Are your circling back through the same issues again and again?

It’s quite common for people to experience the same types of reactions and pain again and again. The question I would pose to you is what type of circling back are you doing? One type of circling is productive for healing and the other kind happens when we are stuck. Let’s explore the difference.

Productive circling invites new awareness every time we experience a particular trigger. The layers of our wounds are getting slowly pealed away and we are seeing ourselves through new light, albeit not overtly different each time around. This type of circling can be frustrating to our partners and close friends because we seem to be talking about the same thing again. However, if it feels different to you and if you feel hopeful about the new discoveries you are making then it’s likely a positive type of circling, even though there may be a part of your mind that doubts your progress or wishes things would move along faster.

The other type of circling, the more destructive one, happens when the same kind of triggers set us off and we don’t learn from those experiences. When we don’t integrate any learning from a difficult circumstance it will repeat, sometimes under the guise of a slightly different scenario.

I find that mental awareness is helpful but not always sufficient to prevent a trigger the next time it circles around. If I understand how my life experience led me to this set of circumstances, it can give me perspective but not necessarily change my reaction. The wound is still held in the body and it will still be triggered.

When we are able to access the pain that lies under the emotional triggers in our bodies, it creates an opportunity to nurture ourselves directly in the primary wound. I have found the most profound life shifts from this type of embodied healing.

Have you had similar experiences? Do you know the power of healing your life this way?