Did Barry actually lose his powers?

Question

In the latest episode of The Flash, Barry Allen goes up against Farooq/Blackout.

In their initial meeting, Farooq drains Barry's speed force almost completely. So, naturally the answer is to give him an electric shock to return the connection...............Anyway, as is revealed, Barry actually gets his powers back, but ends up doubting himself (again) so much that he gives himself the yips. Suddenly Dr. Wells is placed in danger and the yips go away. However, Farooq manages to drain Barry's connection again but overdoes it, but it's different this time because Barry somehow retains his Speed Force connection this time. So the question is, when he initially got the connection drained...

Did he actually lose his powers, or was it all in his head?

How was he able to keep the connection active the second time?

Answer 1

He probably did for a brief moment, but when it came down to using them again he had the "yips."

It's kind of like if you were to suffer a sprang. In the time it takes before you can get up, you've "lost" the ability to walk/run/jump/etc. When you've finally gotten back on your feet, it will hurt and you'll likely limp (I always do). That's when the "yips" starts developing.

Answer 2

Yes, he lost his powers. When attacked for the second time (when Blackout comes to STAR Labs), Barry was injured and did not heal quickly. Later in the episode, his yips affected his ability to move quickly, but he doesn't have any control over the speed healing, so we would expect that to keep working if he actually had his powers.

After they jolted Barry with electricity, Caitlin did a test, and found his cells were regenerating quickly. At that point, his powers had returned, and the yips were all that stood between him and superspeed.