Healing the Angry Brain: How Understanding the Way Your Brain Works Can Help You Control Anger and Aggression

by Ronald T. Potter-Efron

Do you find yourself:

• Becoming so angry you have trouble thinking?
• Acting impulsively during angry outbursts?
• Getting so mad that you feel out of control of your actions?

If these strong, sudden bursts of anger sound all too familiar, you know the impact they have over your life. Over time, these responses can actually hard-wire our brains to respond angrily in situations that normally wouldn’t cause us to lose our cool. These anger pathways in the brain can eventually disrupt your work, strain your relationships, and even damage your health.

Written by anger management expert Ronald Potter-Efron, Healing the Angry Brain can help you short-circuit the anger cycle and learn to calmly handle even the most stressful interactions. You will learn which areas of your brain are causing your reactions and discover how to take control of your emotions by rewiring your brain for greater patience and perspective. This fascinating, scientific approach to anger management will yield long-term results, helping you develop greater empathy and put effective conflict resolution skills into practice for years to come.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Self Help, Health

172 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Dr. Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot say enough positive things about this read. I picked it up to help me better understand my clients with anger management concerns, and learned and gathered a world of knowledge about myself and my own relationships. This book does an incredible job of helping you grasp the brain biology behind anger, and provides excellent solutions for working through the hardwired whoopseys that we've learned over time.
I absolutely love neuropsychology, and neuroscience in general, but this book is written in a basic enough way for anyone to read.

If anger plagues your relationships - this book is a MUST READ. It's definitely going on my therapy shelf.

[Thom · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book, perhaps too focused on the brain-level functions of anger. The message that you can change your brain is great, and there are some good strategies in the latter half of the book. I think we could all stand to improve our empathy and empathic concern.

Originally picked this up to read with my son, but the medical bits got to be too much. Came back to it in September; this is really a fairly quick read.

[Evan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read focusing on the function and mechanics of the brain during expressions of anger, the actual neural pathways traveled, chemicals released, and specific regions stimulated. There was some discussion of how to go about changing these reactions and curbing anger, though the two biggest takeaways were that doing so is a long road requiring devout attention, and that certain operations during an angry reaction occur completely subconsciously; essentially rendering advice such as 'count to ten' or 'just walk away' useless as the lower brain has instructed the body to react before the conscious mind is even aware of the proceedings.

[Fiona Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helps me understand different stages of my anger, and how I can resolve it before it escalates into something that is out of control or that I will regret later. For people who gets angry, frustrated, irritable easily, short-tempered, this is a really insightful read to better help you manage your temper and anger.

[Diogenes Grief · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice, solid, and concise guide to understanding how experiences, moods, behaviors, and feelings all mesh within the neurological-anatomical-biochemistry of the brain, as well as ways on how to change deep-seated processes.

[Ty · Rating 3 out of 5]

“... no one is blessed with a perfect brain, and imperfect brains produce imperfect responses to difficult situations. A natural consequence of this situation is that we often commit emotional errors.”
Pg 32

[Saif Bagmar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe I will be able to deal with really angry people in a better way; more importantly I will be a less angry person :-)

[Ro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informartive and easy to comprehend. Although may take time for people to actually achievem it does say that it's a 6 month program

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good practical explanation but based on good science.

[Kamilė Strach · Rating 2 out of 5]

Begydant piktas smegenis - Ronald Potter-Efron

2🌟 iš 5🌟!

Šią knygą skaičiau norėdama pagilinti žinias apie pyktį. 🐂

Kadangi daug informacijos gavau perskaičius "Pykčio dietą", tikėjausi, kad šis rašinys bus labai panašus į Brendos Shoshannos knygą.

Tačiau - tai visiškai kitoks skaitinys nei prieš tai mano skaitytas.🦄

Brendos "Pykčio dietoje" daugiau šnekama apie piktas emocijas, jų slėpimą, kaupimą, o čia aptariamos jau supiktybėjusios smegenys.

