Breaking Bad: How to Fight Back Against Repetitive Cycles
Understanding and conquering repetition compulsion.
Posted October 30, 2025 | Reviewed by Margaret Foley
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” These words, from 19th-century philosopher George Santayana (famously paraphrased by British prime minister Winston Churchill in reference to history), provide an entryway to understanding a confounding aspect of human behaviour, the tendency to seek out, re-create, and relive painful past experiences.
Also referred to as repetitive compulsion, compulsion to repeat, or trauma reenactment, repetition compulsion was described by Freud in Beyond the Pleasure Principle as an unconscious tendency of individuals to re-create and repeat painful traumatic experiences from early childhood . Adverse childhood experiences ( ACE s) include experiencing or witnessing physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse , neglect, family breakdown, and domestic violence .
In his 1998 publication , "A Helpful Way to Conceptualize and Understand Reenactments," Michael S. Levy, Ph.D., defines such reenactments as “a reflection that a patient is continuing to act in stuck and rigidified ways,” which “often lead to revictimization and related feelings of shame , helplessness, and hopelessness.”
In a 2021 New York Times interview , author and trauma researcher Bessel van der Kolk, M.D., described the nature of the compulsion to repeat as “instead of remembering something unpleasant, you keep reliving something very unpleasant," and that overcoming trauma is “to make it into a memory where your whole being knows this happened a long time ago, it’s not happening right now.”
The repetitive loop: How and why repetitive compulsion manifests
Chemistry, that undefinable sense of connection, is actually all about familiarity. Without much thought or awareness, most of us tend to be drawn into situations, settings, and relationships that feel, function, and play out in ways that are familiar to us.
When what is familiar is safe, authentic, and functional, all is well; but if we find ourselves in a threatening situation, our defense mechanisms kick in and we take steps to protect ourselves. However, when what feels familiar to an individual is traumatic, distressing, or chaotic, and causes repeated hurt and harm, such as recurring situations or relationship dynamics that relive past hurts, it keeps them stuck in cycles of suffering.
The repetitive loop can manifest in many ways, including emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, neglect in relationships, in workplaces, and social settings where an individual is overlooked, exploited, taken for granted, or devalued. Many individuals remain stuck in repeating negative patterns due to low self-worth and feelings of unworthiness and hopelessness, while some repeat past traumas in the hope of resolving or conquering their painful past.
In van der Kolk’s study "The Compulsion to Repeat the Trauma. Re-enactment, Revictimization, and Masochism," he advises that “gaining control over one’s current life, rather than repeating trauma in action, mood, or somatic states, is the goal of treatment.”
The classic film Groundhog Day depicts a frustrated weatherman trapped in an endless loop of a single day. Every morning, he wakes up in the same seedy hotel room, to the same song on the radio, at the dawn of the annual Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, Groundhog Day event. He is greeted with the same words by the townspeople and his crew. Eventually, he becomes aware of his circumstances, and with this awareness, he begins to work his way out.
In real life, as in this and so many classic redemption stories, awareness is always the first step to change. Awareness compels individuals to go beyond themselves to learn new skills and seek support and knowledge to facilitate change. Treatment is key to breaking free of repetitive compulsion, to healing, and growth.
It is important to realize that it is possible to break free of long-standing negative habits and choices, that we are more than our negative experiences and choices, and that there is life after trauma.
5 Steps to Breaking Free of Repetitive Compulsion
Recognize the recurring features of situations, settings, and relationships that cause you hurt and harm.
Build awareness of what draws you into situations and dynamics through compassionate self-reflection, without self-blame or shame. Knowledge and awareness are the starting points to change.
Take stock of the key features and turning points of your repeating patterns, including what aspects provide an initial sense of familiarity, safety, and security, and the negative thoughts, anxieties, fears, and self-limiting beliefs that come into play.
Think about the gap between the way you would like these scenarios to play out and the repeated realities. By defining the gap between where you are and what you truly want in life, you have established two key elements: where you are now, and your goal. With this understanding, you can move toward creating positive change.
Seek out resources to help you process your trauma and break free from, rather than remain stuck in, negative loops and repeating patterns. A mental health professional uses evidence-based treatments to help you recognize and break free of problematic and destructive patterns, provide the skill sets to challenge, reframe, and replace pervasive negative thoughts and self-limiting beliefs, and set goals in alignment with what you truly want for yourself.
To find a therapist, please visit the Psychology Today Therapy Directory.
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Monica Vermani, C. Psych., is a clinical psychologist specializing in the treatment of trauma, stress, mood and anxiety disorders, and the author of A Deeper Wellness .
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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.