The Autonomic Homeostasis Activation Podcast
Hosted by Tom Pals and Ruth Lorensson, the Autonomic Homeostasis Activation Podcast explores the mind-body connection, nervous system regulation, and holistic approaches to healing from stress, trauma, and everyday pressure. Grounded in neuroscience and the body’s innate intelligence, each episode unpacks how the brain supports self-regulation, resilience, and whole-person wellness—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Through practical tools, real conversations, and scientific insight, you’ll learn how to work with your nervous system rather than against it. At the center of the podcast is Autonomic Homeostasis Activation™ (AHA), an approach that engages the brain’s interoceptive awareness and natural homeostatic processes to restore balance and support healing. Join Tom and Ruth as they explore a living systems approach to wellness—helping you move beyond symptom management into lasting change, greater freedom, and a deeper understanding of how your body and brain work together.
Episodes
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 the sympathetic (fight-or-flight) and parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) systems work together to support homeostasis.
If you’ve ever felt stuck in stress, overwhelmed, or unable to “sw...
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 scientific lens into something more expansive. Together, they challenge the common assumption that the mind and brain are the same—and instead suggest that the mind is just one function ...
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 brain”—we uncover why it may actually be the first, and what it means to understand the brain as a whole, integrated system throughout the body.
From interoception and the vagus nerve to...
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 brain—a simple but powerful overview of the neuroscience behind how we process stress, trauma, and wellness.
Rather than approaching the brain as something mysterious or overly technical, Tom b...
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 deeply personal stories of abuse and loss.
We are not just observers anymore. Through constant news cycles and social media exposure, we are often participants in vicarious trauma — absor...
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 unpack...
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...
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 intellige...
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 emp...
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 collecti...
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 convers...
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 a...
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 welln...
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, for a deep dive into the science and mystery behind Autonomic Homeostasis Activation (AHA).
Together, they explore the fascinating intersection of interoception, homeostasis, and the autonomic nervou...
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, homeostasis, and human wellness. Together, they unpack how living systems—down to the cellular level—act with agency, intentionally shaping and being shaped by their environments.
From Walter Cannon’s classic definition o...
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 episode of the Autonomic Homeostasis Activation Podcast, hosts Ruth Lorensson and Tom Pals explore the shift from traditional mechanistic models of the human body to a living systems approac...
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 trauma, chronic stress, and learned woundings can keep your internal nervous system misaligned—and what science shows us about re-creating safety from within.
What You'll Discover:
...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 whole-person wellness. Hosts Ruth Lorensson and Tom Pals dive deep into practical applications of neuroscience to foster self-regulation, emotional resilience, and mind‑body‑spirit integration.
What You'...
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 Ruth Lorensson and Tom Pals map practical applications of the Five P’s (Purpose, Presence, Practice, Processing, and Play) into the neuroscience of somatic healing, trauma recovery, and holistic wellness.
Wh...
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 case study, they address:
- Vicarious trauma – why events you only hear about can still activate your stress response.
- Me-We homeostasis – the science of co-regulation and how supportiv...
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