Abstract
Research increasingly suggests that all humans are born with integrated forms of intelligence that combine cognitive and somatic abilities into whole-picture understanding. However, modern educational systems systematically separate and suppress these natural integrations, creating artificial distinctions between "typical" and "atypical" learning. Twice-exceptional (2e) individuals, through their resistance to this separation, make visible what happens to everyone's natural intelligence under these systems. Through mechanisms such as embodied simulation and integrated processing channels, 2e individuals demonstrate the sophisticated somatic-cognitive integration that all humans naturally possess but most have learned to suppress. Drawing on neuroscientific research and real-world examples, this paper demonstrates how maintaining this integration enables unique forms of problem-solving that are increasingly vital in our complex world. Societal systems designed for linear, incremental thinking fail to recognize or support holistic, integrated thinking—not just in 2e individuals, but in all learners. These systems actively suppress natural human intelligence, particularly in 2e individuals whose integration remains strong enough to challenge narrow frameworks of traditional intelligence. By understanding and valuing whole-picture thinking, we can begin to recover these natural integrations for everyone while unlocking the potential of those who have maintained them despite systematic suppression.
I. Introduction
Twice-exceptional (2e) individuals, who maintain extraordinary integrated abilities alongside what systems label as "challenges" such as ADHD, dyslexia, or autism, offer a crucial window into human potential. While traditionally misunderstood as "disabled," this paper argues that 2e individuals actually demonstrate natural human capabilities that educational systems artificially suppress in most people. These individuals continue operating using whole-picture intelligence—an integrated form of thinking that synthesizes both small-picture (incremental, detailed) and big-picture (holistic, systems-level) perspectives—despite systematic pressure to separate these natural integrations.
This paper examines the specific mechanisms of somatic-cognitive integration that enable whole-picture thinking, using examples such as Temple Grandin's groundbreaking work with cattle handling systems. These mechanisms—embodied simulation, sensory-based pattern recognition, and integrated processing channels—highlight how human brains naturally process information before educational systems impose artificial separations between cognitive and somatic understanding.
Recent studies in neuroscience support these mechanisms, showing that all humans are born with integrated intelligence that our current systems actively work to separate and suppress. Research demonstrates that maintaining the integration of somatic and cognitive processing leads to enhanced problem-solving abilities in complex environments—abilities that could be available to everyone if we stopped dismantling these natural connections. By exploring both theoretical and applied frameworks, this paper seeks to demonstrate not only the value of 2e thinking but how it reveals the consequences of societal suppression on all human potential.
II. Whole-Picture Intelligence: Natural Human Integration
At the heart of human intelligence lies a sophisticated integration of cognitive and somatic abilities—an integration that modern systems artificially separate. While this paper focuses on twice-exceptional individuals, they actually demonstrate natural human capabilities that educational systems systematically suppress in the general population. What distinguishes 2e individuals is not their unique abilities, but their maintenance of natural human integration despite systematic pressure to separate bodily-based pattern recognition from cognitive processing.
Somatic-Cognitive Integration Mechanisms
The foundation of human intelligence can be understood through three primary mechanisms, clearly demonstrated in Dr. Temple Grandin's groundbreaking work with cattle handling systems. First, through embodied simulation, humans naturally physically experience and process information before translating it into cognitive understanding. While most people are trained to suppress this process, 2e individuals often maintain it. Grandin's method of getting down to cattle eye level and physically experiencing their movement patterns exemplifies this natural human ability that most are taught to ignore.
Second, sensory-based pattern recognition allows humans to process multiple streams of information simultaneously through both physical and cognitive channels. The enteric nervous system—often called the "second brain"—plays a crucial role in this natural process. Through interoceptive awareness (internal bodily sensations), humans are designed to "feel" patterns and solutions before articulating them cognitively. While educational systems train most people to distrust these sensations, 2e individuals often maintain this natural integration, as evident in Grandin's ability to understand cattle behavior patterns through physical experience.
Third, integrated processing channels enable natural human perception to merge visual, tactile, and proprioceptive inputs into a unified understanding. This integration occurs through complex neural networks, particularly the insular cortex and vagal nerve pathways, which create bidirectional communication between body and brain. While most educational and professional systems actively work to separate these channels, 2e individuals often resist this artificial separation.
