The recent surge in US mass shootings has brought gun violence to the forefront. Despite attempts to control the problem through gun control, better background checks, and mental health initiatives, we’ve been unable to find a viable solution. Can addressing anger help stop mass shootings?
The Gun Violence Archives reported 24 mass shootings in the US during the last two weeks of April alone, highlighting the urgent need for a solution. I believe current methods aren’t effective enough, and we need to address the root cause: our inability to deal with anger.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, the most prevalent therapy today, is based on the flawed notion that our cognitive mind can change our emotional brain. I posit that emotions take precedence over thoughts, so we need to approach, rather than avoid, our emotions to manage them effectively.
To achieve this, I present a four-step formula for dealing with anger:
Face It: Accept and confront your anger.
Feel It: Process your anger by writing about it, talking aloud to yourself, or recalling a past experience of anger.
Fuel It: Release your anger through physical activity, such as screaming, running, or hitting a pillow.
Fix It: Transform the anger into thankfulness for the lesson learned.
By following this approach, we can release our anger healthily and prevent internal violence. External violence will never stop until we deal with anger where it starts: inside of us. We need to teach people to manage their emotions effectively to prevent resorting to violence.
Focusing on releasing anger, my approach proposes a unique and effective method for transformative change in our communities. This approach has shown a marked decrease in emotional reactivity, allowing individuals to cultivate thoughtful responses instead of reactive ones.
Are you interested in effecting meaningful change in our society?