[Phaedrus49er]

When it comes to these two words in the athletic/fitness world, the first (and usually only) associations are physical, repairing the injury, rehabilitating the body (not just the injury since the entire body suffers from long-term diminished workloads), and getting the go-ahead from the doctor(s) to resume normal activities. However, how much time and effort is put into healing the mental aspect of injury? In light of my own recent injury, I feel like I will likely be wary (and perhaps even scared) of re-injury long after I've physically recovered, which of course will mean I won't capitalize on some time I could use toward improving beyond my current "normal."

I guess I'm wondering what you yourself have done or suggested to others as a means of getting past that fear of re-injury, trusting the doctor's opinion, and going full-throttle again. For me, I might be able to go all-out on a doctor's okay, but in the back of my mind, I'll be more afraid of my wonderful vasovagal response to self-injury than of the injury itself