Do you have…angry alters? I guess protective or maybe aggressive? Alters who won’t tolerate anyone’s shit and get physical fast.I do. And everytime there’s conflict that we both know could be solved by intimidating the other guy, she just…won’t quit. It’s a constant struggle between trying to make sure they know I’m not gonna be bossed around and trying to keep her from literally beating the shit out of them. She definitely arose from a need to be “strong” in my abusive family but I know I can’t do that to people. And it gets really stressful whether she does or doesn’t win, because there’s sense of failure either way.
We don’t have any alters, anon, but we do have angry system members. I’m one of them.
Anger is like fire.
When fire is controlled, we can use it constructively.
We cook our food with it, warm our houses with it, ward away danger with it.
When fire is uncontrolled, it is dangerous, and consuming.
It burns food to ash, it destroys our home and our property, it hurts us and the people close to us.
Anger is not bad.
Fire is not bad.
It’s okay to be angry. It’s best when you can channel that anger.
Use your anger constructively. Don’t let it escape you, destroy things, and hurt people.
I think this advice applies equally to plurals and to singlets.
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