I'm interested in what is the mechanism that explains the recurrence or looping of thoughts within a person's mind. Unless very strongly distracted, such thoughts can creep up back or mutate slightly while maintaining the same overall theme - action is required.
From my understanding both positive and negative thoughts can loop, although thoughts with the themes of fear, anxiety, compulsion or desire can be more disturbing when looping.
What is the mechanism behind looping or recurring thoughts? In particular I'm interested if such thoughts are chemically induced through a release of some kind of neuromodulator (like fight or flight response is based on Adrenaline).
A few examples, where rational thought is used to counter irrational fear or anxiety thought:
- Did I forget to do X?
- I really have to go to Y, but what if I did not do X?
- [Imagination a horrible scenario when X is not done]
- I better go check on X.
- Check on X reassures the person, resulting in no new thoughts creeping in.
What interests me is what happens when the person either cannot go and check or will incur significant cost for doing so (ex: being late to work) or will try to resist the urge to check. In this case recurring thoughts can eventually reemerge and start to invade one's awareness:
- Did I forget to turn the stove off?
- I really have to go to work.
- But the house can burn down
- I believe that nothing bad will come out of it
- You can't know that
- The stove has a pilot light - gas will just keep burning
- But the cat can jump on a stove and get burnt
- Cat is smarter than that
- But the house can burn down
- You can become homeless
- Do you have fire insurance?
- [Repeat/mutate]