Introduction to: Waking Up From Anger
How to Overcome Emotional Reactivity
An Anger Management Training Intensive Manual ebook

This manual was created in response to a growing need for an education that teaches a skillful approach to our mental-emotional life in general, and to our experience of anger specifically. This is an emotional health education guide book.

Anger is by far the most frequently reported problematic emotion in my 1-1 consultations with clients. The reason for this would include common reports of impulsive or out-of-control verbalizations and actions that cause harm to ones self and others. Violence, drug and alcohol abuse, lost marriages, alienated children, depression; these are some of the effects of the inability to navigate the emotional intensity that so often appears to be anger (but is often something else). Interestingly enough, when I ask clients to describe what is happening when feeling anger, or simply what anger feels like, I receive looks that range from bewilderment to annoyance. Anger is seemingly a lot like the Bogeyman. We believe it's scary but we have never even seen it face-to-face. This wide spread lack of understanding regarding the dynamics of our mental and emotional experience of anger, points directly at where we need to begin.

This manual, and my basic approach to all Life exploration begins with learning to place our attention on our present experience with awareness and curiosity. I will suggest again and again the importance of developing the capacity to contain intense emotions, which is facilitated by the skill of Awakened Attention. Awakened Attention means the practice of keeping attention on our present experience with awareness and energy. Conversely, Passive Attention occurs when attention is lost in mind-stuff, such as thought, memory, and fantasy, without awareness or energy.

After almost 17 years of exploration it is my opinion that attention deficit is the dis-ease of our modern times, and nearly everyone has it. Attention, when not actively and energetically engaged in our experience, becomes lost in mental activity. Thoughts, opinions, stories, judgments, negativity, dramas, distortions, fantasies, daydreams... We live a Life of self inflicted suffering, caused by an attention that is mesmerized by mental activity. Stuck in the theatre of the mind, we watch a non-stop horror/drama/tragedy. Not only that, when attention is lost in mental activity we are actually missing our real and true Life as it unfolds, moment by moment.

As most of my consultations involve adults in an intimate relationship, this manual was written with that population in mind. The principles remain sound when applied to any situation, and are easily tailored to all types of anger explorations. It is my hope that the following pages provide a map through the pain-producing phenomenon of emotional reactivity, bringing clarity where there is confusion, and shining a light into the closet of anger.

There it will be found that no Bogeyman is, or ever was.

---

* 2008 All Rights Reserved.

Aaron McNaught, aka "The Wake Up Guy", is the author of five books, a Life Coach and Transformational Speaker who practically owns the term. (Google "Transformational Speaker" in quotes and see for yourself). Aaron is known for his demonstration of awakeness and has commited his life to bringing light into the world.

For more info about books, speaking engagements, retreats or coaching services, call 403.346.4882 or use the contact form in the top right corner of every page.