“Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.”
This quote, made famous by Mark Twain, underscores the potential damage of holding onto anger. Twain’s words still resonate today as rage rooms are all the rage, enrollment in martial arts classes continues to climb and even scream clubs have grown in popularity.
People are clearly searching for healthy ways to release their anger and frustration – such as paying to destroy items from furniture to glassware in the controlled environment of a rage room – and mental health professionals say that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Laura Kelley, media relations professional in the CU Anschutz Office of Communications, spoke with Emily Hemendinger, MPH, LCSW, clinical director of the OCD and Anxiety Program and assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, about these modern outlets for aggression, how they can help people process emotions and how to tell when an outlet may be doing more harm than good.