What If You’re Scared It’ll Make Things Worse?

The thought catches in your throat: “What if therapy makes everything worse? What if digging into these feelings opens a floodgate I can’t close? What if I start falling apart and can’t put myself back together?”

At Televero Health, we hear these fears more often than you might imagine. People hesitate to begin therapy not just because it’s unfamiliar, but because they worry it might actually worsen their suffering instead of relieving it.

This fear is understandable. When you’re already struggling, the prospect of additional pain—even in service of eventual healing—can feel overwhelming. But this concern deserves a thoughtful, honest response rather than mere reassurance.

Why the Fear Makes Sense

The worry that therapy might make things worse isn’t irrational. It’s based on some valid insights about how healing works:

Sometimes things do feel more intense before they feel better. Acknowledging painful emotions after pushing them away can temporarily increase discomfort.

Changing established patterns, even unhealthy ones, can be destabilizing at first. We develop coping mechanisms for a reason, and shifting away from them can feel vulnerable.

Gaining awareness doesn’t automatically solve problems. Sometimes you become more conscious of difficulties before you develop the skills to address them.

Therapy isn’t a perfectly linear process of improvement. It often involves ups and downs, steps forward and backward, as you work through complex issues.

These realities don’t mean therapy is harmful. But they do mean that healing isn’t always comfortable—and it’s reasonable to be concerned about that discomfort, especially when you’re already struggling.

The Difference Between Productive Discomfort and Harm

At Televero Health, we make an important distinction between the productive discomfort that sometimes accompanies growth and the genuine harm that can come from poorly conducted therapy.

Productive discomfort might include:

Feeling emotional during or after sessions as you connect with feelings you’ve been avoiding

Noticing patterns or relationships more clearly, which might initially be discouraging

Experiencing temporary anxiety as you try new behaviors or ways of thinking

Having memories or feelings surface that you weren’t fully aware of before

These experiences, while uncomfortable, are often part of the healing process. They’re like the soreness that comes from physical therapy—not pleasant, but a sign that important work is happening.

Genuine harm, on the other hand, includes:

Feeling consistently worse over time without any periods of relief or insight

Being pushed to discuss traumatic experiences before you’re ready

Having a therapist dismiss or minimize your concerns about the process

Experiencing a violation of boundaries or ethics

These harmful experiences are not necessary parts of therapy and should not be tolerated. They’re signs of poor therapeutic practice, not inevitable aspects of healing.

Research on the Safety and Effectiveness of Therapy

It may help to know what research tells us about whether therapy is generally helpful or harmful. Decades of studies have consistently found that:

The majority of people (about 75-80%) who engage in therapy experience benefit rather than harm

Most people who feel worse initially still show improvement over the course of therapy

The risk of significant negative outcomes from properly conducted therapy is very low

When therapy does cause harm, it’s often related to specific factors like poor therapist-client fit, violation of boundaries, or inappropriate techniques

These findings don’t guarantee your individual experience, but they do provide context for your concerns. The odds are strongly in favor of therapy helping rather than hurting, especially when you work with a qualified professional who responds appropriately to your feedback.

How Good Therapy Minimizes Risks

Effective therapists are aware of the potential for discomfort or distress in therapy and take specific steps to minimize harmful effects:

They practice appropriate pacing, not pushing you to go faster or deeper than you can handle

They regularly check in about how you’re experiencing the therapy process

They adjust their approach based on your feedback and responses

They help you develop coping skills and support systems before delving into highly challenging material

They monitor for signs of deterioration and address them promptly

They maintain appropriate boundaries and ethical standards

At Televero Health, we believe these practices are essential elements of responsible care, not optional extras. They’re built into how we work with every client.

You Have More Control Than You Think

Many people fear therapy will be like surgery under general anesthesia—once you start, you’re unconscious while someone else does things to you that you can’t control or stop.

In reality, therapy is a collaborative process where you maintain agency throughout. You have the right and ability to:

Set boundaries about what you’re ready to discuss

Ask questions about why the therapist is suggesting a particular approach

Give feedback if something doesn’t feel helpful

Take breaks when you need them

Slow down if things feel too intense

Change direction if a line of exploration isn’t working for you

End or pause therapy if you need to

This level of control significantly reduces the risk of therapy causing harm. You’re not passive in the process—you’re an active participant with a say in how your therapy unfolds.

Starting Slowly and Building Safety

If you’re concerned about therapy making things worse, there are ways to ease into the process gradually:

Begin with a consultation to ask questions and get a feel for the therapist’s style before committing to regular sessions

Start with practical, present-focused concerns rather than immediately diving into past trauma or deeply painful emotions

Establish clear goals so you have a shared understanding of what you’re working toward

Develop a “safety plan” with your therapist for managing intense emotions that might arise

Set a specific timeframe for an initial trial of therapy (like 3-5 sessions) with a planned check-in about how it’s going

These approaches can help build safety and confidence in the process before you engage with more challenging aspects of therapy.

When to Trust Your Concerns

While therapy is generally safe and helpful, your specific concerns about potential harm deserve attention and respect. There are times when these worries may signal important information:

If you have a history of being pushed beyond your boundaries by authority figures

If previous therapy experiences have been harmful

If you’re currently in a highly vulnerable or unstable state

If you’re sensing that a particular therapist isn’t a good fit for your needs

In these situations, your concerns may be especially valid protective responses rather than just anxiety about the unknown.

At Televero Health, we believe in honoring these concerns rather than dismissing them. We work with you to address them directly—whether that means adjusting our approach, connecting you with a different provider, or exploring alternative forms of support that feel safer for you right now.

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The Courage to Begin Despite Uncertainty

There’s wisdom in considering risks before starting therapy. But there’s also courage in beginning despite the uncertainty. Many of the most valuable things in life involve some element of risk—and healing is no exception.

If you’re holding back from therapy solely because of fears it might make things worse, consider balancing that concern with the reality of what happens if nothing changes. Continuing in patterns that aren’t serving you carries its own form of suffering.

At Televero Health, we’ve worked with many clients who entered therapy with deep concerns about whether it would help or harm. Often, they later tell us that while the process wasn’t always easy, they found it far less frightening than they had imagined. And the growth and healing they experienced made the moments of discomfort worthwhile.

We can’t promise that therapy will be painless. What we can promise is that your concerns will be taken seriously, your boundaries will be respected, and your wellbeing will remain the central focus throughout the process.

If you’re scared therapy might make things worse, that fear itself is worth discussing with a potential therapist. Their response can tell you a lot about whether they’re the right person to help you navigate this journey safely and with care.

Ready to explore therapy with someone who respects your concerns? We’re here to talk about it.