Infracognition and Natural Pattern Recognition
The concept of infracognition—the body's unconscious ability to process patterns and anticipate outcomes—is not unique to 2e individuals but is actually a fundamental human capacity that most are trained to suppress. This process operates through both bottom-up and top-down mechanisms that exist in all human brains. Bottom-up processing begins with visceral pattern recognition, where gut reactions and interoceptive signals precede conscious awareness—a natural human process that most learning environments actively discourage.
Top-down integration then allows for conscious awareness of these somatic signals, enabling humans to deliberately attend to and learn from body-based patterns. This dual-processing system explains why all humans initially experience "knowing" solutions intuitively before explaining them logically—until educational systems train them to distrust these natural processes. While most people learn to suppress their somatic memory and physical pattern recognition, 2e individuals often maintain these natural guidance system.
Beyond Traditional Models of Human Capability
This complex integration of somatic and cognitive abilities isn't exceptional—it's our natural state. Educational and professional systems artificially privilege linear, step-by-step cognitive processes while actively discouraging the body-based learning and pattern recognition that all humans are born with. However, neuroscientific research increasingly confirms that this integrated somatic-cognitive processing is our biological default.
For example, studies of the interoceptive network show that all human brains naturally integrate physical and emotional signals, creating a unified experience of body and mind. This integration isn't unique to 2e individuals—they've simply maintained what others are taught to suppress. Rather than representing a special ability, their sensitivity demonstrates the natural human capacity for comprehensive intelligence that incorporates multiple processing channels.
III. The Systemic Suppression of Natural Human Intelligence
The primary reason that 2e individuals are perceived as disabled is not because of their inherent abilities but because societal systems are designed to fragment natural human intelligence. Educational systems rely heavily on standardized testing and rigid curricula that artificially separate cognitive skills from somatic understanding, forcing most children to suppress their natural integrated abilities. These systems don't just fail to recognize intuitive, non-linear approaches—they actively work to eliminate them in all students.
For example, somatic learning—the natural human way of learning through physical experience and bodily cues—is systematically suppressed in schools that emphasize rote memorization and desk-based instruction. While this affects all students, 2e individuals often maintain stronger connections to their natural learning processes, making their resistance to fragmentation more visible. As a result, these students may be labeled inattentive, disruptive, or "disabled," when in fact they're demonstrating natural human learning patterns that the system is designed to suppress.
By contrast, when any humans—2e or otherwise—are allowed to engage in physical, embodied learning, they often demonstrate remarkable capabilities. Schools that have implemented hands-on, experiential learning programs, such as Waldorf and Montessori models, see improved engagement and success not just in twice-exceptional students but in all learners. This improvement occurs because these environments allow natural human learning processes instead of suppressing them.
In the workplace, similar dynamics affect everyone. Professional environments reward artificial separation of cognitive and somatic processes, expecting employees to suppress natural integrated thinking in favor of standardized procedures. While 2e individuals often maintain their natural ability to see broader implications and innovative solutions despite this pressure, all humans possess this capacity. The suppression of natural human intelligence in workplace environments represents a profound loss of potential for both individuals and organizations.
By framing 2e individuals as "disabled," society obscures a broader truth: all humans are born with integrated intelligence that current systems actively work to fragment. This systematic suppression doesn't just marginalize 2e individuals—it diminishes human potential across society, depriving us all of our natural ability to think in whole-picture terms.
The solution lies not in expecting societal systems to change, but in recognizing that 2e individuals demonstrate natural human capabilities that could benefit everyone. By creating spaces where integrated intelligence is valued, we're not just supporting 2e individuals—we're creating models for recovering natural human potential that current systems suppress. These environments would serve as examples of how all humans could learn and work if allowed to maintain their natural integrations.
This systematic suppression of natural intelligence that Land's study documents affects every aspect of human development. The nearly universal creative genius he found in five-year-olds (98%) represents our natural state of integrated intelligence—the same whole-picture thinking that 2e individuals often maintain. The dramatic decline to just 2% in adults isn't a natural development; it's the result of systematic fragmentation of human intelligence through educational and social systems.
IV. Whole-Picture Thinking: Recovering Natural Human Intelligence
The challenges humanity faces today require exactly the kind of integrated intelligence that Land's study shows we all possess naturally but lose through systematic suppression. Climate change, resource depletion, and technological disruption cannot be solved through the artificially fragmented thinking our current systems promote. These challenges require re-accessing the natural human capacity for whole-picture thinking that combines fine details with broader system understanding—the very capacity that 98% of humans demonstrate before systematic suppression begins.
