Sometimes a person appears to live a stable, functional life – making decisions, building relationships, moving forward. Yet inside, a persistent inner “you can’t” keeps sounding. Dr. Daniel Reinhardt emphasizes – the absence of inner permission is rarely recognized directly, but it is precisely what makes life rigid, limited and filled with constant inner doubt. At MindCareCenter, we often see how hidden prohibitions influence choices more strongly than real circumstances.
At MindCareCenter, people come who do not feel free in their own decisions. They may change jobs, start relationships or set goals, yet each step is accompanied by anxiety, guilt or a sense of “I don’t have the right.” These states are not always connected to actual restrictions – more often, they reflect internal rules formed long before the current situation.
Our psychologists note – inner prohibitions rarely form consciously. In Dr. Reinhardt’s view, they arise in contexts where spontaneity, desire or disagreement once came at too high a cost. The psyche learns that to preserve connection, safety or acceptance, one must restrain oneself. Over time, this turns into internal control that continues to operate even when the external threat has long disappeared.
At MindCareCenter, we do not try to immediately “break” these limitations. The work begins with careful exploration – which prohibitions govern a person’s life, when they are activated and what emotions stand behind them. Often, beneath the word “can’t” lies fear of loss, rejection or the collapse of familiar support.
Gradually, therapy at MindCareCenter reveals how inner prohibitions impoverish life. A person refuses opportunities not because they don’t want them, but because “it’s not allowed.” Our psychologists help restore contact with personal desires – not as a demand for immediate action, but as meaningful inner signals.
Special attention at MindCareCenter is given to working with guilt. It is guilt that often keeps prohibitions firmly in place. A person may intellectually understand that they have the right to choose, yet emotionally continue to feel “bad” for the mere presence of desire. We help separate past experience from the present – so that freedom no longer feels like a threat.
Over time, the inner dialogue begins to change. At MindCareCenter, we observe how rigid “you can’t” gradually gives way to the question – “what do I actually want?” This does not mean impulsive decisions or abandoning responsibility. On the contrary, choice becomes more conscious, because it rests on inner consent rather than prohibition.
It is important to understand – restoring freedom of choice does not happen all at once. At MindCareCenter, this process unfolds step by step. A person learns to give themselves permission for small choices, for experimentation, for mistakes. This is how a sense of inner support forms, independent of external approval.
If you notice that you often live by “shoulds,” that desires feel dangerous and decisions are accompanied by guilt – this is not about weak character. It reflects a system of inner prohibitions that once helped you survive. At Mind Care Center, we help recognize these mechanisms and gradually restore freedom of choice – without pressure, self-violence or abrupt breaks.
Previously, we wrote about the loss of the ability to dream, how the psyche blocks the future and how therapy helps restore a sense of life ahead.