Thought Loops: How Psychedelics Put the Brain on Repeat
“Thought loops” are repetitive and intrusive thoughts or actions and are a normal part of using psychoactive drugs. Like the effects of a drug, they are temporary.
Thought loops are a chain of thoughts or emotions that repeat without conscious control.
For example: entering a room, forgetting why you came, leaving and reentering the room, and forgetting why you came again. This cycle can continue for minutes or hours.
They can be funny or frustrating, but with the right mindset, they need not derail a journey.
A few other concepts intimately related to thought loops are intrusive thoughts and rumination.
“Intrusive thoughts,” refer to sudden unwanted thoughts, are also common and considered a normal part of life. An example of this is the visualization of jumping over a balcony as you walk past. It’s a disturbing idea that you would never act on, but the thought enters the mind nonetheless.
“Rumination” also relates to thought loops. It’s a repetitive focus on our problems or potential problems.
When we take psychoactive substances, the mind can react in ways we are not used to. This might be an “amplification” of feelings and thoughts. Some theories suggest looping thoughts are caused by lapses in memory.
If short-term memory becomes suppressed, we may become trapped in a continuous loop of the same thought or action, unable to move forward or break the cycle with new ideas.
Anyone entering altered states should prepare to navigate big changes to their everyday thoughts.
In this article, we explore thought loops, what they are, where they might come from, and how to stop them.
Echo Chamber: What Do Thought Loops Feel Like?
Most of us have had the experience of getting a song stuck in our heads and repeating it over and over.
Also known as “earworms,” these happen to 89% of people at least once per week. Just like earworms, thought loops can range from minor background noise to extremely distracting or annoying.
Thought loops can feel frustrating, confusing, and even disorienting. Many people report feeling trapped in their own heads or disconnected from their bodies or the environment around them.
Fear and anxiety are common when the loops are centered around intrusive thoughts, fears, regrets, or unresolved issues. These thoughts can bring up intense emotions that can be exhausting if they persist for more than a few minutes.
Another way to understand thought loops is by looking at obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
People with OCD repeat the same actions without ever getting satisfaction from them — think washing your hands, but once they are clean, you feel a compulsion to do it again.
Just like OCD, loops associated with psychoactive drugs can involve an action as well.
What Causes Thought Loops?
The true cause of thought loops is unclear — but there are a few theories.
Some experts point to genetic and environmental factors, but most research revolves around the serotonin system and the search for new treatments for OCD. SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are sometimes effective.
There’s also a link between intrusive thoughts, rumination, obsessive thinking, and PTSD. These thoughts can further activate someone and make life difficult. Sometimes, the thoughts are about a traumatic event, other times; it’s less clear.
A neat explanation of mechanisms isn’t clear, but there are some clues. For example, many psychoactive drugs interact with the serotonin system and connections between OCD, dopamine, and glutamate. Drugs like tryptamine or phenethylamine psychedelics, ketamine, and marijuana all cause dramatic shifts in these systems that could contribute to thought loops.
Overall, the science behind drug-induced thought loops isn’t well explored, so it’s tough to draw a clear line to the concepts we’ll cover in a moment. These types of thoughts have links to various conditions like depression, anxiety, memory loss, PTSD, schizophrenia, psychosis, and others.
The underlying causes of thought loops, their causes, and how drugs affect them are complex a topic deserving of study. It seems there may even be several different types of “loops.”
Here are some concepts that may one day shed light on thought loops:
1. Intrusive Thoughts
Everyone encounters strange or unwelcome thoughts. They can be a minor annoyance or a symptom of anxiety or OCD. Most people on Earth experience intrusive thoughts weekly — often daily.
Intrusive thoughts may serve a similar function as dreams — to allow our minds to consolidate ideas and fears, allowing preparation for negative or harmful events without them actually happening. They may also be caused by unconscious fears and anxieties manifesting themselves in conscious thought.
Intrusive thoughts become problematic when they’re involved with delusions (holding on to beliefs that are not based on reality and are resistant to contradictory evidence).
Delusional intrusive thoughts might signal schizophrenia or other mental health problems. Having delusional thoughts while under the influence of substances is fairly common, however.
2. Rumination
Rumination is associated with repetitive thoughts focused on causes of distress or hypothetical unpleasant outcomes. This type of thinking has been linked with depression. They typically involve dwelling on negative experiences or feelings without leading to solutions or positive outcomes.
Drug-induced thought loops are also repetitive but not necessarily focused on distress.
