The Autonomic Homeostasis Activation Podcast

Thomas Pals and Ruth Lorensson
  • 5.0 (16)
  • ALTERNATIVE HEALTH
  • UPDATED BIMONTHLY

Hosted by Tom Pals and Ruth Lorensson, the Autonomic Homeostasis Activation Podcast (AHA Podcast) explores how activating the brain engages the body’s interoceptive awareness and natural homeostatic processes, helping restore nervous system balance and support healing from stress.Grounded in neuroscience and the body’s innate intelligence, each episode offers practical strategies, scientific insights, and real conversations to help you build whole-person wellness—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Join Tom and Ruth as they unpack the science behind Autonomic Homeostasis Activation™, share tools for self-regulation, and invite you into a living systems approach to wellness that empowers resilience, freedom, and everyday well-being.

  1. JAN 25

    The Brain Has a Mind of Its Own (Part 2): From Survival Loops to Cognitive Homeostasis

    Send us a text In this episode of the Autonomic Homeostasis Activation Podcast, Tom Pals and Ruth Lorensson explore how the brain thinks independently of the conscious mind—and how this capacity supports healing, clarity, and thriving. Building on their previous conversation, they examine the difference between mind-based problem solving and brain-based wisdom, introducing the concept of cognitive homeostasis. The discussion unpacks why the mind often loops in fear, trauma, and overanalysis, while the brain integrates information holistically and delivers insight through spontaneous “aha” moments. You’ll learn: What cognitive homeostasis is and how it differs from somatic homeostasisWhy the brain generates involuntary insights, memories, and realizationsHow trauma and stress disrupt the brain–mind partnershipWhy “thinking harder” often blocks healing and problem-solvingHow Autonomic Homeostasis Activation (AHA) facilitates access to the brain’s wisdomThis episode is especially relevant for anyone experiencing chronic stress, trauma patterns, health anxiety, or feeling stuck despite trying to “figure things out.” Support the show Thanks for listening! You can follow us on Facebook Instagram Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts Check out the Autonomic Healing Website & InnerWorkings Website Email Tom thomasjpals@innerworkings.org Email Ruth ruth@bridgeandrhino.com Support us We appreciate you!

    26 min

  2. JAN 4

    When the Brain Solves What the Mind Can’t

    Send us a text What if the breakthrough you’re looking for isn’t found by thinking harder—but by listening differently? In this episode, Ruth Lorensson and Thomas Pals continue their exploration of the wisdom of the brain, introducing the concept of cognitive homeostasis—how the brain independently problem-solves and offers insight beyond the mind’s habitual loops. They unpack aha moments, involuntary thoughts, and sudden clarity as signs of the brain cutting through trauma-informed, fear-based thinking to guide us from survival to thriving. The conversation also introduces how Autonomic Homeostasis Activation (AHA) can intentionally create the conditions for these insights to emerge. Key Takeaways Your brain is already thinking—even when your mind feels stuckOverthinking can block the brain’s natural problem-solving capacitySudden insights are often signs of cognitive homeostasisHealing and clarity emerge when the mind learns to listenYou can intentionally create space for the brain’s wisdom to surfaceSupport the show Thanks for listening! You can follow us on Facebook Instagram Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts Check out the Autonomic Healing Website & InnerWorkings Website Email Tom thomasjpals@innerworkings.org Email Ruth ruth@bridgeandrhino.com Support us We appreciate you!

    26 min

  3. 12/13/2025

    The Brain Has a Mind of Its Own: The Oldest Way to Solve Problems

    Send us a text Season 4 begins with a foundational conversation on the wisdom of the brain and how it shapes problem solving, emotional regulation, and personal growth. Ruth and Tom explore the crucial difference between the mind and the brain, and why stress, trauma, and learned patterns can distort our thinking. Introducing AHA Problem Solving, this episode shows how calming the nervous system allows the brain’s natural intelligence to generate clarity, insight, and genuine “aha” moments—especially around health anxiety, relationships, and life decisions. The discussion also touches on neuroscience, homeostasis, and what artificial intelligence reveals about human cognition under stress. Key Takeaways: • The brain and mind are not the same • Stress impairs decision-making • The brain holds innate wisdom • Regulation restores clarity Support the show Thanks for listening! You can follow us on Facebook Instagram Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts Check out the Autonomic Healing Website & InnerWorkings Website Email Tom thomasjpals@innerworkings.org Email Ruth ruth@bridgeandrhino.com Support us We appreciate you!

