Setbacks Are Not Failure: Why Your Anxiety Spiked After Weeks of Doing Well

Recovery is cruel in its design. You work hard, you practice your skills, and for three weeks, you feel great. You think, "I've done it! I'm cured!"

Then, out of nowhere, you wake up with a panic attack. The intrusive thoughts come rushing back harder than ever.

The immediate reaction is despair: "I failed. The program didn't work. I'm back to square one."

Stop. You have not failed. You are experiencing a psychological phenomenon known as an Extinction Burst.

The Tantrum of the Brain Think of your anxiety like a toddler that has been given candy every time it screams. For years, you fed your anxiety with avoidance and fear. Recently, you stopped feeding it. You started practicing self-regulation.

At first, the anxiety quiets down. But eventually, the "toddler" realizes it isn't getting its candy anymore. It doesn't just give up; it screams louder. It throws a massive tantrum to try and force you back into your old habits.

That spike in anxiety? That is the tantrum. It is your brain's last-ditch effort to keep the old neural pathways alive.

Accepting the Non-Linear Path Healing is not a straight line up a mountain. It is a jagged stock market graph. There will be dips.

• A setback is not a reset. You still have all the skills you learned in the last few weeks.

• Don't take the bait. When the Extinction Burst happens, do not retreat. Keep moving forward.

If you push through this spike without retreating, the anxiety will eventually run out of energy and the "extinction" of the behavior will occur. You are closer to the finish line than you think.