The Emotional Rollercoaster of Trauma: Anger

By Lana Carter

This is a follow-up to our blog on The Emotional Rollercoaster of Trauma: 4 Stages of Healing. Stay tuned for more articles on the emotions you may experience on your healing journey!

The journey of healing from trauma isn’t just about finding peace, it’s also about facing the emotions that come up along the way. One of the most powerful and misunderstood of these emotions is anger. Many survivors feel conflicted about their anger. Maybe you were taught that anger is dangerous, “ugly,” or inappropriate. Maybe you’ve swallowed it down for years because you didn’t feel safe expressing it.

But here’s the truth: anger is a normal, healthy part of trauma recovery. It’s your body’s way of saying, something was wrong and I deserved better. When handled with care, anger can be a force that fuels your healing rather than something that holds you back.

At &Rise, we believe in creating safe spaces where women can work through emotions like anger without judgment. Keep reading to learn more about how and why anger shows up for many trauma survivors — and how to manage it in a positive way. 

Why anger shows up after trauma

Trauma interrupts your sense of safety, trust, and fairness, and anger is a natural response to that. It often appears later in the healing journey, once you’ve built enough stability to begin processing what really happened. According to the American Psychological Association, anger can be a natural response to violation and injustice, it signals that your boundaries were crossed.

For survivors, this can feel like:

• Anger at the person or people who hurt you

• Anger at yourself for not “stopping it” (which is never your fault)

• Anger at systems or institutions that failed you

• Anger at the loss of time, innocence, or opportunities

The healthy role of anger in healing

The angry voice inside you does have a purpose: she wants to protect you. You could think of it as your self-worth or self-love waking up after being silenced. When you approach your anger with acceptance and compassion, you create a feeling of safety so it can transform into something else. 

Instead of thinking of anger as something to get rid of, try reframing it as a tool:

• Boundary-setting — Anger tells you when something doesn’t feel right, so you can set clear boundaries moving forward.

• Fuel for change — Anger gives you energy to stand up for yourself and for others.

• Truth-telling — Anger helps you name injustices and say, this happened to me, and it wasn’t okay.

• Pathway to grief — Sometimes, anger is the layer protecting you from deep sadness. Once you honor your anger, you may be able to access the grief underneath.

How to work with anger safely

The challenge isn’t that you feel anger, it’s how you move through it. Finding safe ways to express your anger is an important aspect of self-care. If you can give your anger some room to breathe, it will be less likely to come out at inappropriate times.

Here are some supportive ways to process anger without letting it control you:

• Movement — Try running, kickboxing, dancing, or even punching a pillow to release the energy.

• Creative outlets — Writing, painting, or playing music can help transform anger into something meaningful.

• Therapeutic techniques — Practices like EMDR, somatic experiencing, or trauma-informed counseling give you tools to release stored anger in your body.

• Community support — Sharing your feelings in a safe group, like &Rise’s free support groups, can help you feel seen and validated.

If you feel like your anger is overwhelming or leading you to harmful behaviors, it’s important to seek help from a licensed therapist who specializes in trauma. At &Rise, we offer these services to women for free. You can also check out specialized resources from The National Center for PTSD.

Giving yourself permission

Healing means giving yourself permission to feel what you feel, even if it’s messy. Anger doesn’t make you weak. It doesn’t make you unkind. It makes you human.

When you allow anger to move through you, rather than shutting it down or letting it explode, you reclaim control of your story. That’s when anger transforms from a heavy burden into a guiding light.

Find your way through anger with &Rise

The emotional rollercoaster of trauma is real, but you don’t have to ride it alone. &Rise is here to support women like you with free weekly support groups, free counseling, and community events where you can process emotions like anger in a safe, empowering space.

Healing takes courage. You’ve already taken the first step by naming what you’re going through. Now let us walk alongside you as you turn anger into strength.

Ready to take the next step? Join the &Rise community and subscribe to our newsletter for weekly empowerment, resources, and upcoming events.