The Biology of Emotions: Self help for anxiety and depression

Suppressing anger causes a toxicosis in the brain.

All children are born with healthy anger, which is part of the fight or flight reaction. When parents mistreat or neglect us, even unintentionally, they often cause us to suppress our anger. No parent needs to be perfect, but we must be allowed to have justifiable anger. The suppression of anger is more damaging than the trauma itself. It causes a toxicosis that leads to anxiety and depression. Even the lullaby, "Hush little baby don't you cry," serves the parent, not the child. Our parents no doubt had to suppress their anger as children, and this self-therapy is for them as well. As adults we unconsciously form codependent relationships, which are re-enactments of childhood relationships, to set a stage for releasing repressed anger and grief. Many of us have sought partners, bosses, and friends who remind us of our parents and have been unhappy in these relationships.

Repressed anger causes anxiety and depression.

There is a flood of anger in our brains. When you learn this simple biology, the self-help measures will come naturally. When anger is continually suppressed, toxic amounts of neurochemicals that store repressed anger accumulate in the brain, clogging up neural pathways where memories of our parents are stored. We may not remember the childhood trauma. Our brains periodically try to release the excess neurochemicals during detoxification crises, which are excitatory nervous symptoms. Nerve impulses are often diverted through the wrong neural pathways. As a result, anger may be misdirected toward someone who is innocent or partially innocent, or directed inward as guilt or self-destructive thought. Or the diverting of nerve impulses may cause a variety of other symptoms, from anxiety, to mania, to delusions, even to psychotic behavior. Depression usually follows a detoxification crisis. But these detoxification crises, which cause excitatory nervous symptoms, are healing events--the opening of floodgates to release repressed anger. If we mentally redirect anger toward our parents and other past abusers during the excitatory nervous symptoms, more floodgates can open, and this speeds recovery. Our addiction to people (codependency) and overlying additions to stimulants, chemical or psychological, will only slowly subside because, as in homeopathy, these stimulants trigger the necessary detoxification crises.

Redirect anger during nervous symptoms.

Recognize excitatory nervous symptoms as signals the brain is trying to release the neurochemicals that store repressed anger. When symptoms appear, do not suppress them, but redirect the emerging anger toward your parents, not in person, but by pounding on a bed and yelling at them while picturing them or thinking about them. You will find many ways to release and redirect anger. An excitatory nervous symptom might be the pounding in your chest when confronting someone in a current interaction. This is neurotic fear and a signal that repressed anger from childhood trauma is emerging. Never try to re-experience the early trauma in detail. You are not attacking your parents, but only the memories of them stored in your brain. You are getting angry at their sickness. Other symptoms that signal emerging anger are anxiety, panic attacks, tremors, palpitations, compulsive thoughts or behavior, mania, insomnia, nightmares, paranoia, judgment, resentments, revengeful thoughts, loneliness, feelings of rejection, and fear of abandonment. Symptoms might be guilt, shame, low self-esteem, or suicidal thought, which are caused when anger is turned inward. These are all detoxification crises and opportunities to release and redirect anger. Get to the anger and redirect it as often as possible throughout the day. If it would be too noisy to yell out loud, redirect anger by talking quietly in your mind. Parental voices stay in our heads saying things like, “You should be ashamed of yourself.” Tell those voices to “shut up!” Symptoms might be cravings for stimulants, sedatives, sedating foods, sex, psychological stimulation, or meditative techniques to quiet the mind. Other symptoms might be misdirected rage or aggressive behavior toward others. If anger is intense and out of proportion in a current interaction, most of it is repressed anger from childhood and needs to be redirected to early caretakers. Do not direct intense anger toward others in person. Walk away from abuse. If intense anger is triggered in a current interaction, pound on a bed and direct some anger to that person, but mostly to your parents. After releasing most of the anger privately by pounding on a bed, calmly tell the person in the current interaction you were uncomfortable with their behavior. Explain to others that you may over-react during this recovery process. Memories of other past abusers who were parent figures for you, for example, male or female authority figures, are laid down in common neural pathways, and you will need to redirect anger to them as well. They might include relatives, bosses, doctors, clergy, officers of the law, other persons in authority, partners, or friends. False notions of God as a judgmental parent are stored with memories of past abusers, and it helps to get mad at God as well.

Mood swings may worsen, but are temporary.

