What is the repetition compulsion?

The "repetition compulsion" is a psychological phenomenon where individuals unconsciously repeat patterns of behavior or find themselves in similar traumatic situations as an attempt to resolve their past problems or traumas. Andrew Huberman explains that this compulsion is like running the same experiment again and again in an effort to solve an unresolved trauma. Instead of moving away from the trauma, people often reengage with similar situations or emotional states.

Key Aspects of Repetition Compulsion:

1. Trauma Reenactment: Individuals might place themselves in circumstances similar to past traumas, such as abusive relationships, in attempts to "solve" or make right what went wrong before.
2. Limbic Dominance Over Logic: The emotional part of the brain, the limbic system, often overrides logic, driving the repetition of traumatic scenarios regardless of chronological time. This is seen in continuous patterns, like entering into repeatedly abusive relationships.
3. Attempt to Rewire Past Experiences: By replicating situations that resemble past traumas, there's a subconscious hope that a different outcome will amend previous harms.

This compulsion is often seen in trauma survivors who have not fully processed their traumatic experiences, manifesting as persistently engaging in behaviors that might seem irrational to others but are emotionally driven from past experiences 1 2 3.