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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 stuck
• Overthinking can block the brain’s natural problem-solving capacity
• Sudden insights are often signs of cognitive homeostasis
• Healing and clarity emerge when the mind learns to listen
• You can intentionally create space for the brain’s wisdom to surface

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Email Tom thomasjpals@innerworkings.org
Email Ruth ruth@bridgeandrhino.com

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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
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Check out the Autonomic Healing Website & InnerWorkings Website

Email Tom thomasjpals@innerworkings.org
Email Ruth ruth@bridgeandrhino.com

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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 pyramid
• How transcendence connects “me” to “we” and restores our sense of belonging
• Why love, awe, creativity, and community are essential components of wellness
• How “us and them” thinking blocks transcendence and fragments our humanity
• Why every organism in nature thrives through interdependence—and what humans can relearn from that
• A practical way to check if your needs are being met or if you’re stuck in fight-or-flight

Transcendence 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
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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!