yes, there are people who say that years later they are still struggling with "this or that" withdrawal symptom. however, we don't really know what the cause and/or triggers are for those symptoms. we really don't. withdrawal is real but to worry about the future - something that hasn't happened - can hamper progress. it certainly hampers mine when i start "what iff'ing"
no doubt withdrawal makes us more sensitive to triggers that lead to anxiety. however, once anxiety has triggered its easy for it to become a habit - anxious about being anxious. that part is ours. we own it. anxiety as a condition can be long term or short term - whether or not someone has been on a psychoactive drug or not. its estimated that 40 million americans suffer from anxiety (i read that today if i can remember where i will post the link) most have never been on any prescription drug. how we deal with it is the same.
you said a couple things:
"This is what I'm worried about, though: You said your sleep was affected by the withdrawal, and it didn't return to normal. That is what worries me most. I don't want the Cymbalta to have broken that part of my brain, so to speak. That's what all my fears have centered on the past few months."
worry is anxiety. what does your therapist teach you to work on that? try not to focus on whether it is cymbalta that broke your brain. my belief is that my withdrawal is over and the anxiety is mine. cymbalta did no permanent damage to my brain. during withdrawal the levels of neurotransmitters are fluctuating which can create a vulnerability but it was my own negative irrational thinking that pulled the original trigger- therapy has helped me recognize those triggering thought processes and that is what i work on. its not brain damage that sets off my anxiety - it is me worrying about things i cannot control - fear of the unknown.
you are right, i mentioned that my sleep was affected. is it the withdrawal or the anxiety? its the anxiety. and my sleep hasn't returned to normal yet. will it? i don't know but its getting better. i also recognize that when i went on anti-D's i was 36. i went on cymbalta at age 44. i quit when i was 54. that is 18 years on ant-D's… but in 18 years many people develop insomnia or difficulty sleeping with out EVER having been on any drug. its common as people get older. so for all i know - that's why i don't sleep as well anymore. what is important to me is to work on controlling my anxiety instead of playing wack a mole with each symptom. controlling the anxiety comes from the help i get from my therapist. for me it means changing expectations. there are no "must's" "should's" or "have to's". things are what they are and I can only change myself. no it isn't easy - not for me not for anyone. its not even hard. its REALLY hard. but we can and do get better!
keep in mind that anxiety is caused by thoughts. the fight or flight system is triggered by a thought - "a bear is charging and is going to eat me" that thought sends the adrenaline and cortisol in motion, increases breathing rate, and heart beat and starts up the many other physical processes. that's so that we can fight or flee. thats how the system was designed. its a physical process that starts with a thought.
as i've mentioned, its not about fully coming out of the anxiety - its about learning to control the anxiety. i know you realize there is no magic bullet and that it takes a lot of work - and that you like your therapist! that's gold! since you recognize that it takes work - that's what you focus on. the words you tell yourself point the way to your recovery.