Backlashes, a.k.a. Pendulums
1. What Pendulums Are and Why They Occur
We will use the term “pendulums” to refer to the side effects of psychological restructuring. Most often, they manifest as sharply negative states: sudden anger, irritation, apathy, fatigue, low mood, disbelief, a sense of hopelessness. Physical reactions are also possible — noticeable loss of strength, a feeling of complete lack of energy, exacerbation of somatic symptoms, digestive issues, and general physical discomfort.
Sometimes it looks as if the person has simply “shut down”: lying there without energy, not wanting to do anything, seeing no point in what is happening. These states can be unsettling, especially when encountered for the first time. That’s why it makes sense not to jump to conclusions, but first to understand what exactly is going on and why.
The term “pendulum” in this context appeared in 2006, at the beginning of practical work with automated processing routines. At the same time, the phenomenon of backlash itself is well known to anyone who has engaged in deep psychological work. Significant and rapid changes in perception, beliefs, and habitual reactions almost never occur linearly. After a noticeable shift forward, there is often a short-term movement in the opposite direction — old automatic reactions and negative interpretations become activated.
At this stage, many people are genuinely confused: they expected to feel better, but subjectively feel worse. These temporary downturns often lead people to stop the work altogether. A common mistake is to perceive the arising state as something foreign — as if it had been “implanted” by the technique or the practitioner. In reality, what surfaces is the person’s own material, which previously simply did not enter conscious awareness. We usually do not notice most of our mental activity, even though it is constantly present and can be objectively detected, for example, through neurophysiological methods.
Physical reactions during strong emotional and psychological shifts are entirely normal. Many people have experienced digestive disturbances or general weakness before important events: exams, travel, public speaking, significant decisions. Pendulums function in a similar way, with the difference that here the cause is not an external situation, but an internal restructuring of the psyche.
If we use a simple metaphor: when you squeeze something, only what was already inside comes out. The same applies to a person. Over the course of life, the psyche accumulates a large amount of inefficient automatic reactions, beliefs, and defensive strategies. As long as they are covered by habitual avoidance and distraction mechanisms, they are barely felt. But as soon as, in the course of work, the top layer of these defenses is removed, the next layer of material surfaces — what has always been there but remained unnoticed.
Effective psychological work temporarily weakens habitual masks and defensive structures. As a result, reactions and impulses that are usually suppressed or rationalized become visible: irritation, aggression, intolerance, rigid evaluative judgments. This does not mean that the person has “become worse.” It means that automatic reactions are no longer completely hidden from awareness. How could there be stable acceptance and inner stability if the corresponding skills were never systematically developed? That is a separate discussion. Here we are interested in the practical aspect: what to do with the material that becomes available.
It is important to emphasize: the model described here is just that — a model, a working interpretation of what is happening. I am not claiming that it is the only correct or complete explanation. There are other interpretations of the nature of side effects in psychological work, and many of them are valid in their own way. However, a deep analysis of the origins of these states is not my goal. The task is practical: to do the work, reduce internal ballast, and move forward — rather than getting stuck in theoretical debates.
2. How to deal with Pendulums Properly
It makes sense to fix a few key points right away — this will greatly simplify the work going forward.
First, the very “junk” that shows up as intrusive thoughts, emotional spikes, and automatic reactions is not some neutral background. It is exactly what creates most subjective problems. It usually stays outside direct awareness and is perceived as something self-evident, as if “this is just how things are.” Working with what is not directly conscious will be discussed in detail later in the book. What matters here is something else: do not identify with this junk. It is not your “essence” or “true nature.” It is the result of incorrectly formed and reinforced response mechanisms, not some fundamental trait of your personality.
Second, you cannot fight this material. Trying to battle yourself is a losing strategy by definition. In that setup, there are no winners. The only workable position is to acknowledge the current state. To note: “yes, this is present right now.” Without trying to immediately get rid of it, suppress it, or destroy it. Acceptance here does not mean agreement or approval. It simply means refusing to go to war. From that point, it becomes possible to process the emerging material calmly, in a working mode, and observe how its influence gradually weakens, while pendulums become less frequent and less intense.
