Working with Patterns and Loops (Shadow Work: Step 3)

Repeating patterns are clear signals of where growth is calling. Patterns and loops are not random accidents—they are signposts pointing back to unconscious beliefs that are still shaping how you engage with the world. By noticing these cycles, you gain the opportunity to disrupt them and choose differently.

How Patterns and Loops Form

In Step 1 of shadow work, we explored working with feelings. In Step 2, we traced those feelings back to underlying beliefs. Step 3 builds on this by recognizing how those beliefs play out in recurring patterns and loops. These loops happen at the Individual Automatic Mind level of the Levels of Consciousness—level 6—and they often run on autopilot until we bring awareness to them.

For example, someone might hold the unconscious belief that they are unlovable. That belief can shape behaviors that push others away, unintentionally reinforcing the very thing they fear. Over time, this creates a cycle: the belief feeds the behavior, which validates the belief, and the loop repeats.

The Pygmalion Effect

This dynamic is an expression of the Pygmalion effect—the self-fulfilling prophecy. What we believe tends to manifest in our reality, whether those beliefs are supportive or limiting. If the belief is rooted in fear, the loop will likely work against us. If it is grounded in love, the loop can create alignment and momentum.

This is where polarity matters. You have the ability to choose your polarity—whether you will interpret your experiences through a negative, constricted, fear-based lens or through a positive, unhindered, love-based perspective (using Elevated Thought terms). The same loop can either hold you back or propel you forward, depending on which polarity you choose.

The Cost of Negative Loops

When limiting beliefs remain unchecked, the loops they create often manifest as painful patterns in relationships, work, or self-image. For instance, someone who believes “I have to earn love” may consistently overextend themselves in relationships—doing all the work while others fail to show up in return. The underlying belief creates a dynamic where they feel undervalued, yet the pattern keeps repeating.

These experiences hurt, but they are not inevitable. They are the product of beliefs that can be brought into awareness, examined, and shifted. Once you see the loop, you can begin to step out of it and choose new ways of showing up.

Shifting Patterns Through Awareness

Awareness is what transforms loops from unconscious repetition into opportunities for growth. The moment you recognize that a belief is at the root of a recurring theme, you create the possibility of choice. Instead of playing out the same old script, you can pause, realign, and begin writing a new one.

This is where shadow work shifts from wounding to empowerment. Seeing the loop doesn’t make it vanish overnight, but it interrupts its automatic hold. Each time you respond differently, even in small ways, you reinforce a new pathway. This connects back to the truth that your reality reveals your alignment—what you believe shapes what shows up. When you shift the belief, the loop loses its hold and new possibilities open.

Moving Toward Realignment

Recognizing patterns and loops is about reclaiming your power and opening space for change. Once you identify the beliefs driving your loops, you can prepare for the next stage of shadow work: realignment and integration. This is where the work becomes transformative, as you anchor new, life-giving beliefs into your lived experience.

Awareness is the first disruption of the loop. From there, every choice you make with intention becomes an act of breaking free.

Actionable Insights

• Notice where loops appear. What situations in your life seem to repeat themselves with different people or in different forms?
• Identify the underlying belief. Ask yourself: What belief might be fueling this pattern?
• Reflect on polarity. Are you interpreting this pattern through a constricted, fear-based lens or an unhindered, love-based one?
• Imagine a new loop. If you chose a different belief, what new cycle might begin to take shape?