This morning, I felt inclined to delve into one of the tools we use with our patients at Amen Clinics: Know Your Dragons.

In Dr. Amen’s illuminating book, “Your Brain is Always Listening,” he delves into the concept of knowing your dragons, offering a complimentary assessment online at www.knowyourdragons.com . I encourage you to embark on this insightful journey.

Reflecting on my journey and taking the assessment this morning, I found my results unsurprising.

My Dragons are:

Abandoned, Invisible, or Insignificant Dragons

Inferior or Flawed Dragons

Responsible Dragons

Angry Dragons

Grief and Loss Dragons

Ancestral Dragons

These dragons from the past, tethered to memories and past events, can continue to breathe fire upon anyone’s emotional landscape.

Unless one recognizes and tames these inner dragons, they possess the capacity to seize happiness, fracture relationships, impair health, disrupt stress coping mechanisms, and stifle one’s destiny.

When these dragons reign over the mind, they can contribute to a myriad of mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, and addictions, ultimately impacting every facet of life.

Considering the unexpected loss of my brother, I have chosen to focus my attention on the Grief and Angry Dragons.

Elizabeth Kubler-Ross a Swiss psychiatrist, first introduced her five-stage grief model in her book On Death and Dying.

Denial

Anger

Bargaining

Depression

Acceptance

The Grief Dragon, emerging from universal experiences like the loss of a loved one, the disappearance of something significant, or the dissolution of cherished ideals, holds profound origins.

Moreover, encounters with the Grief Dragon may evoke a spectrum of emotions including shock, sadness, denial, despair, anger, guilt, loneliness, helplessness, and yearning.

Additionally, physiological responses such as anxiety, sleeplessness, memory lapses, and physical sensations like difficulty breathing may manifest in response to its presence.

Angry Dragons, born from experiences of hurt, shame, bullying, abuse, or perceived disappointment from others, trace their roots to common origins. These may include instances where others modeled angry behavior or situations that overwhelm with words or place undue responsibility upon oneself.

Triggers for the Angry Dragon encompass reminders of past hurts or shame, as well as experiences of disappointment or feeling overwhelmed by words or responsibilities imposed by others.

Reactions to the Angry Dragon can range from irrational rage, frequent irritability, and rudeness to physiological symptoms like increased heart rate, sweating, cold hands, muscle tension, goosebumps, dizziness, and confusion.

Embracing your journey of healing from anxiety, trauma, grief, and depression is courageous, resilient, and a Gift of Growth.

What tools and resources have you used to help with your grief or anger? Here’s to you taming your Dragons one Dragon at a time!!