• the coaching was inappropriate and was rightfully rejected, or
• the coaching only communicated with brain structures that handle new information

Cognitive coaching and interventions are unlikely to communicate with brain structures that mediate emotional, perceptual and somatic change. Systemic coaching can go somewhat deeper.

Psychobiological Change

A person can acknowledge and respond to logical questions and requests. You can check that a verbal message was received by observing the person's verbal responses.

A person can also respond to imagery, music, metaphors, movement and symbols. You can check that a nonverbal message was received by observing the person’s nonverbal responses.

The words conscious and unconscious seem to refer to which parts of the brain process the information. In most people, the left cerebral hemisphere is thought to dominates the processing of logic, reason, judgment and understanding, while the right hemisphere is believed to dominate the processing of images, metaphor and inferred communication.

Coaching the Left Cerebral Hemisphere

The left brain hemisphere stores and processes logical information. We coach people to define their goals and to explore the consequences of achieving those goals and the blocks to achieving them. Each person is actively and consciously involved with the cognitive details of their coaching.

Coaching the Right Cerebral Hemisphere

Research on alexithymia (people cannot express emotions and develop somatic symptoms - which may be similar to systemic identity loss) implicates the right brain as storing painful emotions. Systemic coaching can communicate with the right hemisphere using humor, metaphors, puns and symbols.

The work of Milton Erickson, MD, inspired us to develop a Hawaiian dreamtime ritual (moe uhane) into what we now call interactive metaphors. Interactive metaphors seem to simultaneously stimulate both cerebral hemispheres. A systemic coach can use interactive isomorphic metaphors to help people understand and integrate their emotional and cognitive responses to change emotional reactions.

What do you want?

Systemic coaching stimulates left and right brain activity simultaneously. While verbalizing goals, people unknowingly communicate objections by nonverbal incongruence. These objections can be recognized by trained coaches. Such incongruence is commonly observed between verbal language (left brain) and accompanying nonverbal language (right brain). (For example, you may think, "I understand", while shaking your head from side to side.)

A coach who can gently dissolves yes-no incongruence has a powerful tool for helping people find inner peace. Other common forms of incongruence are self-criticism, and responses beginning with "Yes, but...”. (Dissolving verbal and nonverbal objections is taught during our Systemic 2 training).

Coaching the Limbic System

Right brain and left brain communications are simultaneously processed through the limbic system, which associates thought with emotion. Emotional states generated by the limbic brain influence and can override the cognitive processes of the neo-cortex. The limbic brain can produce somatic sensations and psychosomatic symptoms.

Coaching at the limbic level helps people change emotional states. Examples include the uplifting effect of certain art or music on depressed people. When your limbic system is engaged, your physiology and emotions change. You may consider a problem differently as you listen to music, for example. This concept is utilized in many forms of hypnosis and meditation.

Coaching, Logic & Emotion

Your limbic brain is the source of your feelings of conviction. Paul MacLean, a neurobiology pioneer, said: "The limbic system, that primitive brain that can neither read nor write, provides us with the feeling of what is real, true and important.”

Our knowledge of the limbic brain helps us understand simultaneous incongruence between knowing (intellectually) that something is true, while feeling (emotionally) that it is not true. (This is especially common when thinking is influenced by identity loss and relationships bonds).

Logical arguments (mediated by the neocortex) rarely change emotional beliefs (mediated by the limbic system). Intuiting this, effective salespeople and politicians make emotional, rather than logical, appeals.

Your emotions are not normally subject to your neocortex. As your limbic system can operate without conscious logic, classical conditioning strategies such as those used by practitioners of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) can be used to access emotions, and to integrate or dissociate them.

By communicating with the limbic brain, we coach people change their perception of emotions, so that they can experience emotions as interesting body-mind communications. (Integrated brain function can have the effect that sales pitches, hypnotic language and political rhetoric lose much of their influence!)

Coaching the Amygdala

Your limbic brain also mediates music, speech intonation and metaphor. Coaching strategies that communicate directly with the limbic brain are interactive metaphors and symbolic integration. Your limbic brain responds emotionally to symbols, such as icons, mandalas and art. We can use symbols to coach the limbic brain.

