Blackouts when angry

Any one else have this problem or something similar and what do you do?[/quote]

yeah, hi i have the same problem.just that i dont get the tunnel thing and its just if im in a fight i know i will lose or if someone ######6 with my friends and family. the first time i had this i was in the 4th grade, the popular kids were bulling my friends that set it off. the last time was 2 years ago in 7th grade. one of the wannabe bullys tried to hit me and when i woke up he was on the ground slowly moving away from me. to tell you the truth i like it sometimes or i would love it if i could really control it. its not funny when its family it goes off on. but, its been 2 years now without any black-outs. im starting to meditate and im very chilled out. I sometimes feel like a volcano never knowing when im going to blow.

mdgriff wrote:There was an instance back in high school where I had gotten so angry I blacked out. It was wierd because although I was consious, I didn't remember anything. I had to ask my friends what happened. Since then I have always tried really hard to avoid confrontations. It may make me seem like a wuss, but it realy freaked me out, I don't know what would happen if I were to ever reach that lavel again, and I don't want to find out. I did some reading about it and the closest thing I've found is what was refered to as going berserk.

From Wikipedia:
The word "berserker" today applies to anyone who fights with reckless abandon and disregard to even his own life, a concept used during the Vietnam War and in Vietnam-inspired literature (Michael Herr's Dispatches) and film (Oliver Stone's Platoon and Adrian Lyne's Jacob's Ladder). "Going berserk" in this context refers to an overdose of adrenaline-induced opioids in the human body and brain leading a soldier to fight with fearless rage and indifference, a state strikingly similar to that of the 9th century berserkers

I also suffer from something similar to this, the first time it happened was when i was 14-15 years old, some new kid on the block was going out of his way to provoke me, suddenly, i remember him getting in my face and shoving me, at that point i lost it, i can remember parts of the fight, but it was like watching it through the eyes of someone else, or through a tunnel, i remember it took one of my friends, who no longer talks to me, literally ripping me off of him as i tried to strangle him to death. to give a bit of background, i am the type that tends to appear to be shy/quiet as well, sometimes have issues with depression, ive never come close to that level of anger, and probably never would have again, i've been extremley careful, except now, theres another situation, just like before, someone going out of their way to provoke me into fighting, since then, ive had difficulty keeping my anger down and often find myself grinding my teeth when i start to get angry, or irritated/frustrated, and losing focus and awareness, and have been using the cold weather as a way to calm down when i come close to the edge, though id really like some more information on this, i also think beserking is about as good a definition of what this is as anyone will find, be nice if there were easier ways to control it though

I have close to the same problem, just last night I thought I went to sleep but apparently I was up and went around my house yelling then stormed out. From what I'm told my sister said something and I went crazy and started yelling at her then lef the house. I used to have violent blackouts but they were kind of intentional because at my old house I went to a trailer park and almost 9 out of 10 times someone would pick a fight so i'd let them hit me one or two times and then I'd black out and wake up over top of them with a broken nose and bloody knuckles. But I stopped that and haven't gotten in any fights so I don't know why they're happening again. I always did have a problem with too much adrenaline says my doctor but he said that adrenaline can not make you black out.

Hi, I too have had the same black outs that a lot of people have described. According to my mother, I have always reacted differently when it comes to anger. She told me once that when i was a child ( as early as 2) if i didn't get my way I would slam my head against the floor or wall or whatever was hard to show my frustration. I always got into fights as a kid and all throughout elementary and middle school, and most fights i cannot remember myself. I can only go off of what my peers have said and what they saw me doing.

And example. When I was 11 a friend of mine had made fun of my last name, and for some reason it set me off into an uncontrollable rage and black out. I felt like what i saw was vignetted and everything i heard sounded distant. I ended up breaking a binder across my friends face right under his nose, almost severing his nose from him face, and threw him down and threatened to end his family's existence. When i was 14, i was charged with assault on a police officer, that was trying to break up a fight i was in and was arrested, but never when to jail, only a holding cell.

More recently after i turned 21, i found out Alcohol does not help when i get mad what so ever. my BEST friend and his younger brother ( 20 ) were arguing for over and hour and 45 minutes. I couldn't bare it anymore and lost control worse than ever before. My best friend and bother charged each other near me and I grabbed my best friend in a choke hold, threw him down, and grabbed the bottom of his jaw and top of his head, in a manner which i was thought to break someones neck. I yelled I could end his life, with a simple squeeze and twist of my arms and torso. But I stopped myself just in time. and these blackouts have lasted 10 to 20 minutes at the most. Strangely i only have one weakness and the only thing that stops me from getting 100% out of control ( compared to 98%) is my fiance, she is the only person that can calm me in my blackouts. ( still trying to figure that one out )

My blackouts used to be 1 week spaced apart, but now over many years have been avoided for up to almost 2 years. But each time intensity grows. I still have mini freak outs, which happen with my soon to be wife, about minor things. But at the time to me they are FAR from minor. Minor things like, ways the kitchen is cleaned, ( even though it gets cleaned ) or the way she is wording certain things to make me feel like im the bad guy. But I later find out its not what she is trying to say.

