More Than the Anger: A Grounding Meditation for Emotional Release
This blog is adapted from one of our recent podcast episodes. You can take a listen at the button above.
Why You Need Tools to Cope with Anger (Even If You’re in Therapy)
Anger is one of the most misunderstood emotions. It's intense, often inconvenient, and let’s be honest, it gets a bad PR rap. But anger isn’t the enemy. It’s a signal. And like all signals, it needs to be acknowledged, not buried under toxic positivity or unleashed in ways you’ll regret.
In this episode of Simply Mental, Cassandra Minnick shares a guided meditation to help release anger in a safe, intentional way. The practice blends body awareness, breathing techniques, and simple reflection to help you move through emotional intensity without letting it take over.
It’s especially helpful for those doing EMDR therapy, trauma work, or just trying not to snap at the next person who loads the dishwasher wrong.
EMDR Is Powerful, But You Still Need Coping Tools
While EMDR therapy helps reprocess traumatic memories at the brain level, it doesn’t do the day-to-day heavy lifting of staying regulated when life gets spicy. That’s where grounding tools like this meditation come in.
Think of EMDR as doing the deep rewiring work, and practices like this meditation as the everyday maintenance that keeps your nervous system in check.
Step 1: Ground Yourself in the Present Moment
The meditation begins by helping you ground your body and reconnect with physical safety. This includes:
Deep breathing exercises
Noticing points of contact (feet on the floor, hands on your chest)
Softening muscle tension (especially the jaw, shoulders, and hands)
These small cues help signal to your nervous system that it’s safe to downshift - essential for any kind of emotional regulation, especially if you’ve experienced chronic stress or trauma.
Step 2: Locate the Anger in Your Body
Before you can release anger, you have to know where it lives in your body. Cassandra encourages you to scan for tension, heat, or tightness - common physical signs of unprocessed emotion.
Noticing without judgment is key. This is not about "fixing" yourself. It's about creating a little space between you and the feeling so it doesn't drive the car.
Step 3: Write It, Cross It Out, Choose Better
This part is both practical and cathartic. You’re invited to:
Write down your first impulse - even if it’s ridiculous or destructive. (We’re all human here.)
Cross it out - multiple times.
Write an aligned action that matches your values and feels constructive.
This quick journaling moment helps shift from reaction to intention. And it teaches your brain that you can have big feelings and still act in ways you feel proud of later.
Step 4: Use Visualization to Move the Energy
Visualization isn’t just for yogis or manifesting girlies, it’s a grounded trauma-informed technique. Cassandra walks you through imagining a calming stream of light that gently dissolves the tension in your body.
You don’t have to force anything. Just breathe, observe, and allow the emotion to flow out instead of pile up.
As the anger leaves, you’re invited to notice what fills the space. Often, it’s a mix of calm, clarity, and grounded strength.
Step 5: Return to Yourself
The meditation closes by reminding you that you are more than your anger. You are allowed to have emotions and still stay connected to yourself, your values, and the people around you.
You return to your environment slowly (wiggling your fingers and toes, noticing the space around you) bringing the nervous system back online without a crash landing.
A Repeatable Tool for Emotional Resilience
This isn’t a “one-and-done” fix. It’s a practice you can return to anytime:
Before a difficult conversation
After a hard parenting moment
When you're spiraling with frustration
When you're triggered and don’t know what else to do
This meditation supports your nervous system regulation, helping you shift from fight-or-flight to thoughtful, grounded responses.
You Can Feel Anger Without Losing Control
Cassandra’s message is clear: anger doesn’t have to be scary, and it doesn’t have to run the show. With the right tools, you can notice the emotion, respond intentionally, and move forward with more clarity and calm.
And if you’re in therapy (especially EMDR work) this kind of daily support can reinforce your healing process and help you build real-life resilience.
Want More Tools Like This?
At Seen Therapy Services, we offer EMDR intensives, trauma-informed therapy, and practical tools for navigating real life, not just sessions. Whether you’re a high-achieving woman navigating childhood trauma or a couple working through emotional triggers, we see you - and we’re here to help you move through it faster, and differently.