Psichoterapeutas, socialinių mokslų daktaras, pykčio valdymo ekspertas Ronaldas šioje knygoje labai vaizdžiai ir plačiai analizuoja pyktį ir agresiją.🕷

Autorius parodo, kaip veikia smegenys tą pykčio akimirką.

Išties knyga pasirodė daugiau panaši į mokslinį darbą nei į įprastą saviugdos kūrinį.

✖Tad skaityti sekėsi gana sunkiai.

Tačiau...

✔Daug negirdėtų faktų apie smegenų veiklą, pačias smegenis, emocijas, patarimų ir metodų, padedančių įveikti pyktį be pačio pykčio apraiškų.

✅Tai buvo įdomu!..

Tad, jei esate linkęs į agresyvų pyktį ir norite keistis, tikrai rekomenduoju šią knygą kaip pradžiamokslį vadovėlį.

Jis parodys ne tik, kodėl tai vyksta, bet ir duos patarimų, kaip sau padėti.🔆

Autorius netgi aptaria vaistus pykčiui mažinti, jų šalutinius poveikius, grėsmes ir teigiamus aspektus!

Taip pat pamoko, kad svarbu žinoti, kaip atsipalaiduoti ir grįžti į ČIA ir DABAR pajautimą.♻️

Knygoje paminimi ir detaliau apibūdinami keturi būdai: gilus kvėpavimas, laipsniškas raumenų atsipalaidavimas, neurologinis grįžtamasis ryšys ir dėmesio įsisąmoninimo meditacija. 📴

Jei skaitysite, išbandykite!

+++
✔Puikus raštas, stori puslapiai, geras raštas akims.

💡Įdomu tai, kad kartais pyktis gali būti sukeltas ne jūsų emocijų, o hormonų! Tad būkite sveiki, o norėdami pakeisti savo įpročius, vis dėl to prieš tai išsitirkite sveikatą.

[Sachin Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Healing the Angry Brain: By Ronald T. Potter-Efron - An extraordinary book which shows you how Understanding the Way Your Brain Works Can Help You Control Anger and Aggression - I could connect with this book so well. More so that I was and still do go through bouts of Anger or should I say, emotional upheavals which leave me in a temper which I normally do not like to associate. I realized that it came out of anger at someone not relating with or behaving in a way they should. Some times it was just sheer bad behavior by another person, which in turn affected me.

When I read this book, it not only sorted out the various phases of the reasons for my anger, but clearly defined the solution, and how possibly I could if needed re-connected with that person and try to make him see reason. This was in fact the most reassuring part of my take away from this book. If you are able to connect with the reason for your anger, try and review it, resolve the resentment within you and also further be of help to someone who may be going through that same phase, what better could you ask for?

A definite must read!

[Alaase Mahalah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book that help not only with my understanding of my own anger but with my ability to empathize with the anger that we being felt by my children and my husband. It breaks down the science behind anger and gives you step by step directions to take control of your life beyond the anger you feel. It is a most read for anyone dealing with anger or how knows someone who is battle anger problems!

[Bernard Sia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could have concentrated the topic on the brain sections e.g. prefrontal cortex, amygdala etc into one two chapter tops. But it got repeated to many time.

Not enough chapters on how to get better

Focused pretty much on the negatives of anger. And that's just common sense already. Readers won't be looking for a book to tell you the problems that they wanna solve. We want more on solutions.

[Amelia Durham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This could also be titled, “why the angry brain makes bad choices”. Very good explanations of the processes that the body is experiencing before during and after an anger inducing trigger. We understand so little about this powerful and sometimes life changing emotion. This is information everyone can benefit from.

[Gintare Ambrozaityte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mintis sau, kai po kurio laiko grįšiu peržiūrėti:
Skaitydama atradau tai, kad manymas, jog gebu valdyti empatiją nereiškia, kad ją valdau. Trys teiginiai su kuriais ją galima ugdyti: žmonės be galo įdomūs, kiekvienas turi savo istoriją,aš praturtinsiu savo gyvenimą domėdamasi kitais.

