Hi friends,

So, you’ve started retraining your brain.

You’re meditating, visualizing safety, tapping into joy, doing somatic tracking, and maybe even whispering sweet nothings to your limbic system. You’re showing up, doing the work, feeling a glimmer of hope—and then BAM. Your symptoms come back louder, weirder, or more intense than ever. Maybe they even multiply. What gives?

Congratulations. You’re likely experiencing what’s called an extinction burst—and believe it or not, this is a good sign. (An annoying, uncomfortable, “are-you-kidding-me-right-now?” kind of good sign—but a sign of healing nonetheless.)

Let’s dive into what extinction bursts are, why they happen, and how to ride them out without panicking, backtracking, or throwing your meditation cushion out the window.

What Is an Extinction Burst?

In behavioral psychology, an extinction burst is what happens when a previously reinforced behavior suddenly stops getting rewarded. And instead of fading away peacefully, that behavior gets louder, more persistent, and often more desperate—right before it finally fades.

Think of a vending machine you’ve used for years. You insert your dollar, press the button, and—voilà—your favorite snack drops down. One day, you do the same thing… but nothing happens. Do you calmly walk away, snackless and serene? Of course not. You jab the button. You smack the side of the machine. Maybe even try kicking it, just to be sure. That’s the extinction burst: your brain ramping up the old behavior in an attempt to get the expected result.

Now, apply that same logic to chronic symptoms.

When you start retraining your brain to stop reacting to symptoms with fear, checking, or avoidance—you're effectively unplugging the vending machine. You’re no longer giving the response your brain expects (“Oh no! Fix this! Retreat!”). So what does your brain do? It hits harder. It shouts louder. It throws in some bonus sensations just for fun.

It’s not because you're getting worse. It’s because you're changing the pattern—and your brain doesn't like change, even when it’s for the better.

Chronic Symptoms Are Often Learned Responses

Let’s take a moment to acknowledge a radical but research-backed idea that’s central to Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and limbic retraining programs:

Many chronic symptoms are not signs of ongoing damage or illness, but learned danger responses from the brain.

Through stress, trauma, or prolonged fear, your brain may start misinterpreting normal sensations as threats. This creates a self-reinforcing loop of fear and symptoms. Over time, the symptoms become hardwired—not because anything’s broken, but because your brain got really good at being protective.

Retraining programs help teach the brain: “Hey, we’re safe now. You can stand down.” But your brain doesn’t always surrender peacefully.

Why Extinction Bursts Happen During Brain Retraining

When you stop reinforcing the fear-symptom cycle—by not checking your pulse, googling your symptoms, lying down “just in case,” or avoiding certain movements—your brain gets confused. It thinks:

“Wait, what?! I’ve been screaming ‘DANGER’ for years and now you’re just... ignoring me? Better scream louder.”

So the symptoms spike. Or morph. Or appear in places you’ve never had them before. This is your brain testing your resolve.

In ERP therapy, this is expected. When you stop performing compulsions in response to anxiety (like checking, reassuring, or avoiding), the anxiety gets worse before it gets better. That’s the extinction burst. It means you’re no longer feeding the loop.

Same with PRT. When you stop responding to pain with fear or hypervigilance, the brain temporarily intensifies the signal. But when you meet that signal with calm curiosity—or even indifference—you’re rewiring.

The goal isn’t to stop the extinction burst. It’s to stop feeding it.

Common Signs You’re in an Extinction Burst

Here’s what an extinction burst might look like during chronic symptom recovery:

A sudden spike in symptoms after a period of progress
New symptoms showing up that seem random or “impossible”
An increase in fear, intrusive thoughts, or symptom checking
Feeling like “this isn’t working anymore” or “I’m getting worse”

If you’re nodding along, here’s your permission slip to not freak out: This is normal. This is temporary. This is not a relapse or crash.

In fact, it’s a sign your brain is waking up and learning.

How to Navigate an Extinction Burst Without Losing It

Let’s be honest—extinction bursts can be rough. But they’re survivable, and they lose their power when you know what they are. Here’s how to make it through:

1. Name It

Just saying “Oh, this is an extinction burst” takes the mystery out of it. Naming the pattern gives you perspective and helps shift from fear to curiosity.

2. Stick With Your Tools

Now’s the time to keep practicing what you’ve learned: somatic tracking, safety visualizations, cognitive reframes, joyful activities, and gentle exposures. These aren't magic tricks to get rid of the symptoms—they’re how you show up for your healing.

3. Avoid Reassurance-Seeking

This one’s hard. You’ll want to google, check in with others, or mentally scan your body for the 100th time. Resist the urge. Every time you don’t respond to the fear with a compulsion, your brain learns that the symptoms aren’t dangerous.

4. Celebrate Tiny Wins

Did you go for a walk even though your brain screamed “What if you collapse?” High five. Did you ride out a wave of fatigue without retreating to bed? Victory. These moments are how neuroplastic change happens—one brave step at a time.

5. Give Yourself Some Grace

You are not doing this wrong. You’re not broken. If you find yourself frustrated or overwhelmed, that’s okay. Recovery isn’t linear. It’s a messy, beautiful, spiraling journey back to your true self.

What Science (and Your Nervous System) Says

Studies on Pain Reprocessing Therapy have shown that reinterpreting pain as safe and using cognitive and somatic tools can lead to significant symptom reduction. In one 2021 study published in JAMA Psychiatry, 66% of participants with chronic back pain treated with PRT were pain-free or nearly pain-free after treatment—compared to just 20% in the control group.¹

In ERP, extinction bursts are so common they’re built into the model. The increase in distress is viewed as a sign the therapy is working.

Limbic retraining programs like DNRS and the Gupta Program also anticipate temporary intensifications of symptoms (sometimes we call them “ebbs” or “dips”), reframing them as the brain’s last-ditch effort to cling to old wiring. These programs teach that staying the course—even when symptoms flare—is how new neural pathways take root.

Final Thoughts: It Gets Quieter

Here’s the truth most people don’t tell you on Day 1 of brain retraining: it’s not about “getting rid of symptoms” overnight. It’s about changing your relationship to those symptoms. And through that relationship—of safety, curiosity, and trust—the symptoms lose their grip.

Extinction bursts are part of the process. They don’t mean your brain is broken or that you’re getting worse. They mean you’re changing the game—and your brain is throwing one last tantrum because it doesn’t yet realize that safety is the new normal.

Let it scream. Let it protest. You just keep showing up, gently, consistently, with the kind of love and patience you’d give that tantruming toddler or ornery puppy.

Because one day soon, your brain will quiet down. The symptoms will fade. And all that remains will be a deeper trust in yourself—and a body that finally feels like home.

I know how challenging it can be to navigate the ups and downs of recovery, and it’s better to do it with someone who gets it. I’m here to walk with you, friend, if you need it. Learn more about my coaching offerings HERE.

Also, if you haven’t joined my 10-day course, come check it out. Join on Insight Timer Plus, or directly on my website.

And I’m wishing you all the calm and confidence in the meantime!

1.Ashar, Y. K., Gordon, A., Schubiner, H., et al. (2021). Effect of Pain Reprocessing Therapy vs Placebo and Usual Care for Patients With Chronic Back Pain. JAMA Psychiatry, 78(11), 1200–1210. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2784694

When Your Brain Throws a Tantrum: Understanding Extinction Bursts in Chronic Symptom Recovery