How Art Therapy Can Help With Postpartum Rage: Support from an Art Therapist in Denver
Bringing a new life into the world is often celebrated as a joyful and fulfilling time. But for many new mothers, the postpartum period can be marked by intense and unexpected emotions—especially anger or sudden outbursts that feel like a storm inside. This experience, known as postpartum rage, is more common than most people realize. Yet, because it’s rarely talked about, it often catches moms off guard and can feel overwhelming, isolating, and even scary.
If you’re navigating postpartum rage, please know you’re not alone—and you’re not a bad mom. As an art therapist in Denver, I support women in expressing and processing these intense emotions through creativity and self-compassion. Art therapy offers a gentle yet powerful way to work through the anger, guilt, and confusion many moms feel in early motherhood—and begin reconnecting with themselves.
Postpartum Rage is a Fight Response
Why do some new mothers experience postpartum rage? While there’s no one-size-fits-all answer, we do know that early motherhood brings enormous change—fluctuating hormones, sleep deprivation, a healing body, identity shifts, and the emotional weight of caring for a new baby. These layers of stress can lead to deep overwhelm.
When overwhelmed, the nervous system activates a fight, flight, freeze, or fawn response. Postpartum rage is a fight response—a protective emotion that advocates for change. Though society often labels anger as “bad,” it is simply a messenger, offering important insight about unmet needs. With the right support, we can learn to listen to anger without judgment and respond to it with care.
In some cases, postpartum rage may be linked to perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, OCD, PTSD, or psychosis. If symptoms persist or worsen, it's important to seek care from a perinatal mental health professional.
How an Art Therapist in Denver Can Support Postpartum Rage
Art therapy offers a safe and expressive outlet for processing intense feelings like postpartum rage. As an art therapist in Denver, I often work with mothers navigating big emotions they don’t always have the words for. Through the use of visual art—drawing, painting, sculpture, collage—moms can release the emotions they’ve been carrying and reconnect with themselves on a deeper level.
This non-verbal form of expression helps you externalize internal chaos in a supportive environment. Instead of bottling up anger or feeling ashamed of it, art therapy allows you to express and understand your rage compassionately.
Art Therapy Builds Self-Awareness and a Sense of Community
Working with an art therapist gives moms the opportunity to explore the root causes of their postpartum rage. Reflecting on your art with the guidance of a trained professional can help you identify emotional patterns, triggers, and unresolved pain. Through this creative process, you gain not only insight—but empowerment.
Group art therapy can also be a meaningful way to connect with other mothers navigating similar emotional terrain. Sharing artwork and witnessing others' experiences creates a sense of camaraderie, validation, and hope. Simply knowing you're not alone can ease the intensity of postpartum rage and bring relief.
Creative Prompts from an Art Therapist in Denver: Expressing Postpartum Rage
Throughout history, humans have turned to art to make meaning of emotional experiences. Below are two gentle art prompts that can help mothers safely explore postpartum rage. These activities are meant to support your healing and are most beneficial when explored in partnership with a trained art therapist.
Please note that the term ‘art therapy’ is reserved for use only by a trained art therapist and their clients.
Art prompt 1: The Storm Within
If your postpartum rage was a natural disaster, what would it be (a thunderstorm, wildfire, tornado, earthquake, tsunami, hurricane, etc.)?
Capture the raw power and magnitude of your chosen natural disaster using art materials, either through expressive brushstrokes, intentional scribbles, or using pressured lines on the page.
Take note of how it feels to get your emotions out of your body and into an expression using the art materials.
Art prompt 2: My anger is like a _____.
Name the emotion associated with your postpartum rage (ie. rage, anger, overwhelm).
Flip through magazines (or the internet) to find an image that represents postpartum rage for you.
Create an environment or background for the image using art materials.
Find another image to soothe the anger image and paste it onto your artwork.
How does your anger feel when it is soothed? Notice how your mind and body feels after completing this art prompt.
You're Not Alone: Support from an Art Therapist in Denver
If you're feeling overwhelmed by postpartum rage or unsure where to turn, art therapy might be the compassionate space you’ve been searching for. You don’t have to navigate this alone.
As an art therapist in Denver, I specialize in supporting moms through the messy, meaningful, and often intense transition into motherhood. At Wild Sunflower Wellness, I offer individual art therapy sessions and art-based workshops to help you reconnect with yourself, process your emotions safely, and find relief—without needing to explain everything in words.
Take the first step toward healing: explore my offerings at Wild Sunflower Wellness, and book a free clarity session to see if art therapy is right for you.
