Working with Loops
“A loop isn’t broken by force, but by awareness.”
Breaking Free from Attention Traps
Have you ever noticed your mind replaying the same scene, argument, or worry over and over — as if hitting “repeat” on a broken record? That’s a loop.
Loops are patterns where belief, attention, and conviction keep cycling without resolution. They burn energy, consume attention, and reinforce themselves, often without you realizing it.
Why Loops Matter
Psychological level: Loops show up as shame spirals, guilt trips, and fears replayed endlessly. They feel sticky, because conviction is locked in.
Systemic level: Loops reinforce the very beliefs that created them, turning probability toward the same outcomes again and again.
Nondual level: From awareness itself, loops are simply movements of thought — rising and falling like waves. Debugging means seeing they never defined you.
Loop Indicators
Here are some signs you’re caught in a loop — spending attention without progress:
Replaying the same memory or mistake, expecting a different ending.
Arguing with someone in your head long after the conversation ended.
Fantasizing about future disasters or fantasies, without changing anything in reality.
Emotional spirals that repeat: “I’m broken,” “I ruined it,” “They’ll leave me.”
Knowing you’ve “thought about this already,” but circling back anyway.
The moment you recognize “ah, this is a loop,” you’ve already created space for choice.
Practice 1 – Loop Interrupt
Loops thrive on unconscious repetition. The first debug is simply naming them.
Exercise:
When you catch a loop, pause and say (out loud if possible): “This is a loop.”
Notice how the recognition itself creates a gap.
In that gap, redirect attention — even briefly — to something neutral (breath, sound, sensation, or simply presence).
It may come back. That’s okay. Each recognition weakens its grip.
Practice 2 – Trace the Hidden Belief
Every loop has a belief fueling it. The loop is the symptom; the belief is the code.
Exercise:
Take a recurring loop (e.g., worrying about being rejected).
Ask: “If this loop had a core belief underneath, what would it be?”
Shame loops → “I am broken.”
Guilt loops → “I ruined everything.”
Fear loops → “If I risk this, I’ll be abandoned.”
Write down the belief in clear words.
Debug it with the tools you’ve already learned (scaling, inquiry, resonance check).
Practice 3 – Widen Awareness
Loops pull attention into a tunnel. One way out is to widen the frame.
Exercise:
When caught in a loop, pause.
Instead of fighting the thought, notice: What else is here right now?
Expand awareness to include the space around you, the sounds in the room, or the simple fact of being aware.
Let the loop be one small ripple in a much wider field.
The wider the view, the less convincing the loop feels.
Practice 4 – Attention Reinvestment
A loop is wasted attention — unless you redirect it.
Exercise:
After naming and tracing the loop, ask: “If I weren’t in this loop, where would I want my attention to go?”
Choose something concrete: a creative project, a conversation, rest, or even just enjoying the present moment.
Reinvest attention deliberately, as if moving money from a bad investment into something nourishing.
This reframes debugging not as loss, but as reclaiming energy.
Reflection
Loops are not enemies. They are signals pointing to beliefs that want debugging. Each time you recognize a loop, name it, and redirect attention, you reclaim sovereignty.
Questions to journal on:
Which loops visit me most often?
What belief seems to fuel them?
What happens when I name a loop instead of following it?
Where would I rather invest my attention?
With loops, the key is compassion. You don’t need to “beat” them — you only need to see them clearly, and the cycle begins to dissolve.