Repetition is a term used in the psychoanalytic paradigm. It is a psychological phenomenon in which a person repeats an event, such as a trauma or educational process, or his circumstances over and over. This includes re-enacting the event or placing yourself in situations where the event is likely to occur again.
This “revival” can also take the form of dreams in which memories and feelings of what happened are repeated, and even hallucinated. Repetitive compulsion can also be used to cover the repetition of behaviors or life patterns: a “key component in Freud’s understanding of mental life, ‘repetition compulsion’ … describes the pattern by which people endlessly repeat behavioral patterns that were difficult or disturbing in earlier life. “.
Repetitive compulsion serves as a resistance to therapeutic change as the goal of therapy is not to repeat, but to remember the trauma.
Examples in everyday life where you feel resentful because the same thing is repeated over and over again may include the following:
- Maybe you struggle to say no to people and constantly find yourself in that position to do it but do not do it. It may come from your parents who would overreact when you express your needs or own opinions and find your voice.
- You always sit on the roof with the bill after you have gone out to eat with friends, which comes from a need to become self-sufficient or to take care of others as you wanted to be cared for, or even perhaps to try to be in control .
- Or maybe others fight easily with you, who may come from a place where you yourself are not yet convinced of your ‘No’.
- There are millions of other examples.
Why is this significant for moms? Because the sooner you become aware of your patterns, the sooner you can move forward and spend you energy on more important matters life having fun with your kids or engaging in major self care.