When Your Ex Pops Back Into Your Brain
An unexpected return to rumination
It can be quite sudden.
One minute, you’re minding your own business, taking care of all the stuff you’ve got to do that day. The next, you’ve fallen back down into an abyss of emotional distress and rumination about a past relationship.
How can this be? You were doing just fine, right?
Many things can send a former relationship spiraling back into our brain. It could be that you returned to a location where you spent time with them, or from an experience that somehow reminds you of your time together.
For me, I made a trip back to Tucson, and the minute I stepped out into the crisp desert air I could feel something spinning back into my consciousness.
There she was again, just like the first day that we met. I could feel her presence — the sound of her voice, the feel of her lips against mine, and the arc of her smile.
Then another thought: Why didn’t it work out? What went wrong?
I thought I was done with this, but here I am ruminating again.
Why Does It Come Back?
A journey back into rumination can manifest in several different ways, like the dream of encountering our ex in a setting completely…
