The Coherence Cycle: A Cross-Scale Process Model of Stabilisation, Destabilisation, and Reorganisation in Human Systems

This conceptual paper introduces the Coherence Cycle as a cross-scale process model for understanding stabilisation, destabilisation, and reorganisation in human systems. It describes movement through three phases: relative coherence, decoherence, and recoherence. Drawing on dynamical systems theory, allostatic load, predictive processing, process-based therapy, and Holling’s adaptive cycle extended through panarchy, the paper argues for phase-sensitive intervention across psychotherapy, relational repair, organisational development, and broader systems change. Rather than treating disruption as simple failure, the model distinguishes necessary destabilisation from harmful fragmentation and emphasises the importance of rhythm, boundaries, and relational safety as field conditions that shape whether change becomes adaptive or brittle. The paper includes phase indicators, intervention guidance, and brief applied vignettes, and is intended as a practical process grammar that complements existing approaches without replacing them.