Anger issues are produced by an interaction of factors in the brain and in the environment that result in a tumultuous relationship between the two. So can psychedelics break up that interaction? Let’s review what we know about psychedelics’ mechanisms of action.
What is Anger ?
One of the five basic emotions– anger, is a feeling everyone has experience with. As humans, when we feel our sense of self or ego being attacked, it’s a natural gut reaction to feel provoked, aggravated, or on high alert. However, living with persistent and uncontrollable anger can be highly distressing and disruptive to a person’s day-to-day experience, and to the people in their lives.
Why thresholds for anger and the ability to calm explosiveness vary from person to person, is a complicated question to explore. What we do know is that anger doesn’t happen in a vacuum outside of other emotional issues, it’s entangled with complex chemical reactions occurring in the science labs of our different neural systems.
We know from modern scientific research that psychedelics produce significant antidepressant and anxiolytic effects, and are generally really well-tolerated by people seeking relief.
Psychedelic compounds are serotonin 5-HT receptor agonists, in the same way that common SSRIs and antidepressants are, meaning they bind to the receptors of serotonin neurotransmitters. Serotonin is our body’s natural “feel good” chemical.
One way that activation of serotonin receptors has been shown to have therapeutic “feel good” benefits is by producing an anti-inflammatory effect on the brain .
The mental state of being angry relates to neural systems that pertain to threat, vigilance, and reaction, and occurs when these systems are in high gear, overdrive, or highly “inflamed”.
This is because exposure to (both perceived or real) extreme threat increases the responsiveness and reactivity of these neural systems, a process which is associated with increased anger .
In other words, these systems may become biologically “inflamed”, translating to those easily aroused mood states characteristic of anger issues. Inflammatory reactions can sometimes be useful in situations of real danger, but constantly being in a state of high alert is not amenable to emotional well-being.
One of the most widely-accepted and widely-adopted therapeutic uses for psychedelics is for treatment of PTSD, a condition which involves negatively altered cognitions about the world, higher sensitivity to threat, and more inflammatory reactions.
Psilocybin has been empirically shown to enhance brain plasticity, or in other words, increase cognitive “flexibility”. Modern research has shown that psychedelic experiences induce “ego dissolution” meaning they successfully break down the networks of cognitive patterns that make up who we are in our brain– think: habits and biases .
Research also shows that this altered network connectivity induced by psilocybin has enduring effects. In contrast, psychological changes as a result of SSRIs have only been shown to take effect while the drug is being taken . Additionally, a core component of what we know as “anger issues” relates to the external reaction to anger– the inability to control or regulate unpleasant or distressing feelings.
You’ve likely heard that your brain isn’t done developing until the age of 25, that’s because 25 years of age is around the time our prefrontal cortex matures– the part of the brain associated with impulse control and executive decision making.
New research is showing us that the serotonergic effects of psychedelics also translates to the frontal cortex of the brain, improving our ability to be clear-minded . This means that psychedelics rapidly induce stress relief and increased sense of control over our own emotional experiences.
This makes a lot of sense as psychedelic trips are often heavily intertwined with mindfulness, meditation, and manifestation.
Mindfulness, meditation, and manifestation all relate to another ‘M’ word: modulation. Brain modulation– the relaxing or reversing of rigid beliefs, and changes in the way we perceive events and process information– a core therapeutic ingredient for positively changing behavior.
The power of psychedelics as we know it is to make the nervous system less nervous. Across clinical trials and anecdotal reports, people experience transformative shifts in perspective and disposition after psychedelic trips .
Final Thoughts
Psychedelics has proven to be effective for reprogramming hardwired nervous system responses, which can alter both the internal sensation and external expression of anger.
That’s a powerful thing – not only for treating psychological diagnoses, but for creating a greater sense of control and autonomy over your life, and for increasing your overall subjective well-being.
Setting intentions before your psychedelic experience is crucial for focusing your attention on what you want to let go of and what change you want to see during and after your psychedelic journey.
