PRIMAL ANGER
Primal anger is the unavoidable consequence of the mutilation of the Human «self»-(the uber-emotional-psychological wound) executed by wounded parents, via disconfirmation of the absolute lovability of the developing self of the child (see confirmation/disconfirmation -in the same quote as below).
ALL HUMAN ANGER DERIVES FROM THE NEGATION-SUPPRESSION OF THE ABSOLUTE LOVABILITY OF THE INNOCENT CHILD. THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE CHILD IS «PERFECT» -FAR FROM. WE INCARNATE TO CORRECT THE ERROR OF THE SEPARATION FROM THE DIVINITY. BUT IMPERFECT AS THE CHILD MIGHT BE, HE/SHE IS UNCONDITIONALLY LOVABLE. PARENTS ARE TOO EMOTIONALLY CRIPPLED TO RECOGNIZE THAT. AND UKRAINE, GAZA, AND THE REST OF THE UNENDING HUMAN KILLING WARS ARE THE CONSEQUENCE! THE CONSEQUENCE OF MALPRINTED SELVES BY THE HYPERMASCULINE, SENSE OF HYPERMANHOOD OF THE MAN OF THE SPECIES.
Primal anger is animal-like anger belonging to an altered state of consciousness and ruled by the Talion Law of the Emotional Self («an eye for an eye») International Journal of Psychotherapy Volume 9. Number 2. July 2005. The Role of Emotional Trauma in Neurosis, Part 1: Theory. An Attachment-Informational Viewpoint.
As a patient of mine once said: ( See; «Principle of Parental Deification» and «Infallibility Principle» -same source as above):
“I loved you (her parents) as God, you were supposed to love me back, that’s how it works! I’m SO MAD, you broke the deal and I could not take my love back; I was stuck loving you!”
(Quote taken from the same source as above).
–This explains the pseudo-loyalty many children feel obliged to keep, as adults, towards obviously unloving, inept- dysfunctional-hurting –but deified parents -operating under the «Principle of Parental Infallibility» (see above-cited paper) -like the Pope…-
Children have a hard time believing that what their parents say or do could be wrong. Parents and patriarchal societies at large, love that!
How many children do you think could repeat –if permitted– this eloquent, if ‘heretical’ phrase above from a patient of mine?
In the session that I reproduce below, I was training a very maternal lady in how to deliver her love (which she already had -as part of her innate self-knowledge. A knowledge of zero interest in hypermasculine man ) to act as a surrogate mother for my patients, for the practice of nurturing that I had pioneered in the seventies at the Department of Psychiatry of Sherbrooke University in Quebec, Canada.
I developed my therapeutic method (The Role of Emotional Trauma in Neurosis, Part 2: Method of Treatment. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PSYCHOTHRAPY. Vol. 9. No.3 November 2005) mostly experientially through self-experimentation, and having to deal with the rage in working sessions and having to provide my «patients» with love via surrogate mothers who also included me as an advanced patient dealing with the hurt and rage, I accumulated since childhood with an inept, self-centered mother, a very hurt family -all in an archaic macho (‘chulo’- is perhaps a better expression)-oriented, social culture of Spain -that had just gone through the fratricidal, «free for all», the slaughterhouse of the «Spanish Civil War». And also, of course, as part of my clinical observations while dealing with my patients…
My work emphasis was ‘experiential’ -not spoken-word based. It was a matter of feeling -thinking came second. -(but for optimal results thinking and feeling had to coordinate, as is the case in the natural world).
I had the good fortune of working with the two pioneers of that modality: Dr. Daniel Casriel in New York and Dr, Arthur Janov (founder of Primal Therapy) in Los Angeles -particularly when, I underwent Primal Therapy, exposed to the sophisticated experiential work of Arthur Janov (Founder of Primal Therapy) at his Institute in Los Angeles during an extended Sabbatical Year from Universite de Sherbrooke in Quebec, Canada. I learned about the rage engendered in a patriarchal family via mostly a rageful mother -a backhand to the face master- and a chulo society who at age three took my father and sentenced him to death (later commuted to a life sentence of which he served six years. I had to grow up without the crucial input of a father, as an emotional orphan that is, with considerably suppressed rage generated by the early insults to my «self». Superman Generalissimo a smallish man with a fluted voice was a prolific death penalty writer
As with any other child, I had to suppress the anger growing in me as a result of the disconfirmation of my Lovability Principle, the innate God-given expectation that all of us are, beyond the shadow of a doubt, lovable beings, and who will be loved accordingly (from the same source as before).
