P. Sze 
There’s hardly anyone who loves to live with an angry person, yet anger is something every one of us has felt and expressed at one point in our lives. Anger isn’t an entirely bad emotion as it is required for our survival. What is bad is when you are regularly angry, and you can’t find a way to control it. This is when it becomes a health concern that requires the acupressure points for anger.
Anger is not a medical condition that can be treated in the hospital. It is rather a symptom of poor mental and emotional wellbeing. The causes of anger vary for many people but generally, stress, financial difficulties, depression, alcohol abuse, and family issues cause one to have uncontrollable anger.
Acupressure points come in as an effective, convenient, and affordable solution to anger management that you can make a daily routine. The right pressure points for anger management and how to stimulate them are what I’ll be sharing with you in this article.
Does Acupuncture Help With Anger?
Acupuncture treatment helps calm down anger, and this is because acupuncture is holistic in nature. The wonderful effects of acupressure and acupuncture can be felt in the mind, body, and spirit. Because anger is an emotional rather than physical challenge, acupuncture is more apt in managing it than medical treatment. This is what Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is about.
A recent study that confirms TCM as a basis for treating psychiatric disorders tells us that holism, a principle that characterizes TCM, is the better approach to treating psychiatric and emotional disorders. This is because holism understands the link between the body, mind, and spirit and treats them together as a whole. As such, acupuncture therapies will not only bring relief to bodily issues but also to mental issues like anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders.
The study also held that emotional imbalance affects our general health and that by performing acupuncture on certain pressure points such as Liv-2 and Liv-3, you can calm anger. While Liv-2 will calm down liver fire, Liv-3 will ensure smooth energy flow.
The Acupressure Points For Anger Control
If you are always angry and you find it hard to control your anger, here are the acupressure points for anger that you should stimulate.
Acupoint: HT-7 (Other Names: Heart-7/Shen Men/Spirit Gate)
Acupressure point HT-7, Shenmen, or Spirit Gate is the first of the acupressure points for anger. This heart meridian acupoint is very popular for treating emotional issues, especially excessive anxiety. It is located in the wrist. You’ll find it in the wrist crease, at the dent on the side of the pinky finger.
In Chinese medicine, Shenmen is responsible for calming the Shen and regulating the heart blood. This is why it is mostly used to treat cardiac pain, mania, and palpitations due to fear. A recent study suggests that clinically, applying acupuncture on HT-7 helps alcohol withdrawal symptoms, insomnia, and psychological stress. HT-7 is also regarded as the acupressure for ulnar nerve pain.
To massage this acupoint, locate it and press it to a point where it becomes comfortable and not too painful. Ordinarily, pushing HT-7 with your hand will improve blood circulation. However, it is more effective if you apply warmth to the pressure point. You can simply press with a spoon dipped in hot water for more effect.
Acupoint: GV-20 (Other Names: The Governing Vessel-20/Bai Hui/Hundred Convergence)
The next acupressure point to relieve anger is Governor Vessel 20. GV-20 is called Baihui in Chinese, which means Hundred Meetings in English. This acupoint is found on the top of the head, at the midpoint in the head on the same line as the tips of the ears.
In TCM, GV-20 is responsible for extinguishing liver wind and subduing the liver yang, making it ideal for the treatment of headache, nasal congestion, dizziness, and mania. It is also one of the acupressure points for chronic fatigue. As GV-20 helps extinguish liver wind and anger in TCM is a disorder of the liver pathway, massaging GV-20 will calm your anger.
You’ll have to massage GV-20 like 10 to 20 times for you to enjoy its benefits. Doing this while exhaling will not only help you relax but also improve the functioning of your parasympathetic nerves.
Acupoint: SP-4 (Other Names: Spleen-4/Gong Sun/Grandfather Grandson)
Acupoint SP-4 is the next of the acupressure points for anger that you need to stimulate when you need to calm your anger. This spleen meridian acupoint is called Gongsun in Chinese which is funnily interpreted as Grandfather Grandson. SP-4 is located at the middle of the side of the foot, in the depression under the first metatarsal bone.
In alternative medicine, the function of SP-4 is to strengthen the spleen, resolve dampness, and regulate menstruation. It is thus no surprise that SP-4 is among the acupoints for regulating menstruation as well as one of the acupressure points for the bladder. It is also used clinically to relieve gastric pain, improve appetite, and stop diarrhea.
All you have to do to benefit from the wonderful effects of acupressure on SP-4 is to locate the acupoint with your thumb and rub continuously for 5 minutes.
Acupoint: Liv-1 (Other Names: Liver-1/Da Dun/Great and Thick)
Acupressure point Liv-1, Dadun, or Large Pile, is another of the acupressure points for anger control. This liver meridian acupoint is located on the foot. You’ll find it on the corner of the end of the nail of the great toe.
Stimulating Liv-1 helps in regulating Liver Qi and menstruation. It is also beneficial to the genitals. Clinically, Liv-1 is used to treat hernia, amenorrhea, enuresis, and epilepsy. Massaging Liv-1 can also bring relief to stress as the liver and the heart channels are the meridians that are affected when you’re stressed.
Acupoint: Liv-3 (Other Names: Liver-3/Tai Chong/Supreme Rush)
This list wouldn’t be complete without discussing Liv-3. Liv-3, Taichong, or Great Surge is one of the acupressure points for anger that you have to press when you’re uncontrollably angry. Like Liv-1, Liv-3 is also located on the foot. You’ll find it in the depression before the point where the bone of the big toe and the next toe meets.
Liv-3 is a very popular acupoint that helps to regulate the liver Qi, conquer the liver yang, and calm the Shen. Based on its functionality, Liv-3 is used to treat a number of health conditions, including headaches, depression, irregular menstruation, abdominal distention, and infantile convulsion. It also serves as one of the acupressure points for tinnitus.
When you press Taichong till it hurts a little, you’ll end up balancing your emotions. This is because the acupoint is located on the arch of the foot where there is a high flow of blood.
