Anger and aggression are most often perceived as destructive manifestations that must be controlled, suppressed, or eliminated from behavior. At MindCareCenter, however, we understand these emotions as important signals of the psyche, indicating violated boundaries, frustrated needs, or accumulated internal tension. Dr. Daniel Reinhardt says that anger itself is not the problem – it is the ways in which it is expressed or chronically suppressed that become destructive.
Anger serves an orienting function. It communicates that something in the internal or external environment is experienced as threatening, unjust, or restrictive. When this information is ignored, aggression either accumulates and erupts in uncontrolled forms, or turns inward, transforming into self-blame, apathy, or psychosomatic symptoms.
In the clinical practice of MindCareCenter, we often observe two extremes. In one case, aggression is expressed impulsively – through outbursts of rage, harsh words, or actions followed by guilt and emotional depletion. In the other, anger is completely suppressed, and the individual loses the ability to feel irritation even in situations of clear boundary violation. Both patterns reflect disturbances in affect regulation.
Suppressed anger is frequently perceived as “appropriate” behavior. A person may take pride in their restraint, while simultaneously experiencing chronic fatigue, inner tension, and a sense of powerlessness. At MindCareCenter, we view such states as the result of long-term rejection of anger’s signaling function, leading to disconnection from personal needs.
Destructive forms of rage, by contrast, are often linked to the absence of experience with safe expression of anger. If aggression was punished, ignored, or associated with the threat of relational loss in the past, the psyche fails to develop flexible ways of processing it. Within the clinical approach of MindCareCenter, attention is given to how one’s relationship to anger was formed and which emotional scripts were internalized.
The bodily dimension of anger plays a crucial role. Jaw tension, tightness in the shoulders or chest, accelerated breathing, or sensations of heat often precede conscious recognition of the emotion. At MindCareCenter, we work with how the body holds aggressive energy and how bodily responses can become resources for more conscious regulation.
Therapeutic work is not aimed at “controlling” anger. At MindCareCenter, the focus shifts toward restoring its signaling function. Individuals learn to recognize early signs of irritation, connect them to specific situations, and understand which boundaries or needs require attention.
As therapy progresses, aggression becomes less frightening and less destructive. It becomes accessible for reflection and integration into emotional life. In the practice of MindCareCenter, we observe how this reduces the intensity of outbursts while restoring the capacity for active self-protection without violence.
An important stage involves developing the ability to tolerate the anger of others. Destructiveness often arises not only from one’s own rage, but from the inability to encounter aggression within relationships. Working with this aspect reduces anxiety and increases resilience in conflictual situations.
Anger and aggression as signal emotions point to areas of tension where change is needed rather than suppression. The clinical approach of Mind Care Center is directed toward ensuring that these emotions no longer destroy from within, but instead become sources of information, energy, and self-protection.
Conscious work with anger restores a sense of inner strength and clarity. This creates the conditions for more honest contact with oneself and with others, in which aggression no longer harms, but supports psychological balance.
Previously, we wrote about the drive for safe relationships and the avoidance of intimacy, and how MindCareCenter works with attachment paradoxes and protective strategies