«LOVE» is, of course, a taboo word in the hypermasculine world!! -including Psychiatry !! -using «using «science» as a cover-up excuse…
The anger accumulates as parents and other caregivers negate this principle, often exercising active acts of humiliation and violence against their children. It is not rare that this anger reaches murderous proportions, although as children we learn how to repress its expression and continue doing so throughout all our lives -because who reigns is the emotionally and spiritually inept adult to the point that, even in so-called «advanced» countries there is no preparation whatsoever to become a parent. However, that is not so, to exercise any other fundamental authority functions in the male-kingdom.
When I wrote the request for admission as a candidate patient at the Primal Institute in Los Angeles for my extended sabbatical year at Janov’s Primal Institute in Los Angeles, I realized I wrote:
«Sometimes I think I saw hate in the eyes of my mother» -it shook me to the very core…because to survive the child has to deeply suppress such injury because his/her survival (of the budding self) depends on their lovability by what communication theorists call «confirmation» (of their lovability -by the self of the caretaker to whom the child attaches). Disconfirmation fatally breaks that crucial attachment bond and the child possibly enters into a catastrophic Anaclitic Reaction. Also, parental sanctity/infallibility has been enshrined in many societies-cultures as well as in the Fourth Commandment. (See «The Principle of Parental Deification and the Principle of Parental Infallibility» in the same source as cited above)
When inefficiently repressed and/or triggered by whatever external reason, some individuals turn it against other human beings, becoming Serial Killers, such as the classical example of Mr. Ted Bundy who killed tens of young ladies and was executed in Florida in 1989. It is said that this man emitted an animal-like (Primal) scream in court when he was sentenced to death. This was the expression of the Primal Anger that some of us carry inside ourselves -proportional to the degree of the mutilation of the self.
To treat this anger, it has to be realized in a controlled environment, assisted by therapeutic figures –who after having been treated themselves, are clean enough to touch another soul!
The «untreated therapist» who was declared sane because learned his/her trade at a male-infused training institution -from books and lectures-, is one of the greatest myths (rip off?) in male psychiatry that refuses to use the innate self-knowledge of the woman because it was not learned at one of his «knowledge centers».
He/she is not fit to take care of the patient. Therapy will reach a point when restitution of love will have to be provided by surrogate parents who could provide him with expressions of care and love to confirm the Lovability Principle. At this point mere words are useless -or he/she will keep talking forever if restitution of love is not provided…and the means involving «holding the child» (the patient in an altered state of consciousness) gives the creeps to highly sexualized (particularly under the former Freudian influence) male psychiatrists f0r whom the word «love» automatically brings to mind sex-sex. They cannot bring their minds beyond that highly primitive state because it would bring the fear of ‘weakness’ to the forum. And they have been indoctrinated with the notion that psychiatry -in its psychotherapeutic version at least consists of good old prepared thought and speech.
In the session that I reproduce below, I was training a surrogate mother; a woman new to therapy but extremely powerful emotionally and spiritually. During the session, the expression of my Primal Anger emerged, without any particular trigger stemming from my current life or the memory of a childhood incident. It was the result of all the human insults to my intrinsic lovability as a human being during my life.
The fact that my parents, family, and society “broke the deal with me as a child and, to different degrees, and I was stuck loving them”.
Then, after much Primal work at Janov’s Primal Insitute in Los Angeles, and in so-called; «Solitudinal Research» with a group of colleagues at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec, it reached animal-like proportions. I was assisted during this unexpected event by a surrogate mother-in-training and Michael, an architect and close friend of mine who collaborated in my program, after having been my patient.
REPORT FROM MS. B. – (candidate to become) a SURROGATE MOTHER:
(The report refers to me in the second and third person).
[The work is taking place in the cuddling position -except when I break away to express my rage pounding a boxer’s bag with a baseball bat].
It was a little strange to me the way we started this session. I watched you (Joaquin, this writer) as you were going back into your past.
B. wondered: «Will I know when to go to “Q” (my nickname as a child, which I used to move back my consciousness to; the child I once was)?
I could hardly stand watching the pain without being in contact with you.