    43 min

  4. 11/15/2025

    Maslow's Last Lesson: Transcendence

    Send us a text In this illuminating episode of the Autonomic Homeostasis Activation Podcast, Tom Pals and Ruth Lorensson explore the rarely discussed—but profoundly important—final stage of Maslow’s thinking: transcendence. Most people know Maslow for the “hierarchy of needs” pyramid, but as Tom reveals, Maslow never created a pyramid at all. And he certainly never stopped at self-actualization. At the end of his career, Maslow emphasized something deeper: a movement beyond the self into a state of connection, meaning, creativity, and belonging. Together, Tom and Ruth unpack: Why Maslow’s hierarchy was never meant to be a pyramidHow transcendence connects “me” to “we” and restores our sense of belongingWhy love, awe, creativity, and community are essential components of wellnessHow “us and them” thinking blocks transcendence and fragments our humanityWhy every organism in nature thrives through interdependence—and what humans can relearn from thatA practical way to check if your needs are being met or if you’re stuck in fight-or-flightTranscendence isn’t mystical or unreachable. It’s the human experience of rising above survival, reconnecting to the larger web of life, and rediscovering the joy of being part of something bigger. If you’re seeking deeper meaning, grounded wisdom, and a more holistic understanding of what it means to thrive, this episode offers a powerful and refreshing perspective. Support the show Thanks for listening! You can follow us on Facebook Instagram Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts Check out the Autonomic Healing Website & InnerWorkings Website Email Tom thomasjpals@innerworkings.org Email Ruth ruth@bridgeandrhino.com Support us We appreciate you!

    37 min

  5. 11/02/2025

    Self-Actualization — The Me-We of Wellness

    Send us a text In this special birthday episode, Tom and Ruth explore what it really means to thrive as a whole human being. Building on their series about the fundamentals of wellness and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, they dive into the top of the hierarchy—self-actualization—and why it’s never just about “me.” Together they unpack how homeostasis—that dynamic state of balance in body, mind, and spirit—is both personal and collective. Drawing on insights from neuroscience, somatic practice, and ecology, Tom explains how true wellness emerges when our physiological, emotional, and relational needs are met within connection—not isolation. From the wisdom of Kurt Goldstein and Abraham Maslow to the biology of “many little lives” within us, this conversation reframes self-actualization as thriving through interconnectedness. 💫 Highlights: Why wellness is homeostasis—and what that looks like in everyday lifeHow the me-we perspective transforms the way we pursue growthThe hidden sixth layer of Maslow’s hierarchy—transcendencePractical steps for activating the body’s natural capacity to restore balanceJoin Ruth and Tom as they celebrate wisdom, connection, and the lifelong journey from surviving to thriving. Support the show Thanks for listening! You can follow us on Facebook Instagram Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts Check out the Autonomic Healing Website & InnerWorkings Website Email Tom thomasjpals@innerworkings.org Email Ruth ruth@bridgeandrhino.com Support us We appreciate you!

    37 min

  6. 10/19/2025

    The Heart of Esteem: Seeing Ourselves and Others Clearly

    Send us a text In this episode of the Autonomic Homeostasis Activation Podcast, Tom Pals and Ruth Lorensson continue their exploration of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs through the lens of wellness and trauma-informed wholeness. Focusing on esteem, they unpack what it truly means to “appraise” value—both in ourselves and in others—and how unmet needs and trauma can distort our perception of worth and significance. Through rich conversation and powerful metaphors—like Tom’s image of humans as uncut diamonds—they reveal how esteem isn’t about hierarchy or status, but about mutual recognition of inherent worth. Together, they examine how physiological, safety, and belonging needs act as catalysts for healthy esteem, and how unmet needs can keep us stuck in cycles of comparison, defensiveness, or exclusion. Listeners will come away with deeper insight into: The roots of esteem as appraisal rather than judgmentHow trauma and unmet needs shape our ability to value ourselves and othersThe difference between worth, significance, and accomplishmentHow to move from sympathetic fight-or-flight into parasympathetic homeostasisPractical reflection prompts for fostering self-worth and mutual significanceJoin Ruth and Tom as they guide listeners toward restoring homeostasis of esteem, a crucial step in the broader journey toward self-actualization and holistic wellness. 🎧 Listen now and rediscover your worth as an uncut diamond in a world learning to see again. Support the show Thanks for listening! You can follow us on Facebook Instagram Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts Check out the Autonomic Healing Website & InnerWorkings Website Email Tom thomasjpals@innerworkings.org Email Ruth ruth@bridgeandrhino.com Support us We appreciate you!

