What does it mean: “we have loops inside us”?
A “loop” is a repeating cycle:
👉 thought → emotion → body reaction → thought again
And this cycle starts to feed itself and grow stronger.
Simple example (anxiety)
Thought:
“Something is wrong…”
Body:
Heart beats faster, breathing becomes shallow
Emotion:
Anxiety increases
New thought:
“I’m getting worse”
👉 The loop closes and reinforces itself.
Why does it get stronger?
Because the brain and body are constantly “reading” each other:
the body sends signals → the brain interprets them
the brain sends signals → the body reacts
👉 This is called a positive feedback loop
(the cycle increases instead of calming down)
Other examples of loops
1. Anger
Thought: “They don’t respect me”
Body: tension, clenched jaw
Emotion: anger grows
Behavior: harsh tone
👉 This increases conflict → confirms the thought
2. Frustration
Thought: “Nothing is working”
Body: fatigue, heaviness
Emotion: helplessness
👉 Less action → more frustration
3. Trauma
Trigger: sound, face, situation
Body: danger response (as if it’s happening now)
Emotion: fear
Thought: “I’m not safe”
👉 Even when there is no real danger
Important point
👉 These loops are often unconscious
A person may think:
“This is just who I am”
But in reality:
👉 it’s an automatic cycle
Why this is key in therapy
Because:
👉 if you break even one part of the loop — the whole cycle weakens
Where we can intervene
Thoughts → reframing (CBT)
Body → breathing, relaxation, movement
Attention → shifting focus, grounding
Behavior → choosing a different response
Most powerful approach
Working through the body:
👉 because the body is faster than thoughts
If you:
slow your breathing
relax your muscles
👉 the brain receives the message: “I am safe”
And the loop begins to break.
Connection to your dream
In your dream:
feeling → tension
tension → tone
tone → stronger emotion
👉 It’s the same loop, just expressed symbolically
Bottom line
Loops are:
👉 not a personality flaw
👉 but automatic regulation cycles
And the good news:
👉 they can be changed
