I was contacted a few days ago on Instagram by Anthony, a man in his sixties from the States. He was commenting on my article Angry men. One comment lead to another and Anthony shared his story.

This is his testimonial with his own words, edited by Astoryofthoughts.

” I was a child in a sib-ship of 8 who was brought up in an outlaw biker’s house. I experienced many unhealthy episodes while growing up and I decided to move out by the time I was 15 years old, to escape the madness and the toxic environment. Being away allowed me to excel in my endeavors. I learned advanced carpentry and eventually became a shop steward in the carpenters union in N.Y.C., building sky scrapers. I buried my pain so deep that I forgot it even existed. I also managed to mask my anger.

At the age of 30, I had a horrible accident and broke my back. I felt useless and helpless. This brought back all the lava up to the surface and I had serious anger management issues. This is when I decided to start therapy. It was 1987, when I went to my first sessions kicking and screaming and I was diagnosed by very capable psychiatrists with I.E.D. (Intermittent explosive disorder).

The way was long but I was patient. Following 20 years of therapy, along with a commitment to practicing yoga and meditation, I managed to transform my life in ways I would never have imagined. I had always been a forward thinker, but psychological mentors helped me to advance light years ahead in a short spell. Before my injury, I would scoff to the idea of therapy but now, I am an engaged advocate for mental health. 

I was an outcast in grade school and I was bullied. My mom decided to finance some martial arts classes to help me grow more confident and stronger. Unfortunately, I started bullying the bullies. Some of them had to be beat down several times before leaving my friends in peace. I had a “repertory” that I was proud of and pride in such cases is dangerous. Therapy taught me this and so much more. I learned that anger can kill or save someone. My change of perspectives kept me alive and today I am 60 years old and I know how to express my feelings clearly and in a healthy way.

Therapy woke me up and also saved my life in many ways. Thank you for this blog. Stay safe. Discipline was integral.

To read more about anger, go to Fire within .

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Art in the picture is created by Sebastian Eriksson from Sweden. Taken from the original article on on mymodernmet.com.