Twice-exceptional individuals, who often maintain higher levels of this natural integration despite systematic pressure, demonstrate what this intelligence looks like in practice. Their ability to process information across multiple domains, integrating sensory, emotional, and cognitive inputs, isn't a special gift—it's a preserved example of natural human capability. The fact that only 2% of adults in Land's study retained similar levels of creative intelligence suggests that 2e individuals' "exceptionality" lies in their resistance to systematic suppression rather than in having unusual abilities
For example, when a twice-exceptional person working on climate solutions integrates scientific data with intuitive understanding of economic, social, and political ramifications, they're demonstrating the natural human capacity for integrated thinking that Land found in young children. This isn't a unique ability—it's what human intelligence looks like before systematic fragmentation occurs.
The military's approach to Special Forces reveals how systems deliberately identify and exploit those who maintain their natural integration. Rather than celebrating these preserved abilities, military systems specifically test for individuals who maintain high levels of integrated somatic-cognitive awareness despite educational suppression. They then weaponize these preserved capabilities, turning natural pattern recognition and somatic awareness into tools for warfare.
This calculated exploitation demonstrates that our systems aren't ignorant of natural human capabilities—they actively identify, cultivate, and weaponize them in those who've preserved them. The military's ability to screen for and utilize these integrated abilities proves they understand exactly what Land's study reveals: that natural human intelligence includes sophisticated somatic-cognitive integration. Yet instead of nurturing these capabilities for human flourishing, they deliberately exploit them for violence.
The tragic result is profound trauma for these individuals. Their preserved natural integration, which should serve life and understanding, is twisted into a weapon. When they leave military service, they face the devastating challenge of trying to reintegrate into a society that both suppresses and fears the very capabilities that were exploited. This demonstrates how thoroughly our systems understand and deliberately misuse preserved natural intelligence.
The fact that military systems can identify and weaponize these preserved capabilities reveals something crucial: the suppression of natural human intelligence isn't accidental—it's deliberate. When 98% of five-year-olds demonstrate genius-level creative thinking through integrated intelligence, but only 2% of adults retain this capacity, we're seeing the calculated results of a system that understands exactly what it's destroying—except in cases where it can exploit these preserved capabilities for its own ends. This isn't natural development or accidental loss—it's systematic suppression punctuated by deliberate exploitation of those who maintain their natural integration.
V. Revaluing Whole-Picture Intelligence: Recovering Natural Human Potential
The dramatic decline in integrated intelligence that Land's study documents—from 98% at age five to 2% in adulthood—reveals that what we call "twice-exceptional" might better be understood as "twice-preserved." These individuals haven't developed unusual abilities; they've maintained natural human capabilities that educational systems systematically suppress in most people. For society to thrive in the face of current challenges, we must understand this distinction and work to recover these natural integrations.
The "gifted" aspects of 2e individuals often represent preserved natural human capabilities that Land's study shows nearly all children possess before systematic suppression begins. Their "challenges" (ADHD, dyslexia, autism) might better be understood as variations in how strongly they maintain these natural integrations despite systematic pressure to fragment them. What appears as "disability" often reflects conflict between preserved natural intelligence and systems designed to suppress it.
Consider how five-year-olds in Land's study approached problems: they used their whole bodies to think, integrated multiple perspectives simultaneously, and generated creative solutions without artificial separation between cognitive and somatic understanding. This matches how many 2e individuals continue to think despite educational pressure to conform to fragmented processes. Their "exceptional" abilities often mirror the natural capabilities that 98% of humans demonstrate before systematic suppression begins.
Healing Everyone
Rather than labeling 2e individuals as disabled or even exceptional, we must recognize them as preservers of natural human intelligence. The solution isn't to help them better conform to systems designed to suppress natural human capabilities—it's to create spaces where these natural integrations can be maintained and recovered.
These spaces would serve not just 2e individuals but anyone seeking to recover their natural integrated intelligence. By studying how 2e individuals have maintained what Land's study shows all humans once possessed, we can develop environments that support rather than suppress natural human capabilities. This isn't about special accommodation—it's about creating conditions that allow natural human intelligence to function as it was designed to.