Releasing anger has a fast antidepressant action. You may feel a temporary "high" followed by increased depression or a drug-like sleep. Remind yourself that the depression will lift, or you may be able to trigger a detoxifcation crisis by pounding on a bed. Crying often follows, and feelings of grief may last for many months. Headaches, sweating, fever, and other physical symptoms, which are all detoxifaction crises, are common.

Detoxification crises will subside.

In time detoxification crises, that is, the excitatory nervous symptoms, will be less intense and less often. If you let go of addictions before using the therapy, including the addiction to sedating foods, you may have a rather dramatic release from anxiety and depression. If you let go of addictions while using the therapy, your recovery may take longer. After publication of the longer version of this article on the Internet, those who had changed their diets to mostly raw food began to share the characteristics of normal persons in a few months. Normal people feel alive but content, are friendly but enjoy being alone, are patient but cannot be pushed around, feel sad but not depressed, and they have a sustainable peace of mind.. They are incapable of violence unless in self-defense. They have a relaxed posture, fall asleep more easily, and have a lighter but restful sleep. They work efficiently and seek pleasure when not at work. Short-term memory and concentration are improved. I.Q's can soar. Childhood memroies may return, but without the painful emotions attached. Anger when triggered will still be mixed with anger from the past, and it will be necessary to continue redirecting anger indefinitely. Anger will be mild and related more and more to current interactions. Even when your anger is entirely about the current interaction, feel and express it privately, and then confront calmly if appropriate. If you suppress anger, neural pathways can become clogged up again, and symptoms will re-occur.

Physical health should improve.

Toxicosis in the brain results in periodic over- and understimulation of the pituitary gland and other control organs, leading to peripheral disease. When the detoxification process is finished, psychosomatic disorders--better termed neurogenic--disappear. Because you will be attracted to healtier diets, your are less likely to get physically sick. If you do get sick, symptoms will be milder. Neural pathways are clear, and the nervous system can do its daily job of detoxification. Eat as much raw food as possible and avoid sstimulants, sedatives, processed or overly cooked foods, refined sugar, grains, and dairy products on a daily basis.

Freedom from emotional disorders and addictions will be permanent.

Eventually the fight or flight reaction is restored, and you will have healthy anger and sadness when appropriate. Addictions will cease. By processing your anger when triggered, you will have a sustainable euphoria, which is not a "high," but is best defined as freedom from anxiety and distress. You will be reborn with the capacity to love and be loved.

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Testimonies:

"I had a major depressive episode that almost cost me my life. I was in despair. I tried the screaming and hitting inanimate objects to turn the depression into anger. The results were astonishing. My depression lifted immediately. I had my worst suicidal attack while on an antidepressant. I no longer use antidepressants. I have lost interest in TV violence. 1998 was the worst year of my life. 1999 has been the best of my life. I am, like countless other lost souls, very grateful. I am unable to properly express how important I think the work is that you are doing." Frank

"I am still marveling that IT REALLY WORKS!!! It does. These simple measures are an incredible gift to enable people to get their life back. I haven't awakened or gone to sleep depressed in weeks. Before I did the self therapy, I was depressed almost every single day. I had been chronically depressed for 50 years, and recovered completely from depression in just a month. I am filled with so much gratitude and enjoyment of my life now. I've truly been given new life." Shirely (Note: Shirley's rapid recovery was probably due to the fact that her diet was mostly raw food. For others, recovery usually takes longer.)

"I had been chronically depressed for 25 years. Now it is three months that I haven't felt depressed. I can't believe I am even saying this, having turned round and round in circles for 10 years in therapy. It did not fix my marriage--it salvaged it. We were talking about separation. Guess what the main reason for a divorce would have been--'uncontrollable outbursts of violence' on my part. A crucial point was about nutrition, with some principles to follow to help the physical recovery process. And some reassurance as to why it is so difficult to stop taking drugs (alcohol, sugar and coffee being my three top ones) and how I could hope for getting slowly weaned as I get better. Now I trust my own body and soul to know the way." Lynn

"I searched endlessly for help from depression, dread, fear, and emptiness in my life. I have at last been given permission to express my anger in a way that would not effect others or leave me feeling bad, wrong, guilty, or worse. I can feel the toxins coming out. It's working. I am so excited. It's all ringing true. I feel alive for the first time ever. I feel joy and a sense of well-being and relief. The theory is brilliant, simple, and beautiful." Cathy

(http://homepages.nyu.edu/~er26/anger.html)

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