Can pendulums be completely avoided? There is no definitive answer. Backlash effects are described in almost all approaches that involve fast and deep changes. I encountered similar effects back when I was involved in neurohacking and direct brain stimulation methods. For example, documentation on transcranial magnetic stimulation explicitly mentions so-called snapback effects — temporary returns to a previous state. The recommendation there is very simple: reduce the frequency and intensity of sessions.
In Alex Ramonsky’s book I’ve Changed My Mind, which deals with neurohacking on a physiological and pharmacological level, it is also directly stated that rapid changes are almost inevitably accompanied by periods of rollback. There is a feeling that nothing works, that the changes were illusory, heavy emotional states appear. Any experienced psychotherapist will confirm the same: working through deep patterns rarely happens without temporary deterioration, including on a physical level. If you generalize, pendulums show up anywhere there is speed and effectiveness.
The intensity and frequency of pendulums can be reduced by working slowly and in measured doses. I know people who run a minimal number of automated processes — one or two per day — and almost never encounter backlash. At the same time, there are those who are sensitive even to that level — individual differences here are significant. I myself often worked in a very aggressive mode, running many processes at once, and got the corresponding reaction the next day. The difference was that I understood the nature of what was happening and accepted the possible consequences in advance as temporary. That made it possible not to turn them into a drama and not to stop the work.
It is important to emphasize: pendulums are not proof that “the method doesn’t work.” They are an indicator that the system is actually affecting stable structures. If there are concerns, it makes sense to slow down. Or to honestly acknowledge that this format of work does not suit you right now. That is also a valid choice.
3. Types of Pendulums and Their Manifestations
There is also a particular type of pendulum that can be called a “rollback with disbelief.” In this state, there is a feeling that no changes happened at all, that all problems have returned to their original state, and that all the work done was self-deception. This state feels very convincing subjectively and is accompanied by strong doubt. Its main function is to stop the process. Any stable change disrupts the habitual internal balance, and the system almost always tries to restore the previous configuration. From the inside, this may look like a sudden “objective assessment,” but a few days later it often becomes clear that the conclusions were drawn from a temporary state.
Below is a typical list of states that may arise during a pendulum. The repertoire is usually limited and repeats in different variations:
— a conviction of one’s own hopelessness and the feeling that there is too much internal “junk” and it will never end;
— the thought that the system or technique does not work and that the time was wasted;
— pronounced apathy, loss of meaning, a heavy depressive state that may last several days;
— a sense that all previously processed problems have fully returned;
— a desire to urgently switch methods or look for “something more effective”;
— strong irritation, anger, general emotional tension;
— a conviction that automatic reactions cannot be changed in principle;
— physical discomfort, flare-ups of old symptoms, a general feeling of “falling apart.”
Other variants are usually combinations of these states. When you are inside a pendulum, it is very easy to take its content as final truth and start acting impulsively. I have made such mistakes myself more than once. Practice shows: if you don’t dramatize what is happening and continue the work, the state passes.
It is also worth noting that pronounced pendulums often occur right before a noticeable shift in perception or behavior. The stronger the temporary rollback, the more tangible the subsequent change may be — provided that the person does not stop the process at that stage. This is not a promise or a guarantee, but an observation repeatedly confirmed in practice. It has been observed many times that more intense pendulums sometimes precede more significant internal shifts. This is not a strict rule, but a recurring pattern seen in some practitioners.
Stopping the work often does lead to the pendulum weakening or disappearing over time. However, there is an important nuance here. One can get stuck in an intermediate state where a significant portion of old automatic patterns has already been dismantled, but new stable configurations have not yet formed. Subjectively, this feels like prolonged instability, sluggishness, and internal discomfort. That is why my personal experience suggests: it makes sense not to stop until reaching a relatively stable state of emotional and cognitive neutrality — what I informally call “Great Indifference.”
