The Exploder
Fight + Dissociation
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What It Looks Like
Rage that takes over. Throwing things. Screaming. Losing control. You might even black out parts of it.
You're so overwhelmed that your body just erupts. The anger floods you and you lose contact with yourself. There's a dissociation happening here… you're lost full consciousness of what you're doing as the rage takes over.
You're exploding outwards.
This is fight energy combined with mental disconnection. You're moving towards the threat (fight) but you've lost access to your thinking mind, the part of you that would say "hey is that really a good idea?" is offline. You're not choosing the explosion. It's happening to you.
Left unchecked this state can cause real damage. Breaking things, shouting so loud the neighbours can hear, saying awful stuff out loud and even in worst case scenarios hitting or hurting another person.
What The Exploder Needs

In the Moment
Back off. Literally.
Remove yourself from the situation before you explode.
This isn't avoidance… this is protection. For both of you.
Ideally let them know:
"I'm overheating here and I'm going to explode, so I'm going to go away by myself until I can cool down then I'll be back"
Telling your partner what's going on, and that you will be back will help them feel safe with you when you return.
Cool down the system.
Take slow, deep breaths. Your body is overheating. You need to bring the temperature down before you can think clearly. Splash cold water on your face, get in a cold shower, or go outside in the cold and put your bare feet on the earth.
Release the energy safely.
Find something physical that discharges the intensity without harming anyone.
Go for a run.
Do push-ups.
Scream into a pillow.
Move your body.
The energy needs somewhere to go.
To Come Back to Center
Remind yourself
I'm safe here. I don't need to fight."
Every trigger reaction stems, at the root, from feeling unsafe.
Remember that actually, everything is ok and you are an adult that can handle this in a calmer, cooler, more collected way.
Feel your feet on the ground.
Feel the surface you're standing on.
This brings you back into your body and out of the dissociated explosion.
Take several deep breaths.
Allow your jaw to release and soften.
Feel the heat dissipating.
Give it time.
Don't rush back into the conversation.
Your nervous system needs time to regulate before you can engage constructively.
Re-engage from a cool place.
Go back into the conversation only once you feel adequately cooled down and in control of yourself.
Even still - maintain your breath evenly and steady and track for signs of getting too hot again.
The Deeper Work
There's often repressed fight energy underneath this pattern.
Those of you who were not given permission to be angry, or who were punished for being angry as children, will have muted fight. Your anger gets suppressed, suppressed, suppressed... until it can't be contained anymore. And when it finally comes out, it explodes.
Underneath the rage is pain. All of these patterns have pain underneath them. The explosion is protecting you from feeling that deeper wound.
The path forward is learning to feel your anger before it reaches explosion. This takes practice with what we call titration… going one drop at a time into the intensity without being overwhelmed.
You're not trying to never feel anger. You're learning to feel it at a 3 or 4 instead of waiting until it's a 10.
Catching It Early
The moment you see your pattern clearly, when you catch it happening in real-time, everything changes. Because you can't shift what you can't see.
But once you see it? You're no longer trapped in it.
Your Practice:
Over the next week, your job is simple… catch the heat early.
Watch for:
  • The first flash of heat in your chest
  • Your jaw starting to clench
  • That feeling of pressure building
  • The thought "I'm about to lose it"
When you notice it:
  1. Name it (even to yourself): "I'm going into Exploder right now."
  1. Pause: "I need a moment to cool myself down."
    (Try to get the time you need)
  1. Move:
  1. Get up. Walk. Breathe.
  1. Physically discharge some of the energy.
You don't have to be perfect.
You just have to catch it.
Even if you catch it after you've already exploded… that's still progress.
Awareness of a pattern always comes before being able to change the pattern.
The goal isn't to stop your pattern overnight.
The goal is to see it more clearly each time.
Journal Prompts for The Exploder
Use these to deepen your awareness:
  1. "The last time I exploded, the very first body sensation I felt was... (describe what you felt and where)"
  1. "If I could pause for just 10 seconds before exploding, I would... (what would you do or say differently?)"
  1. "The explosion protects me from feeling... (what's underneath the rage?)"
  1. "As a child, what happened when I got angry? (Were you punished? Ignored? Did someone get scared?)"
  1. "When my partner sees me going into Exploder mode, I want them to know... (what do you need them to understand?)"
  1. "The smallest sign that I'm about to explode is... (what's the earliest warning sign?)"
Remember
This pattern isn't who you are. It's a protective response your nervous system learned to keep you safe.
You developed it for a reason. It served you once. It probably kept you safe. It probably allowed you to survive.
And yet this pattern actually blocks you from the things you want—intimacy, safety, connection. Being held, being met, being seen.
Now you get to choose: Does this pattern still serve you? Or is it time to build something new?
The power is in the pause. And the pause starts with recognition.
You've got this
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