers us to embrace the wisdom of anger, bridging the gap between the conscious and unconscious realms.

For example, consider a person who becomes enraged when feeling criticised. Underneath the anger may be an unconscious fear of rejection or a deep-seated insecurity about one's self-worth. By bringing these fears to the surface, we can begin to dismantle the protective armour and address the root causes.

Understanding the connection between anger and fear provides a powerful opportunity for healing and transformation. It allows us to shift our perspective from seeing anger as a negative or destructive force to recognising it as a messenger, a signal that our fears are calling for attention and resolution. By acknowledging and exploring our fears, we can develop compassion and self-acceptance, nurturing the wounded parts of ourselves that fuel our anger.

Jungian theories also emphasise the importance of integrating the shadow, the darker and less conscious of our personality. By embracing and integrating our fears, we can transmute them into sources of strength and personal growth. This process involves acknowledging that anger, driven by fear can be a catalyst for change, and a call to embark on the journey of individuation/Self-realisation. Through this process, we reclaim our lost parts and find inner wholeness.

In summary, Jungian theories shed light on the intricate relationship between anger and fear, exposing anger as a protective response rooted in unconscious fears. This process of self-discovery and integration offers an opportunity for healing and transformation, enabling us to transcend fear and ultimately attain a state of wholeness and self-empowerment.

Reflecting back on my own experience with anger, I can see the fears so much clearer now.

My own anger was a protective expression of feeling powerless and defeated.

The anger I expressed upon the painting above became transformed as I witnessed the portrait look back at me with her fearful eyes. Exploring deeper into those lost eyes, I questioned why she was fearful of having clear boundaries. Further inquiring into those emotions, I could feel the fear of saying no was centred around doubt in myself and expressing authority. With even deeper questioning as to why saying no provoked guilt and doubt, I hit on lack of self-belief and, therefore, rejection. Rejection equals loss, which equates to the loss of someone or something you love.

The painting and process revealed my fear of hurting another, then losing love, or even being worthy of love. Therefore, my anger was a protective response from my skewed perceptions around having clear, strong boundaries.

This also exposed a lifelong pattern and tendency to overcompensate and please others through fear of being rejected if I didn’t make others happy or meet their needs.

I think today, more than ever, we are seeing the repercussions play out in society of these insecurities in our youth and in the collective.

We are losing the sense of having healthy boundaries in having caregivers reflect back their own loss of inner wholeness, and instead, our children and youth are being raised by the world’s projections derived from deep-seated fears, trauma, and lack of healthy attunement to our parents and caregivers.

If we all look closely into our lives, we may notice recurring patterns that show up.

Do you ever ask yourself why these patterns or particular issues arise? and yet feel so hard to get to the bottom of understanding what they mean? On a surface level, we think we can react differently or make different choices, but the dark truth is unless we dig deeper down into the roots, we will only ever make surface changes. The patterns will continue until we understand our weaknesses, habits, and coping mechanisms.

Personally, painting has been a liberating journey towards the centre of my being, Both exposing and freeing me from the language of the egoic mind and its mental masturbation.

Art leads me towards wholeness, healing, and self-empowerment, guided by my own innate wisdom to make meaning through expressing myself in the arts.

P.S., please share your comments or thoughts below in the comments section.

I am always so appreciative to hear shared feedback on these blogs.

I hope to continue to delve into many more topics in future blogs, so it's of utmost importance to me to engage with you all in every way I can.

With love,

Zara x

“Man’s task is to become conscious

of the contents

that press upward

From the

Unconscious.”

- Carl Jung

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