Healing Doesn’t Look Like Peace—At First: Why Feeling Worse Can Mean You’re Getting Better
In popular culture, healing is often romanticized. It’s depicted as a serene, linear journey marked by calm mornings, breakthroughs in therapy, and an increasing sense of peace. However, the reality of mental health healing is far more complex—and sometimes, deceptively painful. For many, the early stages of psychological recovery feel more chaotic, emotionally raw, and distressing than the period of dysfunction that preceded it. While this can be confusing or discouraging, neuroscience and psychological literature offer a compelling explanation: feeling worse can be a sign of real, meaningful healing. Emotional Discomfort Is Often a Sign of Activation, Not Regression The initial stages of trauma recovery or treatment for anxiety and depression often bring intense discomfort. This phenomenon is well-documented in evidence-based therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and exposure-based modalities. As indiv...