People who stop at early or intermediate stages often fall into another trap. Instead of practice, they shift into endless intellectual comparison of methods, searching for “more effective techniques,” and blaming approaches that supposedly “didn’t work” or “made things worse.” Often, at that point, the person is literally one or two months away from a qualitatively different state — but stops right there. These cases are common. This is not a tragedy and not a mistake — just a choice, for the consequences of which each person is responsible.
There are also so-called “constructive pendulums.” These are situations where a problem manifests sharply and clearly, as if it “explodes” directly into awareness. Such a rollback can be extremely unpleasant, but at the same time it provides a rare opportunity for effective work: the material surfaces almost without filters. At that moment, all that is required is to observe and register what is happening. At early stages, awareness is often insufficient, and the person simply reacts, blaming the environment or circumstances. However, once the state stabilizes, the causes and internal roots usually either become obvious or become significantly easier to identify and process.
If you look more broadly, most people are in some form of these pendulum states almost constantly. The difference is that for most, they are suppressed and smoothed out. It is enough to look around: chronic irritation, background anger, latent aggression have become almost the norm. Suppression does not eliminate the material — it only postpones it. Over time, the accumulated tension discharges in the form of automatic outbursts — family conflicts, sudden arguments, disproportionate reactions to minor triggers. Since a person generally does not understand the mechanisms of their own behavior and lacks tools to work with them, the causes of these outbursts remain unclear. After that, the cycle repeats again. Within the context of practice, however, a sharp pendulum often becomes a point of awareness and subsequent processing — and therefore a kind of “gift” that allows access to long-matured material.
4. The Dynamics of Pendulums
With active and regular work — roughly speaking, running an average of two automated processes per day and simultaneously working through one or two current issues — the first two to three months may feel like a continuous stream of pendulums. It can seem as if there is no end to it, as if the internal “junk” is infinite. This period is often subjectively experienced as a sequence of heavy states with only rare intervals of relief and clarity.
After about two to three months, the intensity usually begins to decrease gradually, pauses appear, and it becomes easier to maintain balance. It is often during this period that deeper, more stable core patterns begin to surface. Later on, pendulums become a bit less frequent and less intense, although from time to time the system may still “shake.” This is normal and not a sign of malfunction.
A separate mention should be made of pendulums that manifest at the level of external events. Sometimes it may feel as if circumstances themselves start to “fall apart”: a series of setbacks, disruptions, conflicts. This does not happen to everyone and not always. In such cases, it is useful not to fall into fatalism, but to carefully analyze which beliefs, fears, contradictory expectations, and decisions may have led to such a configuration of events.
Usually, a set of internal limitations and conflicts is found that shapes the corresponding external response. Complaining and self-blame are useless here. If a situation has been formed by a certain way of thinking and reacting, then it makes sense to examine it at that same level. Responsibility for what is happening is an inevitable part of maturity, and it cannot be avoided.
5. Practical Principles for Going Through Pendulums
So, to make pendulums easier to go through — if they arise (and it is assumed that the reader is oriented toward real and relatively fast changes, not years of symbolic work) — it makes sense to accept a few working principles in advance.
- A person is a creature with highly selective attention. The conscious mind quickly stops noticing problems that no longer cause discomfort. Imagine a situation: recently, some issue kept you awake at night, constantly spinning in your head, causing strong reactions. Then it gets processed and stops activating. After some time, the typical reaction sounds like: “Well, nothing much has really changed.” At the same time, the fact that a problem which dominated your psyche just a week ago has disappeared is simply not registered. Because of this, automatic patterns can convincingly “prove” that nothing happened and the work was pointless. That is why keeping a journal of states and processed topics is extremely useful. Rereading entries from a month or two ago usually quickly resolves questions like “is this working or not.”
- Remember a basic rule. If you feel bad — it’s a pendulum. If it feels like nothing has been processed — it’s a pendulum. If everything seems hopeless — it’s a pendulum. If you think there is too much internal material and it’s impossible to deal with — it’s also a pendulum. This is not an insight and not an “objective evaluation of reality,” but a normal reaction of the nervous system, which largely consists of learned automatic patterns that are currently being reorganized. It is useful to literally fix this rule somewhere visible so you don’t forget what you are dealing with. Even knowing all this, people (myself included) periodically take a pendulum for truth, and a couple of days later are surprised at how seriously they treated a temporary state.
