Clever Avoidance - When Intelligence Becomes A Barrier

The more heady we are, the harder it is for us to feel into our bodies, intelligence becoming a barrier to healing. 
Even as a somatic counselor, I have my own insecurities and persistent troubles. My own centre around being present and connecting with people, where there is a spontaneous nature to it. I can facilitate space, I can perform from the stage, I can talk to anyone about solving issues - but when it comes to natural, formless conversation - I try to hide, I try to run away, and I avoid these sensations of fear at my own detriment.
Something that I will often do from this fear place is what looks like getting to know it better - retreating inside and explaining it to myself. I find creative outlet, interesting metaphors and performative ways to pretend that I am making better sense of my fears. But I am actually cleverly avoiding them.
The only true way of dissolving this fear is by feeling the discomfort, and acting anyway, in the way I want to. This is my struggle, and this is where my work is.
What are the clever ways you avoid feeling, by attempting to explain or think your way to the other side of fear?

I have seen it in clients. I had one very intelligent client talk for an entire session, simply explaining what she was experiencing, instead of actually experiencing it. She was able to avoid the invitation to get out of her head and into her body. In this way she reinforced her stories about her experiences, and barely stepped below the surface of her day to day thinking mind.
Another client was unable to stay focussed on having their eyes closed, and sinking into the meditation. They talked about situations and about their past, and was able to at least experience these. Even this was clever avoidance - staying in her analytical mind, instead of slowing down and being present.
However, clients who are less analytically minded, are much more prone to trust the sensations from their body. 
A third client was able to locate the source of their self doubt, feel into it and then replace the story. They went from feeling their heart retreating to being in a calm, receptive state of experiencing the presence of people who had caused them harm without any of the initial shame or tension, within twenty minutes.
Personally, it took me multiple sessions to enter a state edging on the same kind of calm.

Now, there is nothing inherently wrong or bad about being a more 'heady' individual. In my practice I have simply noticed that these individuals have a harder time slipping into their body, or staying in their body if they do manage to slip in. The out-clause from the uncomfortable moment, as I call it, is a regular trump card we can play to escape simply feeling.

When we learn to identify this clever avoiding tactic, the aim isn't to reprimand ourselves or think harder, somehow thinking through to the other side, but simply to observe them - to witness this tactic. 
A tip for staying in observation mind, is to do so without describing to yourself what is going on. Don't describe the contours of the clever avoiding tactic, don't elaborate on the out-clause from the uncomfortable moment, simply notice. Simply witness. In the same way that you must silently observe someone else dancing in order to learn their movements, to learn the shape of the mind and its defensive tactics - clever avoidance, analysing, explanation - noticing will offer you insight into these tactics far beyond pontification. Take it from a recovering chronic pontificator.