I find sometimes that repeating something they said and then asking a pointed question will derail the repetitive brain loop they are stuck in. I think a lot of people have gotten so used to being ignored, dismissed,or have just failed at communicating something they want to say so often that they have fallen into a "rinse and repeat" pattern for everything in their lives. They need their own words sent back to them to indicate that you have heard their words. And then asking a relevant question indicates that you are actually thinking about what they have said.