    35 min

  7. 10/06/2025

    Change as Life: How the Brain Navigates Transformation

    Send us a text In this episode of the Autonomic Homeostasis Activation Podcast, hosts Tom Pals and Ruth Lorensson explore the profound connection between change, homeostasis, and wellness. They unpack why change isn’t something to resist but to embrace—because homeostasis itself is change, the constant dynamic adjustment that keeps us alive and well. Drawing on neuroscience, Tom explains how the brain perceives change through the amygdala, either as a threat (activating the sympathetic fight-or-flight response) or as an opportunity (activating the parasympathetic rest-recover-digest state). Together, Tom and Ruth explore how our perception of change determines our experience of it—whether we spiral into anxiety and frustration or move toward growth, restoration, and resilience. Listeners will learn the difference between wanting change and wanting to change, and how cultivating a mindset of beneficial anticipation—seeing change as life-giving—creates space for healing, adaptability, and sustainable wellness. 💡 Key Themes: Homeostasis as a living, dynamic processThe neurobiology of change and emotional regulationHow perception shapes our stress or peace responseThe power of beneficial anticipation over negative anticipationWhy embracing change is central to true wellness✨ “Change is not the enemy of wellness—it’s the evidence of life.” 🔗 Learn more at autonomichealing.org  or connect with Tom at innerworkings.org . Support the show Thanks for listening! You can follow us on Facebook Instagram Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts Check out the Autonomic Healing Website & InnerWorkings Website Email Tom thomasjpals@innerworkings.org Email Ruth ruth@bridgeandrhino.com Support us We appreciate you!

    33 min

  8. 09/13/2025

    Beyond Stress: Finding Real Love and Belonging

    Send us a text In this episode of the Autonomic Homeostasis Activation Podcast, Tom Pals and Ruth Lorensson continue their Fundamentals of Wellness series with a deep dive into the third level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: love and belonging. Together they explore the universal ache for connection, community, and healing felt across society today and ask an essential question: what kind of love and belonging truly nurtures wellness and mental health? Drawing a distinction between the “tsunami of stress” and “rational intimacy,” Tom and Ruth unpack how certain relationships, communities, and affiliations may appear loving and inclusive, yet actually perpetuate stress, trauma, insecurity, and disconnection. In contrast, they describe how authentic love and belonging cultivates safety, security, contentment, and mutual growth — the true foundation for self-actualization, resilience, and wholeness. Listeners will learn how to recognize the signs of false belonging, how to choose pathways that foster genuine wellness, relational health, and homeostasis, and why this choice is central to becoming our truest, healthiest selves. If you’ve ever wondered whether the spaces you belong to are building you up or holding you back, this episode offers clarity, encouragement, and practical insights for personal growth and sustainable wellness. Support the show Thanks for listening! You can follow us on Facebook Instagram Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts Check out the Autonomic Healing Website & InnerWorkings Website Email Tom thomasjpals@innerworkings.org Email Ruth ruth@bridgeandrhino.com Support us We appreciate you!

    29 min
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5
out of 5
16 Ratings

About

Hosted by Tom Pals and Ruth Lorensson, the Autonomic Homeostasis Activation Podcast (AHA Podcast) explores how activating the brain engages the body’s interoceptive awareness and natural homeostatic processes, helping restore nervous system balance and support healing from stress.Grounded in neuroscience and the body’s innate intelligence, each episode offers practical strategies, scientific insights, and real conversations to help you build whole-person wellness—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Join Tom and Ruth as they unpack the science behind Autonomic Homeostasis Activation™, share tools for self-regulation, and invite you into a living systems approach to wellness that empowers resilience, freedom, and everyday well-being.

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