Ian Brennan

Strategies for living a crisis-free life in an imperfect world.
Anger is at the root of most of the personal dilemmas we face. Frank, personal, and pithy, this book engages readers in a no-nonsense exploration of how we can effectively reach beyond ourselves to maintain calm in the face of crisis. The objective is to distill down to fundamental aspects the universal structures that form the basis of most human problems. It is usually our emotions that interfere with making sound choices. Thus, even the most learned individuals, who "know better," are capable of making colossally stupid errors in judgment and conduct.

His first book Anger Antidotes is  published by W.W. Norton (NYC) -2011
Presenting a range of deescalation techniques, each chapter has been concentrated into "mini- manuals" that in their totality contain a library's worth of material. The left side of each two-page spread describes the anger trigger and the right side of the page spread contains the anger antidote. Topics covered include emotional immaturity, the absence of thought, extremes, inertia, reactor bait, and argument traps.

Since 1993, Ian Brennan has successfully trained tens of thousands of people across the country, lecturing over 1,000 hours annually on violence prevention, anger-management, and conflict resolution at shelters, schools, hospitals, clinics, jails, and drug-treatment programs nationwide including such prestigious organizations as the Betty Ford Center, Bellevue Hospital (NYC), and Stanford University. His presentations are consistently reviewed as "the best" of their kind and, when studied, frequently demonstrate significant reductions in aggressive incidents, complaints, and injuries. These trainings are based on his over 15 years experience working in locked, acute-psychiatric settings, the job rated as “the most dangerous” in the state of California. 

Brennan's practical tips and wisdom will improve your ability to interact with anyone under any circumstance, improve both your personal and professional relationships, and even change the way you see yourself. The key anger- and frustration- management skills conveyed here have allowed me to accomplish extremely powerful work with my clients.” — Bruce Turner, Program Director, The Hills Treatment Center, Los Angeles, CA

“In a world gone mad, Ian Brennan's teachings are a calm in the storm.... I love Anger Antidotes!” — Bob Forrest, Hollywood Recovery Services, co-star of television's Celebrity Rehab and Sober House

“Anger Antidotes offers invaluable strategies for identifying obstacles, making better-informed choices, and avoiding the pain of misguided decisions. Readers will learn to check anger born of frustration and fear—which can drive even the most rational person to self-defeating, self-destructive behavior—and in doing so open the door to a more productive and comfortable life.” — Douglas Long, PhD, Executive Director, La Frontera, Tuscon, AZ

ViolencePrevention.us

Ian Brennan has produced two GRAMMY-nominated records. In the studio, he has worked with the likes of Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Kyp Malone (Rain Machine, TV on the Radio), Flea, Lucinda Williams, David Hidalgo (Los Lobos), Nels Cline (Wilco), DJ Bonebrake and John Doe (X, the Knitters), Corin Tucker (Sleater-Kinney), Peter Case, Bill Frisell, Jonathan Richman, Richard Thompson, and more. With live concerts, he has produced shows of up to 15,000 people in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington (DC), Portland (OR), Tucson, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, and Boston with artists as diverse as Green Day, Fugazi, Merle Haggard, film-maker John Waters, Kris Kristofferson, Tammy Faye (Bakker), the Blind Boys of Alabama, Peaches, and the Vienna Boys Choir. These shows have raised over $100,000 for local charities and political causes.