Why do some family conversations never move forward and just spin in guilt and blame?

Because the family is stuck in a Guilt Loop. Kris Kluver, in The Dysfunctional Family Office, calls this pairing The Martyr plus The Victim. One side trades guilt. The other side trades blame. Neither side takes ownership. Conversations stall because neither party can acknowledge their role in the dynamic. The Martyr brings up the sacrifice. The Victim points to what was done to them. Each invocation cancels out the possibility of progress. The family ends every difficult conversation in the same place it started. The fix requires breaking the loop on either side. The Martyr can stop framing past sacrifices as currency the family must repay. The Victim can identify, with help, one specific area where they will take ownership. Either move opens space the other can step into. Most Guilt Loops have run for decades and won't break without structured intervention.