Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 4024 AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: JULY 2016 by Bernard Golden A nger, a powerful and challenging emotion, occurs when you feel a threat to your physical or mental well-being. As most law enforcement officers know, anger is a total mind-body experience, one that is tension-filled and based on the interplay of feelings, thoughts, and physi- cal reactions within one’s body. How you manage your anger — your quickness to anger, the situations that trig- ger your anger, and how you respond to anger — becomes habit. It’s the result of your biological makeup as well as your life experiences and their combined impact on the neuron pathways in your brain. Anger is part of the “pri- mal” brain’s fight-or-flight response and it can help you survive a dangerous situa- tion. In one’s private life as op- posed to on the job, acting impulsively when angry, in an attempt to release the tension of threat can also be destructive. Cultivating “healthy an- ger” enables you to pause before reacting and engage your “rational” brain, which can help you assess whether the threat you feel is real or perceived, determine the urgency of the situation, and respond appropriately and constructively. With commitment and practice you can create new neural pathways, overcoming unwanted habits and creating new patterns of behavior. Both mindfulness and mindfulness meditation tech- niques can help you achieve this. Through focused breath- ing and meditation, you can learn to detach, observing your anger instead of being overwhelmed by it. This simple mindfulness exercise, from my book “Overcoming Destructive Anger,” offers one way to stay in touch with your emo- tions: • Make yourself comfort- able in a place where you won’t be disturbed. • Gently close your eyes. • Scan your body — both its surface and its interior. Notice any sensations. Notice the air moving through your nostrils or the rise and fall of your chest. Do this for several minutes. • Shift your attention from your breathing and think of a negative emotion you want to address. Recall a situation that aroused this emotion. • While doing this, scan your body to observe where you feel tension most strong- ly. Keep scanning your body for any signs of tension. • Return your attention to the area where you feel the most tension. • Continue your relaxed breathing, but imagine and feel your breath surrounding and soothing that area. Do this for several minutes. • If the feeling gets too uncomfortable, focus again on your breath. Once you become calmer, concentrate on the emotion again. • Finish by practicing your breathing for several minutes and then open your eyes. In law enforcement, even more so than in many other fields of work, feelings must not interfere with your ability to function on the job. Mind- ful reflection offers a powerful way to connect with your feel- ings of anger and the emotions that precede it so you can begin to manage them. The book offers many other strategies for cultivat- ing healthy anger such as muscle relaxation, visualiza- tion, learning how to do a quick “body check-in,” and keeping an “anger log.” The goal is to become aware of your physical and emotional triggers and learn to identify and defuse ten- sion, be compassionate with yourself and others, and com- municate assertively (not ag- gressively) to effectively get whlat you want and need. Regardless of how you’ve handled your anger up to this point in your life, with the right intention you can develop the habits of mind that yield benefits. Bernard Golden, PhD, is a psychologist and respected an- ger management authority. He is the author of “Overcoming Destructive Anger” published by Johns Hopkins University Press. For more on cultivating “healthy anger,” visit www.AngerMan- agementEducation.com. Mindfulness effective antidote for anger There are different kinds of anger