As I held you, I felt the calming effect immediately. I thought it happened rather quickly because I knew there must be tremendous pain and anger inside you. I closed my eyes and searched for Q. He felt lifeless and limp. I held him close to me, stroking him and breathing with him. I wanted to breathe life back into him.
Finally, he seemed to move. There was a brief connection. Then you said, «I am coming out of it». I felt sadness because I knew something wasn’t quite right [the Primal Anger was suppressed].
We were quiet for a long time. It seemed like you had fallen asleep for a while.
You rolled over onto your stomach and I stroked your back. I could feel the tension in your muscles. You started to become restless, moving your head from side to side and clenching your hands. Your breathing became very deep and loud. I became very concerned that you were in trouble that I wouldn’t be able to deal with.
After I phoned Michael (as I had asked her), I went beside you and kept in contact with you. Your body felt like a volcano ready to erupt. I knew I had to let it happen. My main concern was your safety. You became more and more restless…
MICHAEL arrived. I felt relief because I wasn’t sure what was happening. Your sounds became louder and louder. The scene became animal-like; pulling on the sheet with your teeth and growling. I kept thinking about what you had said in another session that the third one is an animal. I thought this was animal-like anger coming out. It was so tense, powerful, and fierce.
After a long while you started to relax. I went over to you to keep physical contact and gave you a back massage. I held your hand and your head. I could feel the tension and anger draining out. I felt a great sense of relief from anger.
I held you for a while. Your body felt so different. It was relaxed — relieved from the burden. I was so glad the anger had finally come out — it had been building for so long. Wow! What a thing to witness…
MICHAEL’S REPORT.
Michell was an ex-patient and by now a close friend of mine, who collaborated with me in this work for decades) he witnessed and reported:
I could hear Joaquin from outside of the house. He was growling and moaning heavily. I knocked on the door but there was no answer. I unlocked the front door and let myself in. The sounds were muffled, they were coming from the other room. As I approached the doorway, I saw Joaquin lying on his stomach. He was biting onto the futon mattress, literally tearing it apart with his teeth like a wild animal. His jaw was locked, he was biting and chewing and trying to tear it apart. Immediately, the image of a wolf with its prey in its mouth, shaking it left and right without letting go of it came to my mind.
B. (the surrogate mother) who was attending Joaquin, seemed a bit afraid of what was happening; I noticed there was some blood on the futon. I was concerned with Joaquin hurting himself but the experience was so intense I felt there was nothing we could do except to just let it happen.
The anger was different than any other type of anger I witnessed before. This level of anger was beyond words and human behavior. I saw an animal in full rage. All of his body language was that of an animal. I closed my eyes for a few seconds: his growling could easily have been that of a wolf or a dog, but definitely, not a man. His hands were moving as if they had claws to hold his body firmly on the ground. His legs were pushing as if to add more weight to what he was clenching in his mouth. All the muscles in his body were tensed and energized. His back and his spine were arched so all the power was focused on his jaw and his body was strongly anchored to the ground. When I looked at the shape of his body it seemed more like the body of an animal than that of a man.
This lasted for over twenty minutes. The energy deployed must have been incredibly powerful to maintain this level of anger.
Finally, he collapsed, totally drained, letting go of the futon. The sound of his breathing slowly shifted from the center of his body to his lungs. He was breathing from a very deep place inside of him. And slowly, as the ‘pitch’ of the breathing started to change, the origin of the sounds seemed also to change from the center of his soul back to his lungs. I touched him and briefly massaged his back. Then S. took over. As I left, I was imprinted with the image of a wolf shaking his prey from left to right, and of anger and power melting together. The relief must have been overwhelming. He had a very deep sense of satisfaction on his face.
THIS EVENT TOOK PLACE CIRCA SUMMER OF 1993.
It never repeated but it left me much more aware of the amount of Primal anger that, we humans carry in life generated by the male mind’s egregious (macho) dismissal of the role of love in human peace and, above all, in the sane development of the self. NO SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENT IS NEEDED; JUST READ THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE OF HUMAN HISTORY -STILL GOING ON AT THIS VERY MOMENT UKRAINE AND ISRAEL AND GAZA…
IT WILL NEVER STOP UNTIL ATTENTION IS PAID TO HOW THE HUMAN SELF IS BEEN IMPRINTED BY MACHO-MAN AND HIS INSTITUTIONS.
DR. JOAQUIN SOUSA POZA