Repeating Relationship Patterns
Do you feel like you keep getting into the same types of relationships over and over again? Do you find yourself attracted to the same type of person, or always ending up in the same type of argument? If so, then you may be experiencing what is known as a repeating relationship pattern. This can be very frustrating, but fortunately, there are ways to identify and break the cycle. In this blog post, we will discuss what repeating relationship patterns are, and what causes them to occur.
A repeating relationship pattern is a set of feelings, behaviors, and communication patterns that are repeated in relationships. These patterns can be positive or negative. Often they are repeated patterns from childhood that form how we view relationships and what we are comfortable with. They can involve anything from the way you communicate with your partner, to the way you handle conflict, to the way you express love. These patterns are repeated in relationships without us noticing it at the time.
Repeating relationship patterns often happen because we are attracted to people who remind us of ourselves, or of people from our past. These patterns can be helpful if they are positive and help us feel safe and loved. However, if they are negative, they can hold us back and can cause a lot of stress and heartache. Our relationship patterns are often based on unconscious decisions about what feels familiar and "normal". For people who have experienced trauma in relationships like physical, emotional, or sexual abuse. Repeating patterns can be a way of repeating familiar patterns and can keep you feeling stuck and hopeless about relationships. If we don't become aware of relationship patterns we often repeat similar patterns that end up being unhealthy in future relationships. Many people end up blaming themselves for the relationship ending when they were really just repeating a relationship pattern that has not been fully addressed.
Whether or not you are in a relationship, if you find yourself in a repeating pattern that is not serving you, it is possible to break the cycle. The first step is to become aware of the patterns that you tend to repeat. Once you are aware of them, you can begin to make different choices in your relationships. You can choose to respond differently to conflict, or express yourself in ways you haven't before. Therapy can help you gain insights into your own patterns and learn new skills for breaking the cycle. Often the relationship patterns are well ingrained and they are difficult to navigate change alone. The support of a therapist is often needed to provide support through the process.
Therapy is a great way to commit to working on yourself. Often changes don't happen overnight, especially since relationship patterns have been repeated for a long time. But, with commitment and consistency, you can break the cycle of unhealthy relationship patterns. You don't have to keep repeating the same type of relationship and getting the same result. Change is possible with time and effort.
If you are interested in learning more about how to break unhealthy relationship patterns, contact me today for a free consultation. Together we can explore what might be getting in the way of having the relationships you really want.
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