Interestingly, researchers have pointed to psychedelics as a way to break free from rumination. Some studies suggest a suppression of the brain's default mode network (DMN) plays a key role in this effect.
3. Obsessive Thoughts
Similar to intrusive thoughts, but more persistent and difficult to shake. Thought loops from psychoactive drugs may mimic the compulsive thoughts and actions seeking to soothe the distress of compulsive thoughts.
These thoughts will fade along with the effects of a drug.
4. Short-Term Memory
Some sources suggest thought loops are caused by “lapses in short-term memory,” but this isn’t confirmed by any data.
Considering the common loop of checking your phone, forgetting why you checked, and repeating, the role of memory is something to consider. This could also explain why some drugs are more prone to causing thought loops than others. Drugs like benzodiazepines and marijuana have a higher likelihood than other substances to induce repetitive thoughts.
What Drugs Cause Thought Loops?
Most of us have experienced something similar to thought loops. In fact, before assuming you are developing schizophrenia or OCD, consider that thoughts exist on a spectrum that fluctuates. For example, most of us will fall in love, have a disagreement, or drive towards a goal. These moments of focusing intensely on a single thing are a normal part of life.
When we involve substances, the intensity can get turned up. Drinking too much coffee can give people panic attacks, and heavy alcohol intoxication can fixate people on unprocessed emotions or issues in their lives. As one might expect, there are reports across many classes of drugs, both recreational and pharmaceutical, causing thought loops.
1. Psychedelics
Substances like LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), psilocybin (magic mushrooms), MDMA, mescaline, DMT, ketamine, and many others are famous for their ability to induce thought loops.
Psychedelic chain-thinking usually doesn’t last a whole trip — rather, it tends to come in bursts (although, with time dilation, it can seem like a big deal).
Remember, thought loops are extremely common on psychedelics, so stay calm, find a safe space, and know it will pass.
2. Stimulants
Cocaine, methamphetamine, Ritalin, and related stimulant analogs are notorious for looping, obsessive thoughts, particularly with chronic use. When going through withdrawal, intrusive and looping thoughts are normal side effects — although, in rare cases, they may require treatment.
3. Cannabis
Marijuana, particularly high doses of edibles, can create looping thoughts. Think “greening out” or panic attacks (racing heartbeat, sweating, dizziness, nausea, sense of doom).
Like a psychedelic experience, finding a calm space and understanding it will pass is key.
4. Prescription Medications
Drugs for epilepsy, anti-psychotics, hypnotics, lithium, amphetamines (like Adderall or Vyvanse), and others can also create “OCD-like symptoms,” which include thought loops.
Sometimes, these symptoms can take up to a month to emerge and will usually subside by discontinuing the drug.
In rare cases, OCD-type symptoms develop after discontinuing prescription drug use.
How to Stop Thought Loops
Interrupting a loop is possible. The most important step is to stay calm and be patient. Becoming frustrated or angry might increase anxiety and feed the loop.
Taking substances to try and alleviate thought loops isn’t recommended. Some people may smoke cannabis or tobacco and have a drink to relax, but adding more substances to the mix risks further spiraling.
Here are some methods to interrupt thought loops:
1. Take Deep Breaths
The go-to navigation tool for when things get weird. Deep breaths into the belly calm the nervous system and redirect attention to the present moment.
2. Reassure Yourself
Simply remind yourself you took a drug, and these are normal, temporary effects. Don’t underestimate the calming power of simply acknowledging what’s happening is completely normal.
3. Redirect Your Attention
Place your attention on something outside of yourself. External stimuli can both trigger and distract from intrusive thoughts. If it feels right, physical touch with another person or a pet often works.
4. Try a New Activity
Put on a movie to occupy yourself, create art, play music, go for a walk, or stretch. Shifting your internal state and external situation gives your mind new material to work with.
5. Change up the Environment
Try moving into a new space or changing up the music. We are extremely sensitive to psychoactive compounds, and something as simple as changing a song or going outside can have a big impact.
6. Talk to Someone
If you have a trip sitter or friend with you, tell them what is happening. They can ask you questions or reassure you that what is happening is normal. If you’re tripping alone, call Fireside to talk to someone.
7. Surrender
We get it; easier said than done, but letting go of needing the experience to go a certain way can release stress and make space for the unexpected.
Further Reading
Rising Tides of Hopelessness: The Emergence of Doomer Culture 🌋
"Euphoric Nothingness:" The Dichotomy of Dissociation & Healing
Help Us Grow 🌱
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