Updated on November 11, 2025
Your second therapy session felt amazing. You walked out thinking, “Yes, I’m getting somewhere.” Then this week hit, and you’re back in the same anxious spiral you thought you’d left behind.
So what happened? Did therapy stop working? Did you mess up somehow?
Neither. You’re experiencing what everyone in therapy experiences but may not always talk about. Healing doesn’t follow a straight line.
Why Healing Looks More Like a Spiral Than a Staircase
Most of us picture progress as climbing stairs. Each step takes you higher, and once you’re up, you stay up. But healing works differently.
Think of it more like walking a winding trail through the Hill Country. Sometimes you’re climbing and can see for miles. Other times you’re in a valley, circling back over ground that looks familiar. You might even wonder if you’ve been here before.
The difference is that when you come back to familiar territory, you’re not the same person who was there last time. You have new tools, different perspectives, and deeper understanding.
What Therapy Looks Like When You’re In It
Some Weeks Feel Like Breakthroughs
You leave your session feeling lighter. Something clicked. A pattern you couldn’t see before suddenly makes perfect sense. The strategies your therapist suggested work better than you expected.
These weeks feel validating. They remind you why you started therapy in the first place.
Other Weeks Feel Harder
Sometimes talking about difficult experiences brings up emotions you’d rather avoid. You might leave therapy feeling more unsettled than when you arrived.
This isn’t a sign that something’s wrong. Processing pain means feeling it first, and that’s uncomfortable. Your nervous system is learning it’s safe enough to start working through things you’ve been carrying.
You’ll Hit Plateaus
Then there are stretches where nothing seems to be happening at all. You show up, you talk, but you don’t feel different. Progress feels invisible.
Research on therapeutic change shows these plateaus often come right before significant shifts. Your brain is integrating what you’ve learned, even when it doesn’t feel like anything is changing. The growth is happening beneath the surface.
Old Patterns Will Show Up Again
You thought you’d dealt with that anxiety trigger. Then suddenly it’s back, and you’re responding the same way you did months ago.
This doesn’t mean you’ve lost your progress. Patterns that developed over years don’t disappear after a few months of work. When old responses resurface, you get to practice your new skills in real situations. That’s how lasting change happens.
Making Sense of the Nonlinear Path
Progress Compounds Over Time
Small changes you can’t see day to day add up to significant shifts you notice looking back. Keeping a simple journal can help you track this.
Write down one thing after each session: a new insight, a skill you practiced, or even just how you felt. When you’re feeling stuck weeks later, you can look back and see movement you can’t sense in the moment.
Your Body Needs Time to Feel Safe
Therapy asks your nervous system to do something it’s been trained not to do: relax enough to process difficult experiences. If you’re working through trauma, anxiety, or chronic stress, your body learned to stay on high alert for good reasons.
Approaches like EMDR and trauma-informed therapy recognize this. They work with your nervous system’s natural healing process rather than trying to force change through willpower alone.
Different Issues Surface at Different Times
You might start therapy focused on work stress, only to realize three months in that relationship patterns need attention too. Or you’re making progress with anxiety, then grief from an old loss surfaces unexpectedly.
This layering is normal. Healing one area often creates enough safety for other areas to emerge and get the attention they deserve.
When You’re Struggling With the Process
Talk to Your Therapist About Feeling Stuck
If you’ve been feeling the same way for several sessions, that’s worth mentioning. Your therapist might adjust their approach, try different techniques, or help you see progress you’re missing.
Good therapy isn’t one-size-fits-all. What works for one person might not work for you, and that’s fine. Communicating honestly about what is and isn’t helping makes therapy more effective.
Notice Small Shifts
Major breakthroughs get attention, but small changes matter just as much. Maybe you:
- Caught yourself using a coping skill without thinking about it
- Set a boundary you would have avoided before
- Had one less panic attack this month than last month
- Reached out to a friend when you were struggling instead of isolating
These aren’t dramatic, but they’re meaningful. Building self-compassion helps you recognize and value these quieter moments of growth.
Remember That Therapy Works Even When It Feels Slow
Research consistently shows that therapy is effective for anxiety, depression, trauma, and relationship issues. But effectiveness doesn’t mean instant or constant progress.
Landmark research on therapy outcomes found that approximately 50% of patients showed measurable improvement by the eighth session, with continued progress through six months of treatment. If you’ve been in therapy for a few weeks and aren’t seeing dramatic changes yet, you’re right on schedule.
Take Breaks When You Need Them
Sometimes the most healing thing you can do is step back from actively working on your issues. If therapy is feeling overwhelming, talk with your therapist about adjusting the pace or taking a short break.
Building resilience includes knowing when to push forward and when to rest. Both matter.
Your Timeline Isn’t Anyone Else’s
Some people notice significant changes in three months. Others need a year or more. Neither is better or worse.
Your timeline depends on factors like:
- What you’re working through
- How long you’ve been dealing with these issues
- What support systems you have outside therapy
- Whether you’re managing ongoing stress while trying to heal
- Your nervous system’s unique way of processing
Comparing your progress to someone else’s is like comparing your Hill Country hike to someone walking on flat ground. The terrain is different, so the journey looks different.
Finding Support for Your Healing Journey
At Firefly Therapy Austin, we understand that healing’s winding path can feel frustrating, especially when you’re hoping for straightforward progress. Our therapists work with the reality of how change happens, not some idealized version of it.
We offer both in-person and online therapy options because we know healing needs to fit into your life, not the other way around. If you’re ready to start or continue this journey with support that honors your unique process, we’re here to walk alongside you.
The path isn’t straight, but that doesn’t mean you’re going in circles. Every step matters, even the ones that loop back to familiar ground.
Firefly Therapy Austin offers affordable, effective therapy in Austin, Texas.
Find out more about our Therapists and Specialties.