George Anderson, of
Anderson Anger Management Training, in Los Angeles, California.
In the City of Angels, where residents rage at the time wasted in
traffic jams and homicide rates are among the highest nationwide, anger
therapy is by no means limited to the rich and famous. (ROBYN
BECK/AFP/Getty Images)
Bernard Minor spent 26 years behind bars for murdering a
drug dealer who owed him $400. Now, the ex-con spends his days teaching
others to keep their rage in check, one of the swelling ranks of
America’s anger therapists.
“I was a very angry person,” the 58-year-old told AFP. “I’d been
living a violent life. Living in the streets since I was 11 years old.
Now I want to help people.”
Minor specialises in tackling domestic abuse – working with
“batterers”, in his own words – in Los Angeles, a city seen by many as a
hotbed of short-fused behaviour and where the rage management industry
is booming.
“Our referrals grow by 20 per cent per year,” said George Anderson, a
78-year-old therapist, who says he has treated 17,000 people throughout
his long career.
Famously tempestuous stars include Sean Penn and Kanye West, known
for lashing out at paparazzi, or Justin Bieber, who egged his
neighbour’s house after receiving complaints about loud parties and fast
cars.
Supermodel Naomi Campbell infamously threw her mobile phone at a housekeeper.
But in the City of Angels, where residents rage at the time wasted in
traffic jams and homicide rates are among the highest nationwide, anger
therapy is by no means limited to the rich and famous.
Blew Up
The financial crisis and pressures of an increasingly fast-paced
life, as well as constant connection to the outside world via mobile
devices – exacerbating stress levels – are all seen as driving the anger
therapy trend.
Truckers and gang members both make up large constituencies of
clients, but they rub shoulders with surgeons or top executives sent by
their employers to quiet their tempers.
About 70 per cent of course attendees are men. Around half are here
by choice – though often nudged into action by a long-suffering spouse
or relative. The rest are here on the orders of a judge.
Eric, a 40-year-old stunt performer who did not want to be identified
by his last name, opted in after finding himself in a bar fight, a
clash with his brother, and an argument with his girlfriend that landed
him in a jail cell.
Rick, an eye surgeon, signed up at the urging of his employer after
he lost his temper at work. He blew up after a nurse overfilled a
syringe, which could have caused severe damage had he injected it in his
patient’s eye.
“You rely on a lot of people, but you’re ultimately responsible,” he recalled, and the pressure on occasion became too much.
With regular therapy sessions, “I’ve learned to better communicate
with my team,” he said. “I tell them their work is very important, and
that I rely on them.”
Identifying Triggers
Nearly one in every 10 Americans have both a history of impulsive,
angry behaviour and access to guns, according to research by Harvard,
Columbia, and Duke universities. Another Harvard study found that
two-thirds of American teenagers suffer from bursts of irrepressible
anger.
Concerns about rage are by no means an American-only problem: in
Britain, for instance, one in 10 people admit to having trouble
controlling their anger.
But in California, the demand for therapy is also rising because of
the “very low tolerance” for violence, said therapist Anita Avedian,
founder of the local chapter of the National Anger Management
Association.
“You give a tap on the hand of your child – that’s abuse. You’re an
angry person,” Avedian said. “You do anything to your pet; you’re in
jail.”
Both in group and individual sessions, clients learn how to identify
their triggers. Many students cite trouble with their spouses, but
others point to issues like feeling disrespected or harassed by a
superior.
Everyone gauges their anger levels on a scale of one to 10, with the goal of never letting the temperature rise above seven.
It’s a lucrative business: a group session starts at just $20, but an individual meeting can set you back up to $350 per hour.
With the help of discussion and visualisation techniques, clients
learn how to stop reacting defensively and feeling under attack, how to
stay rational and understand the viewpoints of others.
Expressing emotions calmly is a top goal, as well as how to set boundaries – before the anger bubbles over.
Many anger issues, in their experience, are linked to childhood
trauma, such as growing up with a particularly critical father or
feeling abandoned by a parent.
There are relapses, but both Anderson and Avedian estimate their success rate at between 70 and 80 per cent.
Arnold, a 51-year-old trucker and ex-convict with a history of gang
membership, suffered from abuse throughout his youth. When he feels
disrespected, his blood still boils, but he’s learned to rein it in.
“If I touch anybody, I go to jail,” Arnold said. “I’m not gonna give you that satisfaction. I’m not getting handcuffed.”
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