Sharon Salzberg – Metta Hour – Ep. 111 – Walking Through Anger with Dr. Christian Conte

Sharon Salzberg - Metta Hour - Ep. 111 - Walking Through Anger with Dr. Christian Conte

For Episode 111 of the Metta Hour Podcast, Sharon interviews Dr. Christian Conte, PhD. Christian is a licensed professional counselor, a certified Domestic Violence Counselor, and one of a handful of top-level Certified Anger Management Specialist in the world.

Dr. Christian Conte currently applies his Yield Theory in maximum-security prisons throughout Pennsylvania and speaks to Law Enforcement officials around the country. In this episode, Sharon and Christian speak about his extensive work in prisons, and how he came to his path. They also discuss Christian’s new book “Walking Through Anger” recently released by Sounds True in 2019. The episode closes with Christian leading a guided meditation practice. To learn more, visit www.DrChristianConte.com.

A New Design For Confronting Conflict

Christian shares the powerful role of meditation in his life and the influences in childhood that led him toward his career in violence prevention. Sharon and Christian look at the need for a more compassionate and nuanced approach to preventing violence and reforming violent offenders in the justice system.

“Oftentimes when we start to talk about violence or people who do violent things, it is a black and white conversation. ‘They did this, so they should have this.’ After 20,000+ hours of clinical experience, I see that nobody wakes up and just does violent things out of nowhere. One thing leads to the next.” – Dr. Christian Conte 

Walking Through Anger (14:05)

How can we learn to be present with anger and allow it to pass without attachment or aversion? Christian discusses the importance of mindfulness in the anger management skills that he teaches the individuals that he works with.  

“From the Buddhist point of view, we would say that the tendency is to have one of two extreme relationships to anger. One possible way of relating to the anger is to dislike it, to be afraid of it, to try to deny it. The other extreme is to get lost in anger, to lose all perspective or sense of being centered. We talk about mindfulness as a place in the middle. Where you can sense what you are feeling, honoring it in the present moment without getting overcome by it or pushing it away.” – Sharon Salzberg  

Yield Theory (27:35)

Sharon and Christian talk about working with prison inmates and teaching them the skills to overcome the habits and behaviors that got them caught in the system. Christian shares his unique approach to anger management, Yield Theory, which teaches people to meet anger with non-attachment, mindfulness, and compassionate acceptance. 

Seeing With Fresh Eyes (50:20)

Christian closes the podcast with a guided meditation focused on bringing perspective and loving kindness to the anger that exists in us.

 

   

Image via Addiction Policy