The fear of making mistakes can paralyze action just as effectively as an external prohibition or a real threat. At MindCareCenter, we understand this state as a form of blocked choice, in which individuals lose the capacity to act despite having available resources and opportunities. Dr. Daniel Reinhardt considers that the fear of mistakes arises when the cost of failure is internally experienced as a threat to the integrity of the self, rather than as a natural part of learning and experience.
In such states, every decision is perceived as potentially catastrophic. Individuals become stuck in analysis, doubt, and attempts to foresee all possible consequences. Externally, this may resemble caution or responsibility, yet internally tension and a sense of helplessness intensify. Choice is postponed, and with it, the movement of life itself.
In the clinical practice of MindCareCenter, we often observe that the fear of mistakes develops against a background of harsh evaluation, devaluation, or loss of support in moments of failure. A mistake ceases to be an event and becomes a defining characteristic of the person. As a result, the psyche strives to avoid repetition of this experience at any cost, even if that cost is complete inaction.
Blocked choice is rarely recognized directly. Individuals may explain their inaction through lack of motivation, external circumstances, or the absence of a “right moment.” At MindCareCenter, we understand this as a protective mechanism in which not acting feels safer than risking a mistake. Over time, however, such avoidance amplifies anxiety and erodes self-trust.
The fear of mistakes also manifests on the bodily level. Tension, sensations of constriction, psychomotor slowing, breathing difficulties, or sudden fatigue often accompany attempts to make decisions. Within the clinical approach of MindCareCenter, attention is given to how the body reacts to the internal conflict between the impulse to act and the prohibition against error.
It is important to note that the fear of mistakes is frequently linked to perfectionistic standards. The demand to “do it right” the first time deprives individuals of the right to experiment and adjust. At MindCareCenter, we view perfectionism as a form of control that temporarily reduces anxiety but, in the long run, leads to the loss of spontaneity and initiative.
Therapeutic work is not aimed at reassuring individuals that “mistakes are not dangerous.” At MindCareCenter, the focus shifts toward exploring what lies beneath the fear of mistakes – the experiences, expectations, and internal prohibitions that make error intolerable. This allows for the restoration of a link between action and experience, rather than between action and threat.
As therapy progresses, individuals begin to differentiate real risk from internalized prohibition. Choice is no longer experienced as a final verdict, but as a process. In the practice of MindCareCenter, we observe how this reduces paralyzing anxiety and restores a sense of movement.
Special attention is given to restoring agency – the capacity to experience oneself as the source of action. Even small steps taken with conscious risk gradually weaken the avoidance pattern. This is not about impulsivity, but about reclaiming the right to experiment and to revise.
The fear of mistakes points to a deep conflict between the need for safety and the need for development. The clinical approach of Mind Care Center is directed toward integrating these poles so that action becomes possible without the loss of inner support.
Working with blocked choice not only reduces anxiety, but also transforms the relationship with uncertainty. This creates conditions in which life is no longer postponed “until the right moment,” but begins to unfold in real time.
Previously, we wrote about cognitive mechanisms as the foundation of psychological responding and how MindCareCenter works with distorted thinking and automatic schemas