The procedure for unburdening anger is similar to what is used with an exile. You have the client sense where the anger is carried in the protector's body, and then the protector releases some of the anger to one of the elements—light, water, wind, earth, or fire.

In some cases, it can be helpful to unburden some of the anger before continuing with the rest of the process. This is often the case when the anger is intense, bitter, raging, or revengeful.

Sometimes a protector has anger, or even rage, that is felt by the client but suppressed by other protectors and therefore isn't acted out. Rage is usually suppressed because of the danger of its being expressed destructively. Sometimes there really is a danger of a harmful expression of rage.

Suppression comes from managers that try to exile the angry part and often criticize or shame it. Refraining comes from the Self, which chooses not to express anger because it wouldn't be helpful. The Self makes no judgment about the anger. The person accepts his or her anger and may even appreciate the reason for feeling it, but doesn't act on it.

In IFS, these parts are often called protectors-in-exile to distinguish them from exiles, which are disowned because of the pain they carry from childhood.

Your goal is to get to know the enraged firefighter in a session. However, this may not be easy to do because access to this Enraged Part is often blocked by the suppressing manager.

In IFS, we sometimes encounter parts that have been disowned or exiled because their feelings or behavior are seen as unacceptable. Originally the part wasn't acceptable to the family of origin (or culture), and then it became unacceptable to other parts of the client as well, and this dynamic has carried forward into the present.

When a protector is activated that blocks the client from welcoming back his or her anger, first ask it if it would be willing to step aside so that the healing process can continue.

Reassure those protectors that, as you get to know the rageful part, the client will remain in Self with your help, and therefore the rage won't get out of control.