The establishment of such environments would benefit:
1. 2e individuals who have maintained natural integrations
2. Others who wish to recover suppressed capabilities
3. Young children who haven't yet lost their natural integration
4. Society as a whole by preserving and recovering natural human potential
Conclusion: The Systematic Suppression of Natural Human Intelligence
Land's study revealing the decline from 98% to 2% in integrated intelligence manifests across all major societal systems, creating a comprehensive web of suppression:
Educational Systems
- Age 5: Children naturally integrate movement, emotion, and cognition in learning
- Age 7: Schools begin separating "thinking" from "feeling" and "moving"
- Age 10: Only 30% maintain integrated learning capabilities
- Age 15: Abstract thinking is privileged over somatic knowledge
- Result: Natural learning processes are fragmented into artificial "subjects"
Workplace Environments
- Natural problem-solving abilities are compartmentalized
- Intuitive pattern recognition is dismissed as "unreliable"
- Physical intelligence is separated from cognitive tasks
- Innovation is confined to prescribed channels
- Complex problems are artificially simplified
- Result: 98% of workers operate at fraction of natural capacity
Social Systems
- Emotional intelligence is separated from "rational" thinking
- Intuitive understanding is labeled as "unprofessional"
- Pattern recognition across domains is discouraged
- Physical ways of knowing are devalued
- Complex social understanding is reduced to metrics
- Result: Rich social intelligence is reduced to standardized interactions
Professional Development
- Natural creativity is replaced with standardized procedures
- Integrated problem-solving is fragmented into "steps"
- Somatic knowledge is eliminated from decision-making
- Pattern recognition is replaced with linear analysis
- Result: Professional "growth" often means increased fragmentation
This systematic suppression creates artificial barriers between aspects of intelligence that naturally work together. The 2% who maintain their integrated capabilities demonstrate not exceptional ability, but preserved natural human potential. Their existence proves both what has been lost and what remains possible.
The path forward isn't through incremental system changes but through radical recognition of what has been suppressed. Those who have maintained their natural integration hold the key to understanding not just what's been lost, but how it might be recovered. The solutions exist not in reforming systems designed for suppression, but in creating entirely new spaces where natural human intelligence can re-emerge.
For those who recognize what they've lost and seek to recover their natural capabilities, the evidence presented here serves as a starting point. The journey from fragmentation back to integration requires guidance from those who have preserved what most have lost - those who understand not just the theory of integrated intelligence, but its living practice.
The future belongs not to those who better manage suppression, but to those who recover and maintain their natural human potential. The question isn't whether recovery is possible - the existence of those who've maintained their integration proves it is. The question is whether we're ready to step outside systems designed to fragment human potential and rediscover what we were always meant to be.
© 2024 Lillian Skinner
Independent Creative Intelligence Researcher, 2e Prodigious Savant, Systems Thinker, Futurist, Advocate for A Healthy Society For All
Email: Lillian@giftednd.com
Bibliography
 Foundational Research
Land, G., & Jarman, B. (1993). Breaking Point and Beyond. Harper Business.
- Original NASA creativity study showing decline from 98% to 2%
- Longitudinal research on creative potential
- Documentation of systematic suppression patterns
Land, G. (1986). Grow or Die: The Unifying Principle of Transformation. Leadership 2000 Inc.
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- Pattern recognition in human development
- Systems thinking frameworks
Neuroscience and Embodied Cognition
Grandin, T. (2006). Thinking in Pictures: My Life with Autism. Vintage.
- Evidence of visual-somatic processing
- Pattern recognition through embodied experience
- Integration of multiple processing channels
Damasio, A. (1994). Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain. Putnam.
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- Integration of emotion and cognition
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Educational Research
Robinson, K. (2011). Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative. Capstone.
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- Natural learning processes
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Intelligence and Cognition
Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Basic Books.
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Neurodiversity Research
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- Systemic suppression patterns
- Preserved capabilities
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Somatic Studies
van der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Viking.
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- Systemic fragmentation effects
Levine, P. A. (1997). Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma. North Atlantic Books.
- Somatic processing
- Natural integration patterns
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Pattern Recognition and Systems Thinking
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- Integrated problem-solving
- Pattern recognition frameworks
Capra, F., & Luisi, P. L. (2014). The Systems View of Life: A Unifying Vision. Cambridge University Press.
- Integrated systems thinking
- Natural pattern recognition
- Holistic understanding
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