The Counter Complex: Rage and Instincts - Healing The Parts of Ourselves That Our Culture Demonizes

Rage isn’t a problem to be managed, it’s an instinct to be embraced. In this episode, we explore one of the most misunderstood emotional instincts: Rage. Not the out-of-control chaos we've been warned about… but the sacred fire that protects our place in the tribe. Joined by Michael, we peel back the layers of how rage evolved to defend belonging. It's not meant to destroy community, but to preserve it. Rage flares when our reputation is threatened, when our dignity is insulted, when we sense exile approaching. Because in ancestral times, exile meant death. Rage was the instinctual protector of life through connection. But our culture demonizes rage. It shames it, spiritualizes over it, suppresses it until it explodes sideways in addictions, shutdown, passive-aggression, or emotional numbness. This isn’t self-help. This is mytho-poetic soul reclamation. We speak in the language of instinct, archetype, and the lost codes of belonging, offering a framework for healing that your nervous system already knows, but your culture forgot. If you’ve ever felt swallowed by your anger, ashamed of your fire, or exiled from your full expression, this conversation is your mirror. It’s time to stop taming your rage and start listening to it.