Is Your Liver Holding on to Anger? A Modern Take on Ancient Wisdom

As I get closer to 58, I’ve noticed things shifting—especially in my body. My hormones aren’t what they used to be, and like most men, I wasn’t really taught what that might mean.

No one talks much about low testosterone or the impact it has on the liver. But it’s real. I’ve learned that low testosterone can contribute to fatty liver, and fatty liver often leads to the accumulation of brown fat—which then increases the risk of insulin resistance.

Layer that with being autistic with ADHD, and my liver ends up juggling a lot. The sensory stress, the need for routine, the sleep challenges, the constant low-level background tension—it all feeds into how well (or not) my liver is functioning.

This led me to revisit something I’ve known intuitively through sound therapy and shamanic work—but now I see it through a more scientific lens too.

What Traditional Chinese Medicine Has Been Saying All Along

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) links the liver with anger—not in a metaphorical way, but through physical and emotional patterns they observed in people over thousands of years.

They didn’t need blood tests to know that when people felt frustrated, irritable, or stuck emotionally, they’d often show symptoms linked to liver dysfunction:

• Muscle tension

• Headaches

• Digestive issues

• Hormonal imbalance

• Emotional volatility

They called this liver qi stagnation. To them, anger wasn’t bad—it just meant energy wasn’t moving. And when flow was blocked, the body started to suffer.

Modern Science Is Catching Up

We now understand that the liver does far more than process alcohol. It regulates hormones, stores nutrients, balances blood sugar, and clears out excess cortisol (the stress hormone).

When the liver is under pressure—from emotional stress, poor diet, hormone changes, or neurodivergent-related nervous system strain—it starts to slow down. This can show up as:

• Fatigue

• Mood swings

• Poor sleep

• Brain fog

• Low tolerance

• That wired-but-tired feeling

For people like me, who live with both autism and ADHD, these imbalances are magnified. The nervous system is constantly on alert, even when I think I’m resting. Over time, this low-level activation puts the liver into overdrive—cleaning up after chronic stress and trying to keep things in balance.

So Where Does Anger Fit In?

Anger is a natural response. It lets us know when something’s out of alignment. But when it’s not expressed—or when it’s internalised—it becomes another layer of stress the body has to manage.

That’s where the liver comes in.

When we repress or ignore our anger, it doesn’t just disappear. It creates chemical stress. The body keeps producing cortisol. Blood sugar swings. Hormones get out of balance. The liver takes the hit—again and again.

So maybe the ancients weren’t being symbolic. Maybe they just knew how to listento the body.

How Sound Helps Move What’s Stuck

This is where sound therapy becomes so much more than a soothing experience.

Sound penetrates the body. It travels through water, tissues, and bones—especially low frequencies like those from gongs, bowls, and voice. These vibrations don’t just relax us—they stimulate movement inside the body, including around the liver and gut.

Here’s what’s happening under the surface:

1. Stimulating the Lymphatic System

Your lymph system doesn’t have a pump. It depends on movement—breath, muscle, and vibration. Sound waves help move stagnant lymph, which supports the liver in clearing waste and reducing inflammation.

2. Cymatics and Cellular Response

Sound visibly shapes water and matter in cymatics experiments. Inside the body, it encourages fluid movement, tissue softness, and cellular regulation. It can help release physical tension stored in and around the liver region.

3. Regulating the Nervous System

For those of us with neurodivergent wiring, the nervous system often runs hot. Sound helps activate the vagus nerve, slowing everything down, dropping us into rest-and-digest mode, where the liver can actually get on with its jobs: balancing hormones, clearing cortisol, and helping us feel grounded again.

Anger Isn’t the Problem—Holding It Is

I’ve spent years in sound work watching people release tears, tension, and emotions they didn’t even know they were carrying. It’s not always loud. Sometimes it’s a quiet drop into stillness. But the body always knows what it needs.

Anger doesn’t have to be explosive. It can move through us if we let it. But when we block it—especially long term—it becomes a load the liver ends up carrying.

Let’s Leave You with This

So maybe the liver doesn’t bottle up our anger like a jar on a shelf—but it does carry the consequences when we hold too much in.

Sound gives us a way to loosen what’s tight, move what’s stuck, and let the body do what it knows how to do—heal.

Next time you feel that pressure rise, ask yourself:

Is it just a mood… or is it your body asking for movement, rhythm, release?

You don’t always need words.

Sometimes a breath, a sound, or a deep vibration is enough to begin.