November/December 2023 Alchemical Voice

Alchemical Voice - L2M - Issue 23
Epigenetic (non-genetic) influences are also relevant.
These can be defined as our reaction to
environmental signals that trigger survival strategies.
Learning also plays a role. It's not uncommon for
people with IED to have been raised in angry
households with violent parents, or people who have
suffered a trauma and not been able to express their
emotions in a therapeutic way.
Another potential cause of IED is inflammation,
(literally ‘anger held within’), which also plays a role in
other behavioural disorders, such as depression,
schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. IED can also
result from a head strike that damages the brain's
temporal lobe, where the amygdala is located.
One question that has not been fully researched is
whether childhood tantrums are early onset IED, due
to unresolved trauma, that still influences adult
aggressive behaviour.
"We don't know if it progresses like that," said
Coccaro, "but we do know that about 20% of people
with IED attempt some form of self-harm, and
alcohol or drugs can make people more sensitive to
provocation and more uncontrolled in their
outbursts”.
However, there are other forms of complimentary
treatments available that can help. Meditative
practices, Tai Chi, and therapies that focus on the
person being able to express their feelings are all
worthwhile additions to orthodox treatments.
It is important to note that IED is a ‘triggered’
action. "We all have our defence systems," says Jon
Grant MD, a professor of psychiatry and
behavioural neuroscience at the University of
Chicago. "It's easier to blame others than ourselves,
that's human nature”.
“Most people think IED is just bad behaviour,
especially parents labelling their child as such, and
the person who's acting out needs an attitude
adjustment. But the truth is, there's lots of
biological evidence that IED is a real thing. It's not
simply an attitude.” says Coccaro.
It takes a brave person to admit that they may have
this problem. Depression often evokes sympathy,
but aggression scares us, and when someone admits
to abuse, we tend to automatically want to give our
attention to the victim, not the abuser. We need to
remember that the person who has a ‘short fuse’ IS
the victim, and their Amygdala is telling them, and
the people around them that this is so.
Fortunately, there are ways to manage IED. However,
as with most effective therapies the person has to
agree that they have a problem in the first place,
which tends to be a ‘fuse lighting’ event in itself!
People with IED will often blame others for their
angry outburst, rather than admit they have a
problem that THEY need to deal with.
When they have admitted that they need help then
Cognitive Behavioural therapy, combined with
medication is often the preferred method of
treatment from an orthodox perspective.
MARTIN LEWIS
www.appliedmetaphysics.co.uk
kinesiology@hotmail.co.uk
+44 (0)7968 740550
Newbury, Berkshire
Michael McCloskey stresses that anger is a normal
human emotion and expressing that anger (within
limits) can be healthy. Occasional small acts of
excessive aggression are normal. But if it goes
beyond that, get help.
"What's interesting about all this," said McCloskey,
"is that people with depression or anxiety will say,
'Oh, I get treatment for that.' But people with IED
tend to think, 'I'm just an aggressive person, and
there's nothing that can be done about it.' That's
just not true.”
References: Medscape website: www.medscape.com
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