Two Systems, One Person
Change begins at the cognitive level: a new perspective, a different framework, a decision that becomes clear. But sometimes this change doesn’t translate to the body. The phrase “I understand, but I can’t do it” captures exactly this.
The knowledge-behavior gap we discussed in a previous article is the source of this disconnect. And this gap is largely bridged at the physical level.
The integration of coaching and somatic awareness is therefore grounded not merely in the desire to be “more holistic,” but in a neuroscientific rationale regarding the mechanisms through which change operates.
The System Through Which Coaching Works
Traditional coaching is largely top-down—mediated by language and cognition. Questions are asked, assumptions are brought to the surface, perspectives are broadened, and commitments are established. This system is prefrontal cortex-heavy: planning, evaluation, and meaning-making.
This is effective. But the prefrontal cortex is not the only decision-making system. Damasio’s research on somatic markers demonstrates the essential contribution of bodily signals to the decision-making process. When the analytical decision-making system operates in isolation—without incorporating emotion and the body—it leads to lower-quality decisions.
The Contribution of Somatic Awareness
Somatic awareness adds a bottom-up entry point to the coaching process—access to implicit memory, bodily learning, and the interoceptive system.
Practical example: The question “What do you feel when thinking about this career decision?” can only elicit a cognitive response. The question “What is happening in your body when you think about this career decision?” activates the interoceptive system. The second question often uncovers information that the first cannot access—a tightening in the stomach, a sense of expansion in the chest, or a sudden heaviness in the shoulders.
These bodily signals provide additional data points for the decision-making process. Damasio’s somatic marker hypothesis shows that this data is just as critical to decision quality as cognitive evaluation.
The Persistence of Change
Research explains why cognitive change sometimes remains superficial: the implicit memory system is not affected by cognitive processing. In other words, even if thoughts change, the bodily pattern may remain the same.
Peter Levine’s work on somatic experiencing and Thomas Hanna’s sensorimotor research both reach the same conclusion on this point: lasting change must also occur at the bodily level. Cognitive awareness is necessary but not sufficient.
When somatic awareness is incorporated into coaching, change is processed at both the cognitive and bodily levels. This makes the change more lasting.
Cevvela’s Approach
Cevvela’s coaching practice concretely applies this integration. In every session, bodily signals are systematically incorporated into the inquiry. “What happened in your body as you said that?”—this is a routine coaching question.
This is not somatic therapy. It is not a clinical intervention. It is an integration that incorporates bodily data into the coaching process—and the neuroscientific rationale for this integration is strong.
“Coaching changes the mind. When the body is included, the change goes much deeper.” > Adapted from research on embodied cognition
Cevvela’s Perspective
- Coaching operates top-down (cognition, language, meaning), while somatic awareness operates bottom-up (implicit memory, interoception)—the two are complementary.
- Cognitive change may not reach the implicit memory system; working at the bodily level bridges this gap (Levine; Hanna).
- Damasio’s research on somatic markers shows that incorporating bodily data into the decision-making process is just as critical as cognitive evaluation.
- The question “What’s happening in your body?” activates the interoceptive system, reaching beyond cognitive access.
- Cevvela applies this integration not as a clinical intervention, but as development-focused coaching supported by somatic awareness.
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