ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the unique contributions of emotion-focused therapy (EFT) and research to the understanding and treatment of anger and aggression. First, the concept of “experiencing” is fundamental to all experiential therapies, including EFT, and is defined as client attention to, symbolization, and exploration of their moment-by-moment subjective experience. The second assumption underlying EFT is that effective intervention requires a highly differentiated perspective of particular emotional experiences and processes. Third, such a differentiated perspective is inherently integrative. An EFT approach to assessment of emotional experiences, in general, and anger experience, in particular, involves an integration of global and process diagnoses. Anger and anger-related problems are central to experiences of childhood maltreatment and to the resultant adult disturbances. The primary mechanisms of change in EFTT are exposure and “emotional processing” of trauma memories, and provision of a safe and empathic therapeutic relationship. EFTT interventions related to problematic anger focus first on differentiating different types of anger experience.
