Returning From Injury Psychology

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Session Notes The Sparkplug
Addressing:

Setback Spiral

The psychological devastation when a minor setback during return-to-play triggers catastrophic thinking. One bad session becomes evidence that you'll never recover, sending you into anxiety spirals that compound the original problem. ---

How The Sparkplug Can Break the Setback Spiral in Returning From Injury

Posted on December 13, 2025 ~ min read
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For: The Sparkplug athletes in Returning From Injury
Focus: Session Notes - Setback Spiral
Read Time: ~9 min
Session Notes December 13, 2025
Profile: The Sparkplug
Sport: Returning From Injury
Challenge: Setback Spiral

In returning from injury, setback spiral is the psychological cascade where a single difficult session triggers catastrophic thinking about your entire recovery. You miss one target in rehab. Pain flares during a routine drill. Suddenly your mind races: I'm never getting back. This injury is permanent. Everything I've worked for is gone.

The Sparkplug iconThe Sparkplug (ESRC) athletes are especially vulnerable because their reactive processing style means they feel setbacks intensely and immediately. Where tactical athletes might analyze a bad session objectively, you experience it as a body-level alarm. Your nervous system screams danger before your rational mind can intervene.

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Vladimir Novkov

M.A. Social Psychology | ISSA Elite Trainer | Expert in Sport Psychology for Athlete Development

My mission is to bridge the gap between mind and body, helping athletes and performers achieve a state of synergy where peak performance becomes a natural outcome of who they are.

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