I've never told anyone but my fiance this but i felt it was time to share. If anyone wants to further figure these blackouts and wants to talk to someone actively trying to get to the bottom of this let me know message me or e-mail me at *mod edit*
PS. I found that meditation that focuses on breathing and clearing negative energy is helping, and would like others input on this.

I've had this happen to me also, but only for a few minutes

Yeah, I feel you. I used to get so angry sometimes and black out really bad. I didn't know what to do. U talk about that bully, I rememeber this dude picking on my sister the next thing i know he's on the ground crying holding his nose and bleeding. It's frightening.

One day my mom signed me up for a cognitive-behavioral therapist. I had been to a lot of therapy before, but either the dude was a quack, or they didn't help. So I didn't expect much. It's not like we want to feel how we feel and not be in control of our lives.

But when I went tot this guy, Nate Ellis, he actually seemed to care. After 4 sessions I was really starting to gain an understanding and control over my anger. Cogntive Behavioral Therapy works and it was great for helping me slow down, and not to get angry, but under stand why wht was happening was happening.

check out http://www.nathan-ellis.info if you live in the New York area, he does free consultations for 1st time clients to make sure it's the right fit.

I haven't blacked out in the 1 year since i've been practicing CBT techniques. Check out Cognitve Behavrioral therapists in your area on google or something. I promise you'll have better control over your anger

When I get angry, I often lose control of myself. I suppose it's called "blacking out", but I'll try to describe it as best as I can. When I get angry, I see white. I am unable to control what I'm doing, and my memory becomes fuzzy afterwards. It feels like I've lost control for a long time, although it's usually only a few minutes.

Example: When I was in high school, some kid kept irritating me in class. At a certain point, I lost it, and knocked him out. I didn't remember anything but anger, and I felt pleased with myself. It felt... like a high, I suppose. Like a drug.

I've gone through anger management, therapy, and I've been put on pills. Nothing has worked.

It's come to the point where I'm unsure whether I have something wrong with me, or whether I'm just a very violent person.

Just got placed on permanent disability this year myself. I have a very similar problem, among many more. My slipping into a blackout has never been so, detailed. Probably because I am focused on other things at the times they have occured. Mine usually only stretch out over hours. One time I did have a 3 day blackout. I thought I was sleeping as I can remember in that time waking up at least 4 or 5 times and looking at the clock and it only seemed as though an hour had passed and then three hours had passed then 5 then 7. I did notice at one point my shoes were on when I distinctly remembered taking them off before I went to bed. My father had been nagging at me pretty harsh that day and he never realises exactly how rude he can be, and how much the person on the recieving end really just wants to cram their fist down his throat. He broke into my house thinking I was dead. As I was apparently only active at night, and my vehicle showed no signs of moving that entire time. I had close to a full tank to begin with and when I got in to go the day he came and woke me, the gas gauge was showing the emergency light. I do think it is adrenaline induced, as I have an over active adrenal gland, it starts kicking out vicious amounts anytime I get the slightest bit stressed, frustrated, angry, excited, or nervous. I think its an adaptive trait or evolved form of self control I developed during childhood, as I was beaten pretty severely on a regular basis. I think my body adjusted and adapted my output at this time possibly to combat the beatings I endured. I've noticed over the years I have a very high pain threshold, and tend to have very quick reflexes. Well I no longer have need for such a mechanisim but its something thats possibly hardwired into my brain now, so typically anytime something starts to stress or otherwise start pushing adrenaline into my system. At the first signs of the effects, I leave the imediate situation in order to get myself under control. Its the only sure fire method to avoid dire consequences for me. Yeah I tend to bottle things up too, even more so now that this and anger management have showed me somethings are best left alone.

Chucky wrote:Hey,

I have never had this myself; and nor have I ever heard of anyone else with it. I have to admit though: It sounds so very very strange. The only thing that I think could be causing it is adrenaline in your blood. When we are angry, adrenaline is produced which makes us more alert and gives us more energy (amongst many other things). So, maybe the adrenaline is having a bad effect on your brain, causing you to 'black-out'. I honestly can't give a reason though, and be 100% confident that what I'm saying is correct.

Did you ever mention this to a doctor before? I think it would be worthwhile getting it checked-out.

Kevin

it is not strange, i have it too....... but not until blackout, but it happen.... i just cant stop it....

Gomezy3k wrote:Hi new member here...

The next thing I remember he had me down and was taking a knife out of my hand. (We used the knives to cut strings and stuff). Another time, a cow was giving me trouble and I was very frustrated...

Any one else have this problem or something similar and what do you do?

Hi dear....

Sometimes, our anger and frustration are caused by very real and inescapable problems in our lives. Not all anger is misplaced, and often it's a healthy, natural response to these difficulties. There is also a cultural belief that every problem has a solution, and it adds to our frustration to find out that this isn't always the case. The best attitude to bring to such a situation, then, is not to focus on finding the solution, but rather on how you handle and face the problem.