Josh TrentIdentity Transformation Architect and award winning Host of the Wellness + Wisdom Podcast—a decade-strong show with over 750 episodes and 15M downloads.

Your Brain Is Addicted To The Drama

13 Feb 2026 · 0 min

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In this excerpt from Josh Trent’s YouTube video, the host and a guest explain how chaotic, drama‑filled relationships can become addictive through a neurochemical loop. They describe a three‑stage hormonal cocktail: intense dopamine spikes during dramatic, high‑arousal moments; a cortisol surge during conflict; and a flood of oxytocin during the repair phase. Repeating this cycle creates a strong sense of bonding that feels familiar and “true love‑like,” even though it is rooted in trauma and unhealthy dynamics rather than genuine affection.

I really like this person, but there's no roller coaster, there's no charge.
In a trauma bond or in these more chaotic dynamics, it's really a hormonal cocktail that's kind of anchoring it in because you get these really big dopamine spikes when you are engaging in the drama, and then it moves into the conflict cycle, and that's the cortisol spike, and then you move through that cycle into repair, and then you get this flood of oxytocin. Imagine repeating that cycle over and over and over in a really dramatic relationship. That really creates a sense of bonding. We've been through things together. It's not necessarily healthy or true love, but it is familiar.