Psychological Inflexibility and Anxiety: How Stubbornness Interferes in the Therapy Room

Psychological Inflexibility can lead us down many unhealthy paths.  Cognitive rigidity makes us feel temporarily safe, but ultimately, can become the source of our anxiety.  

Mental inflexibility, also known as stubbornness, can lead to treatment resistance and plateaus in mental health. 

We may be stuck in unworkable action, repeating our unhealthy patterns no matter what.   

With this sort of inflexibility, we may also have a conceptualization of ourselves that is stagnant even if we have capacity to change, even if we have changed.  

We tell ourselves a story about ourselves based on a negative distortion, such as “I am lazy” and then actually act in a way that reinforces our invented narrative.  

Cognitive inflexibility is a main target of ACT (Acceptance Commitment Therapy), a form of cognitive treatment.  When we have this form of stuckness, we suffer from a disconnection from our core values.  

We are no longer making active choices.  We are reacting to fear triggers from our nervous system.  

Actions are replaced by reactions.

Instead of focusing on what truly is important to us, we focus on what keeps things safe for our anxiety.  We avoid discomfort at all costs.

With psychological inflexibility we close ranks around our ways of doing things – we tell ourselves and others that these actions are “right” or “necessary.”  

In the most extreme cases, our inflexibility can become something that we force onto others.  We not only need our own actions to be predictable but also we need predictability from our loved ones.   

Thankfully, the brain is highly pliable.  Our neural pathways can be stretched.  Cognitive flexibility is a prime goal of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and a common target if exposures and CBT have been rejected.  Through thought exercises, games, challenges, and “life experiments,” we test and disprove the inflexible ways of thinking that have gripped our lives.  A common refrain in my ACT therapy sessions is, “Ok… Well, let’s just try.”

Little by little, we increase cognitive flexibility and get to the root of the anxiety, making lasting changes in our brains, in our interactions with our loved ones, and in our lives.

If you are ready to make those changes and start leading your life with your true values, rather than your anxiety, please contact Kairos Wellness Collective today for Anxiety Treatment.