Is Your Subconscious Holding You Back from Healing?

Click Here to Listen to this Podcast!

By Jenny Peterson

Have you ever felt like you're your own worst enemy on your healing journey? You get excited about the possibilities, set your intentions, and then—bam—something happens. You procrastinate, resist, or quit altogether. Self-sabotage—could it actually be your enemy, or is it trying to show you something deeper?

In this post, I’m going to flip the script and explain how self-sabotage might actually be a friend in disguise. We're going to explore how it guides us to deeper layers of healing, why protective patterns are at the root of it, and how creating safety in your subconscious mind is the key to breaking free.

Stick with me to learn how reframing your view of self-sabotage can become a major breakthrough in your healing journey.

What is Self-Sabotage?

Before we dive into how to work with self-sabotage, let’s first understand what it really is. It’s that pattern where you set goals, you know what you need to do to get there, but for some reason, you just can't follow through. You procrastinate, resist, or even give up before getting too far.

But here’s the thing—self-sabotage isn’t actually your fault. It’s often a sign from your subconscious mind, which is wired to keep you safe. The subconscious doesn’t differentiate between physical danger and emotional discomfort. It simply wants to keep you in what feels familiar—even if that familiarity is unhealthy.

Think of your subconscious mind like an overprotective guard dog. The dog’s job is to alert you to danger and keep you safe. But what happens if that guard dog starts barking at harmless things like the mailman or a friendly neighbor? The dog doesn’t know the difference between a real threat and something that's safe. It just reacts because it's trained to protect you.

Your subconscious works the same way. When you try something new—whether it's starting a new healing method or stepping into a more empowered version of yourself—your subconscious reacts like that guard dog. It warns you: "This is unfamiliar. This might be dangerous."

And so, it kicks in with self-sabotaging behaviors—procrastination, resistance, and fear. It’s not because you’re weak or lazy; it’s because your subconscious is simply trying to keep you safe from something unknown.

But just like the guard dog, your subconscious can be retrained. It can learn to recognize that healing isn’t a threat, and when you understand this, you can work with your subconscious instead of against it.

Why Does Self-Sabotage Happen?

There are a few key reasons why self-sabotage tends to show up, and the first is fear of failure.

Fear of Failure

How many times have you tried something new, only to have it not work out as planned? When that happens, you might think to yourself, "I guess I’m just not good enough." But here's the real kicker: failure isn’t about your worth. It’s a tool for growth.

Failure doesn’t define you. It provides valuable feedback on your journey. It shows you what’s not working and where you need to adjust.

When I first started my healing journey, I tried so many different things—diets, supplements, protocols. Some worked, and some didn’t. Each time something failed, I thought, "Maybe I’m just not good enough." But over time, I began to see failure as a redirection, a course correction, not a dead end. Failure became a tool for learning and growth.

Reflect on your own experiences. What did you learn from failure? Where did that belief that failure means you're not good enough come from? It’s likely rooted in childhood experiences where failure was seen as bad or unworthy.

Fear of Success

Another common form of self-sabotage is fear of success. You might be thinking, “Why would I fear success?” But success can come with new responsibilities, higher expectations, and more visibility, all of which can feel overwhelming.

For example, if your chronic fatigue symptoms start to improve and you begin to feel better, you might feel a sense of overwhelm. "What if I can’t keep this up?" Your subconscious fears the changes success will bring because it feels like more responsibility.

Success requires you to step into a new identity, and your subconscious, being used to the comfort of your current identity, may resist. Change feels like a threat because it’s unfamiliar, and your subconscious prefers the known—even if it’s uncomfortable—over the unknown.

Perfectionism and Fear of Change

Perfectionism is another barrier that keeps us stuck in self-sabotage. Perfectionism tells you that if it’s not flawless, it’s not worth doing. It keeps you procrastinating because you feel like if you can't get it perfect, you’re better off not doing it at all.

Perfectionism also ties into the fear of change. Change is uncomfortable, and the brain is hardwired to stick with the familiar—even if that means staying stuck in patterns that aren’t serving you.

If you find yourself stuck in perfectionism, remind yourself that healing isn’t about being perfect.

It’s about progress, not perfection. The key is to break your healing goals into small, manageable steps. Every step forward—no matter how small—is still progress.

Unresolved Trauma

Lastly, one of the most significant reasons we self-sabotage is due to unresolved trauma. Trauma creates emotional wounds that shape how we view ourselves and the world. These wounds don’t just disappear; they influence our behavior in ways we might not even realize.

If you’ve experienced trauma, your subconscious may resist healing because it fears facing the emotional pain tied to those past experiences. Staying in illness feels safer to the subconscious because it’s familiar.

This is what we call secondary gains—the hidden benefits of staying in old patterns, even when those patterns are keeping us stuck. Your subconscious holds onto these old patterns because they provide comfort, even if they’re unhealthy.

How to Break Free from Self-Sabotage

The key to breaking free from self-sabotage is creating safety in your subconscious mind. Without that sense of safety, your subconscious will continue to resist change, even if change is for your highest good.

Creating safety isn’t something that happens overnight. It takes developing a new relationship with your subconscious—one based on trust, not fear. The work starts with awareness and reflection.

Reflective Questions to Help You Break Free:

• What am I afraid of losing if I heal?

• What is my subconscious trying to protect me from?

• How have my past experiences shaped the way I feel about healing and change?

• What if the only thing standing between me and my healing is my own subconscious fear?

Reflect on these questions as you move through your own healing journey. The more you reflect, the more you’ll uncover the subconscious beliefs that have been keeping you stuck.

Conclusion

Self-sabotage isn’t your enemy—it’s your friend, guiding you to uncover the deeper fears, beliefs, and unresolved wounds that are holding you back. When you recognize it as guidance, it becomes a powerful tool for transformation rather than something to fight against.

Remember, self-sabotage is showing you where the patterns need to be shifted.

---

Jenny Peterson is a Chronic Illness Expert and the Founder of MBR (Mind Body Rewire). She helps those struggling with multiple chronic symptoms reclaim their health and freedom—without diets, detoxes, or pills.

For 10 years, Jenny worked as a holistic practitioner, relying on supplements, diet, and detox protocols to support healing. But when she faced her own chronic health struggles, those methods failed her.

Determined to find a real solution, she turned to mind-body healing. Using the very techniques she now teaches, Jenny fully resolved Lyme disease, digestive issues, panic attacks, skin conditions, cystitis, and more. Her own transformation ignited a mission: to help others break free from chronic symptoms and take back control of their health.

Ready to say good-bye to symptoms and hello to freedom?  START HERE