- A good indicator of a pendulum is the abundance of totalizing generalizations in thinking. If words like “everything,” “never,” “always,” “nothing” begin to dominate — such as “everything is bad,” “nothing has changed,” “this will never end” — you are almost certainly in a pendulum.
- Pendulums should be processed in all cases, without exceptions. The first step is to acknowledge the current state without trying to immediately change it. You can use simple acceptance formulas similar to those used in various psychological approaches where the emphasis is not on fighting, but on recognizing the fact of the experience. Once even minimal acceptance appears, it is useful to write down all thoughts and sensations associated with this state and work through them sequentially, point by point, using the tools described in the book. There are also specialized automatic protocols specifically aimed at working with pendulums. They do not always act instantly, but overall they can make the process easier. Other supporting approaches are also described in the accompanying materials.
Understanding the conditional, constructed nature of pendulums helps significantly. When another state hits, it makes sense to ask yourself: who exactly is suffering right now? Not accepting the automatic answer “I,” but trying to identify the specific part, the specific mechanism producing this experience. Sometimes this observation alone leads to a sharp weakening of the state — even to the point where the drama disappears, as it becomes obvious that no single “sufferer” can be found.
It is also important not to forget the physiological level. Working with the psyche inevitably loads the nervous system and the body. Regular physical activity, sufficient water intake, and basic hygiene after intensive work all reduce overall tension. Supporting the body with balanced nutrition and reasonable intake of vitamins and fatty acids can be useful — but without fanaticism and without turning it into a separate cult. The goal here is simple: do not ignore the body while working only with the “mind.”
Responsibility for the process lies with you. Sometimes the rollbacks can indeed be intense and subjectively heavy. That is true — I still remember some of my own pendulums with a shudder. If you understand that you are not ready to face such states, it makes sense to acknowledge this honestly and not continue. No one is forcing you to engage in the practices described here. But if you choose to use them, it is important to understand the possible consequences and accept them as part of the chosen path. This is not about constant suffering, but about the willingness to go through temporary periods of destabilization if they arise. That is the price to be paid for results.
And once again: the content of a pendulum cannot be trusted. The experiences that arise in this state are not a reliable basis for conclusions about yourself, the world, or the effectiveness of the work. This is a temporary activation of old mental patterns. Conclusions and decisions should only be made after the state has passed and a more stable perception has been restored.
6. What to Expect Overall (Perspective)
First, pendulums do not occur for everyone, and not always in a severe form. There are people who work actively on themselves and encounter little to no pronounced backlash. The exact reasons for this difference are unknown, but there are grounds to assume that features of emotional regulation and the type of cognitive load play a role.
Second, with systematic work, the overall level of internal noise decreases, breathing becomes freer, and pendulums become less frequent and less intense. Over time, more subtle and complex forms of rollback may appear, but by that point the level of awareness is usually sufficient not to mistake them for truth. Sometimes a paradoxical feeling even arises, as if “nothing is happening anymore,” simply because the sharp pendulums disappear.
It is also important to note the following. The initial stage of work significantly reduces both the likelihood and intensity of pendulums later on. Processing emotional polarities and basic reactions makes the system more stable. Therefore, going through the first stage superficially may end up costing more later, when more intensive work with automatic processes begins.
And finally. There is no guarantee that you will experience severe pendulums. Everything here is individual and strongly depends on pace. The higher the speed of change, the higher the risk of temporary destabilization. Each person weighs their willingness to tolerate temporary discomfort against the desire to achieve a more stable internal state — and makes their own decision.
One of the purposes of this chapter is to filter out those who are not ready for this kind of work. This is not a judgment or condemnation, but simply a statement of fact. For those who are ready but have doubts after reading about the potential difficulties, it is worth recalling Strugatsky’s idea of a road that is easy to leave out of fear — and then spend a long time wandering along detours.
No rollback can break a person who has made a conscious decision to go all the way. Patience and willpower do not perform miracles — they simply allow the process to reach completion.
And one final important reminder.