Your amygdala is a part of your limbic system that associates emotions with symbols. Your amygdala receives information from your cortex, and integrates sensory information from both the external (objective) and internal (subjective) worlds, resulting in your experience of “reality”.

The amygdala has been called the heart of the limbic brain. If you remember the bitter taste and smell of lemon juice, what happens to your saliva flow? The amygdala responds as if imagined events were actually taking place.

This allows us to coach people to explore possible strategies for achieving worthwhile goals, and to reduce the emotional impact of trauma. People can learn from traumatic, phobic or abusive events without being overwhelmed by emotion, until the trauma, phobia or abuse can be peacefully evaluated.

Coaching & Synesthesia

A systemic coach can use synesthesia to cross-link (or unhook) sensory systems. Systemic coaching at the limbic level helps a person experience unpleasant feelings as interesting communications, without being overwhelmed by body sensations such as guilt, sadness or anxiety.

As the limbic system also interprets music, speech intonations and metaphors, we can communicate directly with the limbic brain with interactive metaphors and symbols. Symbolic maps and matrices are valuable tools for systemic diagnosis and systemic coaching.

Coaching the Hind Brain

Your hind-brain also translates body-mind communication. It is sometimes called the reptilian hind- brain and controls everyday repetitive behaviors such as habits, rituals, routines and motor skills. You may call it your auto-pilot when you walk and daydream.

Your hind-brain associates emotions with action. (Action might be called honest communication.) You communicate aggression, submission and sexual interest through your actions. Body movement and nonverbal communication involve the hind-brain, and like your limbic system, your hind-brain respond to symbols. Systemic coaching uses symbols to communicate with this part of your brain.

A Psychobiology of Soul

These various parts of the brain can function and communicate simultaneously ... and ecstatically. We coach people enjoy a stable experience of integrity as a basis for long-term change.

A person experiencing this integration displays verbal congruence and nonverbal symmetry, which may indicate that the both cranial hemispheres, limbic system, amygdala and hind-brain are in an unusual state of cooperation. During this experience, a person can simultaneously focus on abstract concepts and on specific details. Most people report a sense of transcendental awareness. (So many people called this experience Soul that we called this part of systemic coaching Soul-work.)

Many people, during this experience, say that Soul has an independent existence; that Soul existed before the person was born; and that Soul will continue after the death of that body. (Psychobiology cannot confirm or deny this, although some of us like the idea!)

Some of our group believe that our coaching can enable or enhance spiritual connectedness – while others believe that Soul experience is a natural result of integrated brain activity. Whatever is true, Soul experience seems to provide a basis for fulfilling the requirements for spontaneous health described above and  provides a rational basis for significant body-mind healing in short time frames.

People who cannot experience this existential harmony share similar reasons - crisis (preoccupied), guilt (a need to suffer) and codependence (independent happiness may damage an important relationship). Other reasons were that the person suffered long term dissociation (lost identity), had identified with another person (identification) or had simultaneously identified with two people (identity conflict). Hence Soulwork systemic coaching includes strategies for dissolving these systemic issues.

We hope that our Soulwork systemic coaching may be a step towards immuno-elation, optimal immune system function. This may reduce aging and increase resistance to many diseases, while alleviating many symptoms of psychosomatic illness and autoimmune disease.

NOTE: Consult a physician about any opinions or recommendations about medical conditions.

October 2004

Since I wrote this article in 1998, we have redefined systemic coaching. Our paradigm has shifted. Most people remain true to their conditioning. People searching for simple solutions for complex problems continue to prefer medication and short-term distractions. If you search for a long-term sense of life - we invite you to investigate our relationship coaching and systemic coach training.

Our challenge is to make systemic coaching readily available. We invite you to join us.

Relationship Coaching ... Systemic Coach Training ... Your Next Step?

Do you want relationship coaching or systemic coach training? We can train you to coach individuals, partners and teams to resolve a wide range of emotional and relationship challenges.