[Michael Faragalla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite simply changed my life. Nothing special about the way it is written but for those who are committed at overcoming their anger issues, this is the book that will do it. The advice genuinely works.

[Aaron Polish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this and finished it today and it was great. I have a lot of rage and anger and when taking medication and then the pills kick in, it has a reverse side effect on me. I can't take pills so I just do talk therapy. Ronald Potter-Efron is great at his book writing. Very interesting.

[Jolanta Tumasaitė · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dabar, jeigu reikėtų trumpai, dviem žodžiais apibūdinti knygą, būtų empatija ir atsitraukimas. Knyga gana mokslinė, aprašoma kaip smegenys veikia, kaip kyla impulsai, bet yra ir praktinių patarimų.

[The Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ratings: 5/5 Stars

This book taught me so much.. it's a very useful book for someone like myself who have anger issues. The complexity of the brain is so fascinating.

[Jami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Deep understanding of the people affected, the science and solutions.

[Yycdaisy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Non medical/science people are going to find this a challenging read. If you have to skip over that stuff, there's maybe a few chapters worth of useful info.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ iš 5⭐️

Kuris iš mūsų nėra susidūręs su pykčiu? Nesvarbu, kieno ir kokiu. Savo, vaiko, vyro, draugės. Stipriu, vos jaučiamu, kandžiu, žeidžiančiu, neduok Dieve smurtiniu. Tokio žmogaus nėra. Visi pykstame ir visi pykstame skirtingai.

Jeigu tau įdomu, kaip pykčio atžvilgiu veikia žmogaus smegenys, ši knyga yra skirta tau. Čia rasi teorijos, kuri gana dažnai kartosis lyg norėdama nusėsti tavo atmintyje ir pasilikti čia ilgam laikui. Nors teorijos tikrai nemažai, bet akivaizdu, kaip tuo pačiu jos gauname nedaug. Autorius nuoširdžiai stengėsi suspausti šią dalį iki minimumo ir, mano nuomone, jam gana gerai pavyko. Sudėtingi veiksmai paaiškinami suprantamais pavyzdžiais ir visiems suprantama kalba. Taip pat labai patiko, kad knyga suskirstyta į trumpus skyrius.
Knygoje rasite patarimų, kaip valdyti save, savo pyktį, kaip jį suprasti ir pajausti užgimstant.

Vis dėlto, tai nėra ta knyga, kurią norėčiau saugoti savo knygų lentynoje. Antrą kartą jos skaityti neplanuoju 📚

P.S. Jei skaitėte "Begydant piktas smegenis" ir jums patiko, rekomenduoju paskaityti James Clear "Atominiai įpročiai".

[Gemini · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book actually went through a variety of different messages, not just about anger. It first discusses the way the brain works so you can better understand the mechanics w/out it being to sciencey. It goes through the complexity of the brain in how it interprets emotions. Looking at how you get to that point of anger is not always easy to comprehend. There are different phases that you go through & being able to determine thow to make them go in certain path other than what you normally do isn't easy. It was also interesting how there are certain people who don't express emotion vs. others who do, although that is still a mystery consideringthat is hard wiring more than anything. Hopefully people will gain some insight into how to keep things in a manner that is more in tune to what they want.

[Bruce Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

The material in this book will help me as I facilitate men's groups dealing with individuals who have had an alleged history of intimate partner violence in their relationship. This book reinforced for me the thought process and some of the dynamics that cause people to react the way they do. It also gave various resources that can be used in the group activities, and resources that can be referred to for further research.

[Phil Newman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but very clinical. Dealt very much with the actual brain function. Some good tips on how to attempt to retrain.

[Noble Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating read. The human brain is so amazing!

[Julianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this for one of my grad classes. I thought it was a very practical, easy to follow look at the physiology behind anger. The complexity of the brain is so fascinating.

[Alex Padilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book, well written and clear in it's approach.

[Valeria]

What I think of this book was that I really liked the book and it really helped me out. I learned how to deal with my anger and also how to deal with it .I recomend this book.

[Jeana Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful

The exercises in this book and the stories relating to real life situations were well laid out. This book makes you think.