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The Autonomic Homeostasis Activation Podcast - Neuroscience • Emotional Resilience • Trauma Recovery
The Autonomic Homeostasis Activation (AHA) Podcast explores the autonomic nervous system, interoception, homeostasis, nervous system regulation, and the neuroscience of stress, healing, and wellbeing.
Hosted by Tom Pals and Ruth Lorensson, each episode combines neuroscience, living systems thinking, and practical insight to help listeners better understand how the brain and body work together to support resilience, recovery, and thriving.
Through conversations on stress, trauma, emotional wellbeing, cognition, and whole-person health, Tom and Ruth unpack the science behind Autonomic Homeostasis Activation™ and the brain's innate capacity to facilitate healing and restore regulation.
Whether you're interested in nervous system health, trauma recovery, emotional resilience, or the mind-body connection, this podcast offers evidence-informed conversations and practical tools to help you flourish in body, mind, and spirit.
Episodes
100 episodes
Neuroscience, Trauma Recovery and Emotional Resilience | The Brain, Minds and Emotions
100 episodes in — and we're marking it with one of the most important conversations we've had.What does the science of your nervous system have to do with healing from trauma — and why does autonomic homeostasis sit at the heart of lasti...
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Interoception Explained: How Your Brain and Body Work Together to Heal Stress
What is interoception—and why does it matter so much for stress, trauma, healing, and overall wellbeing?In this episode of the Autonomic Homeostasis Activation Podcast, Ruth Lorensson and Tom Pals explore interoception, the brain’s senso...
Autonomic Nervous System Explained: Why You Feel Stuck in Stress (and How to Reset)
What is the autonomic nervous system—and why does it matter so much for stress, anxiety, and overall wellbeing?In this episode, Ruth Lorensson and Tom Pals break down the autonomic nervous system in a clear, practical way—exploring how t...
Mind vs Brain: Is Your Brain the Source of Consciousness?
What if the brain isn’t just an organ—but the context for everything we experience?In this episode of the Autonomic Homeostasis Activation Podcast, Ruth Lorensson and Tom Pals explore the mystery of the brain, moving beyond a purely scie...
Embodied Cognition Explained: Why the Brain Isn't Just in Your Head
What if the brain isn’t just in your head?In this episode, we take a 30,000-foot view of the brain and challenge one of the most common assumptions in modern neuroscience. Exploring the enteric nervous system—often called the “second bra...
How the Brain Maintains Homeostasis: A New Understanding of Stress and Wellbeing
What is actually happening in the brain when we feel calm, overwhelmed, reactive, or grounded?In this episode of the Autonomic Homeostasis Activation Podcast, Tom Pals and Ruth Lorensson step back for a 30,000-foot view of the ...
Vicarious Trauma & the Nervous System: How to Stay Grounded in a World on Fire
In this timely and deeply practical episode of the Autonomic Homeostasis Activation Podcast, Tom and Ruth explore what it means to live in a world saturated with distressing information — from global conflict to cultural upheaval to deep...
The Brain Has a Mind of Its Own (Part 2): From Survival Loops to Cognitive Homeostasis
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...
When the Brain Solves What the Mind Can’t
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...
The Brain Has a Mind of Its Own: The Oldest Way to Solve Problems
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 min...
Maslow’s Final Stage: Transcendence and the Future of Human Potential
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 k...
Self-Actualization: The Missing Link Between Personal Growth and Collective Wellbeing
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...
Self-Esteem: How to See Yourself (and Others) More Clearly
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 es...
How the Brain Handles Change (And Why Transformation Feels Hard)
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 embra...
Beyond Stress: How to Feel Safe, Connected, and Truly Belong
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 belongi...
AHA Therapy: Changing the Conversation within the Body
In this thought-provoking episode of the Autonomic Homeostasis Activation Podcast, Ruth Lorensson and Thomas Pals welcome back Scott Turner, renowned physiologist and expert on homeostasis, cognition, and superorganisms, ...
What Is Homeostasis? How Your Body Adapts, Regulates, and Stays in Balance
In this thought-provoking conversation, Ruth Lorensson and Thomas Pals welcome back Scott Turner, author of Purpose and Desire, to explore the fascinating intersections of niche construction theory, homeo...
Purpose and Desire: What Drives Human Behavior? (with Scott Turner)
Interoception, homeostasis, and the autonomic nervous system are at the heart of this conversation on trauma healing and body-based wellness—drawing inspiration from Scott Turner’s groundbreaking book, Purpose and Desire.In this...
Why You Don’t Feel Safe (Even When You Are): Nervous System Explained
Interoception, homeostasis, and the autonomic nervous system come together in this powerful episode to help you understand why you may not feel safe—even when there's no actual danger. Hosts Ruth Lorensson and Tom Pals unpack how traum...
Brain-fulness: Achieving Optimal Homeostasis in Body, Mind, and Spirit | Nervous System Regulation
Interoception, homeostasis, and the autonomic nervous system unite in this episode to explore the concept of Brain-fulness—a mindful, embodied practice for restoring balance, healing from stress, and cultivating wh...
What Actually Supports Your Health? The 5 Drivers of Wellness Explained
Interoception, homeostasis, and the autonomic nervous system frame this insightful exploration of the Five P’s of Wellness—an intuitive framework to determine what truly supports or hinders your well-being. Hosts <...
Fight-or-Flight vs Rest-and-Digest: How Your Nervous System Affects Health
Personal wellness does not happen in isolation. In this Fundamentals of Wellness episode, Tom and Ruth examine how health is shaped by both individual habits and our shared environment.Using the recent Fort Collins mall incident as a cas...
What Pain Is Really Telling You: Your Body’s Hidden Healing Signal
In this eye‑opening installment of the Autonomic Homeostasis Activation Podcast, Tom Pals and Ruth Lorensson peel back the layers of a sense most of us never knew we had—interoception, the brain’s moment‑to‑moment read‑out of ever...
Why You Shouldn’t Fight Symptoms: How Your Body Heals Itself Naturally
In this enlightening episode of the Autonomic Homeostasis Activation Podcast, Tom Pals and Ruth Lorensson dive deep into the fascinating world of bodily healing and homeostasis. Challenging conventional wisdom about wellness, they explore the c...
The Truth About Homeostasis: Why Balance is a Myth
Is achieving balance really the key to wellness? Or have we misunderstood homeostasis all along? In this eye-opening episode of the Autonomic Homeostasis Activation Podcast, hosts Tom Pals and Ruth Lorensson dive deep into the science of homeos...