Learning How to Channel Healthy Rage

Do you ever find yourself running away from intense emotions like rage and anger? There are so many factors that have taught us to view these feelings as inherently negative: cultural and societal conditioning, family mythology, “high vibez only" mentality, and a general fear or reproach from uncomfortable and intense emotions, to name a few.   They all signal that instead of embracing them as part of the human experience, rage and anger are to be suppressed or avoided at all costs. But what if we shifted our perspective and learned to funnel the energy of rage into fuel for positive change?

Rage and anger are frequently linked to fire, and it's no wonder why -- here you are, getting heated up, steaming mad, or boiling with rage. This emotion passes through the body as heat energy and as it intensifies, it has the power to BURN you out, or to FUEL your fire.  See how fire is already a part of the language of how we talk about anger?

Channeling healthy rage involves allowing ourselves to acknowledge and sit with these emotions rather than running away or hiding from them (hello, fight/flight response!). Going back to our fire analogy, consider the indigenous practice of using controlled burns, where they intentionally set dead foliage and brush afire to prevent an uncontrollable wildfire.  The remnants -- including seeds -- of these controlled burns transform into fertile soil, where new life will eventually sprout. By holding space for our anger with self-compassion and inquiry, we can begin to understand its root causes and how it manifests within us. Instead of letting our fire burn uncontrollably, we can use it to transform and lay seeds for the change we desire.

Physiologically, anger shares a lot of similar traits as passion. To start shifting your anger into passion, try to get to the root cause of your anger (this might take time and practice, so be gentle with yourself).  How can you transmute the rawness of this emotion into something constructive?  How can you examine your rage to reveal to yourself what you might feel passionate about?

Just as fire can be used to forge steel or cook food, our anger can be channeled into passion and determination. By reframing our relationship with rage, we can begin to see it not as a burden to be carried, but as a source of strength and motivation.

So the next time you feel that familiar heat rising within you, don't shy away from it. Embrace it, explore it, and let it fuel your fire. Because when we learn to channel our healthy rage, we gain access to a potent inner energy that empowers us to create the change within ourselves and the world we live in.

Let us know -- what has your anger shown you about your passions? 

✨ Our Healing Arts Practitioners study emotional regulation using the power of the breath. Learn more about our trauma informed breathwork certification: www.flowbreathworktraining.com