Understanding AHA
Autonomic Homeostasis Activation (AHA) is a neurobiological-based, somatic approach that supports the nervous systems natural capacity for regulation and restoration.
AHA teaches you how to intentionally activate the brain and body and engage an internally guided restorative process. From there, you learn to focus your attention on what your body is experiencing, notice sensations as they move and change, and allow the process to unfold.
The process begins with a specific activation that I guide you through, followed by focused sensory awareness of your internal bodily experience, also known as interoception. As you stay connected to these sensations, involuntary physical sensations, movements, emotions, memories, or shifts in awareness may emerge.
You don't have to consciously direct what happens next. The process is designed to unfold through your own internal experience, while I guide and support you throughout the session.
The Core Concepts Behind AHA
Homeostasis is a foundational biological principle: the body is constantly working to maintain balance, regulate itself, and adapt to changes within and around us.
Every day, your body regulates countless processes such as temperature, hormones, energy, immune responses, and stress responses to keep you functioning and help you adapt to life’s demands.
When we experience ongoing stress, trauma, pain, or overwhelming experiences, the brain and body can become organized around patterns of protection and survival. These responses are designed to help us, but sometimes the system can continue responding as though the threat is still present, even when circumstances have changed.
AHA applies these principles of regulation and adaptation to the relationship between the mind, body, and our lived experiences. Through focused awareness and activation of the brain, AHA works with the body's natural regulatory and restorative processes, creating an opportunity for patterns of stress and protection to shift.
Rather than fighting against the body's responses, AHA works with the intelligence already within the system, helping you develop a deeper connection with your mind, body, and the restorative process.
The Relational System matters
As a Marriage and Family Therapist, I also understand homeostasis through a systems lens. In relationships and families, homeostasis describes how relational systems tend to maintain familiar patterns of interaction and organization. These patterns develop for a reason and can continue even when they are no longer serving us.
We work with the brain and body's capacity to regulate, process, and adapt while also considering the relationships and environments in which those patterns developed and continue to unfold.
Relational system + AHA activates → the system regulates → the system processes and adapts → the way the mind and body respond begins to shift → a new pattern of functioning emerges.
This allows AHA to work not only toward feeling better in the moment, but toward new patterns of functioning that can influence how we experience ourselves, our relationships, and our lives.
What Can You Expect During an AHA Session?
During a session, people may experience different sensations or responses in the body, such as tingling, warmth, changes in breathing, shifts in body temperature, twitching, itching, emotions, visual experiences, or other physical sensations. These experiences are part of the body’s natural process of moving through stress responses and returning toward recovery.
The focus of AHA is not to force, control, or suppress what is happening. Instead, you learn how to stay present, observe your body's experience, and allow the brain and body to move through the restorative process.
The 1st AHA session Is often longer because this process unfolds over time. The initial session is typically 4–6 hours; however, if a longer session does not feel like the right starting point, the process can also be divided into shorter sessions that build upon one another.
After learning the process, many people continue using the principles of AHA as a way to work with stress, emotions, relational conflict and life experiences in an ongoing way.
Explore the AHA Pathways:
AHA can be used in different ways depending on what you want to explore:
AHA-PS | Mind Problem Solving
Bring a question or challenge to your activated brain and learn to listen for the thoughts, ideas, and solutions that emerge.
AHA-CC | Couples Connection
Activate together to slow down, connect more deeply, and explore the patterns and experiences that shape your relationship.
AHA-FC | Family Connection
A family-based activation designed to explore connection, relational patterns, and the experiences each person brings into the family.
AHA-SF | Spiritual Formation
Use the activation to explore spiritual connection, guidance, and a deeper relationship with God, Spirit, your own spirit, or whatever you believe in.